Auroras Encore is set to take his chance in the Scottish Grand National on Saturday despite heavy rain at Ayr on Wednesday. Connections of the Aintree winner confirmed their intention to send a strong team, among which will be the 11-year-old who will bid to become the first horse since [...]
Sir Henry Cecil has suddenly found himself with the new favourite for the 1000 Guineas as Hot Snap appeared from nowhere in more ways than one to win the Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket. This was a serious statement of intent for the legendary trainer and owner Prince Khalid Abdullah [...]
Dubai World Cup hero Animal Kingdom appears more likely to run in the Queen Anne Stakes, rather than the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, at Royal Ascot in June. Co-owned by Australia’s Arrowfield Stud and trained by American-based handler Graham Motion, the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner claimed the world’s richest race [...]
Mikel Delzangles is considering the Coronation Cup at Epsom as a possible seasonal starting point for his globetrotting stable stalwart Dunaden. Winner of the Melbourne Cup and Hong Kong Vase in 2011, the Pearl Bloodstock-owned seven-year-old enjoyed another fine campaign in 2012. He was second in the Hardwicke Stakes at [...]
Indian Chief added another potential string to Aidan O’Brien’s English Derby squad when demonstrating an impressive turn of foot to go from last to first in the Bulmers Live At Leopardstown Summer Racedays 2013 Maiden. The Montjeu colt finished second to Jim Bolger’s subsequent Group One scorer Loch Garman on [...]
Grand National champions Auroras Encore and Ryan Mania are set to be reunited at Ayr after both were given the green light for Saturday’s Coral Scottish Grand National. Less than 24 hours after tasting victory in the world’s most famous steeplechase on April 6, Mania crashed back down to earth [...]
Irish visitor Blackstairmountain has claimed a famous success for trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Ruby Walsh in the Nakayama Grand Jump in Japan. The eight-year-old was well beaten on his Tokyo debut when only ninth in the traditional lead-up, the Pegasus Jump, but he stepped up markedly on that form [...]
Esteemed British trainer Henry Cecil has hit out at a soon-to-be-published biography that contains “unhappy and difficult phases” of his life, saying the concept of the book was changed without his authorisation. The 70-year-old Cecil, who trained retired flat-racing great Frankel and is a 10-time champion trainer, gave British journalist [...]
Joseph O’Brien has allayed fears about the well being of leading Epsom Derby contender Kingsbarns. The Galileo colt headed ante-post lists for the Epsom Classic throughout the winter following his thoroughly impressive display in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, but trainer Aidan O’Brien revealed late last month his three-year-old [...]
Last season’s champion two-year-old Dawn Approach is among a record 17 second-stage entries for the Epsom Derby. The unbeaten son of 2008 Epsom hero New Approach was added to the premier Classic at a cost of STG8,000 ($A11,700). He is already hot favourite for the 2000 Guineas. As well as [...]
