Frankel’s two-year-old half sister Joyeuse has claimed a first stakes, holding on by a neck Listed Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury. While the already priceless 8-11 favourite was hard-pressed to thwart the charging Dorothy B, connections could point to a variety of mitigating circumstances. Tackling quick ground and not wearing her… Read More »
Lethal Force is set to face 15 rivals as he goes for his third Group One success of the season in the Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday. Clive Cox’s flying grey has already chalked up victories in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and the Darley July Cup and arrives at… Read More »
Martin Dwyer will be fighting to clear his name in India this weekend as his appeal against an eight-month suspension is heard. The Derby-winning jockey was initially given a 56-day ban following a race in February, which he was already appealing, but was hit with a revised sentence at a… Read More »
Coolmore Stud reports St Nicholas Abbey has had his best week since his first operation in July. The Aidan O’Brien-trained six-time Group One winner had to be retired after fracturing a pastern on the gallops at Ballydoyle. A few days after surgery the six-year-old contracted colic and he had a… Read More »
Marco Botti is keeping his fingers crossed Ryan Moore will be available to ride Dandino when he lines up in the Melbourne Cup. Having previously enjoyed stints with James Given, Nicky Henderson and James Fanshawe, Dandino joined Newmarket-based Botti earlier this year having been purchased by Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock. With… Read More »
Britain’s best sprinter Lethal Force will retire to stud at the end of the season after being purchased by Cheveley Park. The four-year-old came of age this season with Group One wins in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket. Racing Victoria sounded out… Read More »
French star Cirrus Des Aigles is among the 13 entries for Saturday’s Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown and will run as long as the ground is not too hard. “The owner wants to wait and see whether there is going to be any rain in Ireland, so we have left… Read More »
Christophe Soumillon will regain his position as the Aga Khan’s retained jockey in France from the start of next year. The Belgian-born jockey filled the position as the leading owner’s main rider for eight years between 2002 and 2009, but his contract was not renewed for the 2010 season as… Read More »
Novellist has continued his preparations for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with a workmanlike victory in the Grosser Preis von Baden. Andreas Wohler’s four-year-old was unsurprisingly the long odds-on favourite (1-6) having destroyed his opponents in brilliant style in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot… Read More »
James Doyle’s much-publicised debut as Prince Khalid Abdullah’s new retained rider went off without a hitch as next year’s 2000 Guineas favourite Kingman made a second successful visit to the racecourse in the Group Three Solario Stakes at Sandown. Kingman’s Classic odds were shortened again, to a general 5-1 but… Read More »
Officials at Musselburgh have reaffirmed an interest in hold a meeting on Good Friday should the proposal to race on that day for the first time in 2014 come to fruition. The Edinburgh track already races on Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday and has said for some time it would… Read More »
Impressive King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Novellist runs in the Grosser Preis Von Baden on Sunday with trainer Andreas Wohler keen to stress the Group One is being used as a stepping stone towards Longchamp. The four-year-old is unbeaten this season, with his Ascot success adding to… Read More »
Racing factions are set to be divided when the British Horseracing Authority meets next month to decide whether race meetings will be held on Good Friday from 2014. A newspaper report suggested that proposals will be considered for two major meetings on the bank holiday afternoon, potentially with a STG1… Read More »
Melbourne Cup winning trainer Dermot Weld has joined the roster of trainers supported by the Aga Khan as he diversifies his owning and breeding operation in Ireland. Both two-year-olds and yearlings will be sent to the highly-accomplished Weld, who will be one of three Irish trainers for the owner alongside… Read More »
St Nicholas Abbey has been described as comfortable after suffering a major complication on his road to recovery from a fractured leg. The Aidan O’Brien-trained six-time Group One winner badly damaged a pastern in a track work-out five weeks ago which ended his racing career. Just a few days after… Read More »
If I Had Him, owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, was crowned champion horse in the Channel Islands after winning for the fifth time in 2013 on the final day of the season at Les Landes racecourse in Jersey. The nine-year-old, trained by George Baker at Manton, gave plenty of weight… Read More »
Newmarket trainer Gerard Butler enjoyed a brief moment of respite in what has been a season to forget when Zain Eagle won a maiden at Ripon. Butler is embroiled in the long-running Sungate scandal and still awaits notification from the British Horseracing Authority of a date for his hearing. He… Read More »
The Aga Khan will have his first Melbourne Cup runner following confirmation Verema will make the trip to Australia. The mare is trained by Alain de Royer Dupre who prepared Americain to win the 2010 Melbourne Cup. Verema won the Group Two Prix de Kergolay at her most recent start,… Read More »
Cirrus Des Aigles has continued his worrying decline with yet another defeat at Deauville. Corine Barande-Barbe’s gelding went off the 2-1 favourite for the Grand Prix de Deauville, having picked up the Group Two event a couple of years ago en route to his Champion Stakes success, but he has… Read More »
Tiger Cliff struck in the shadow of the post to land the rich Ebor for the Lady Cecil team at York but Melbourne spring hopeful Opinion was disappointing. Twelve months ago, Sir Henry Cecil saddled Frankel to win the Juddmonte International at the track. Since he died in June, his… Read More »
