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  • Posts

    • With a quiet weekend of racing for the top level, Metropolitan Handicap (G1) winner Raging Torrent held his lead in Week 21 of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll.View the full article
    • The move came as a surprise to some as U.S. President Donald Trump had said that immigrants who worked in hospitality and agriculture had nothing to fear when it came to his administration's plans to crack down on illegal immigrants.View the full article
    • If Tuesday's Group 1 bonanza was akin to absorbing a Mike Tyson combination, such was the ferocity of the action, Royal Ascot's day-two fixture takes a relatively measured approach to its Group 1 crescendo. The £1-million highlight of Wednesday's fayre is the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes in which a star-studded older brigade will race eight yards shy of a full 10 furlongs on the round course. The Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” race is amply supported by the undercard, which opens with a trio of Group 2 events. Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore drew a Group 1 blank on day one and the axis gets another opportunity of notching its 150th top-level triumph with last term's G1 Irish Derby hero and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe third Los Angeles (Camelot). The four-year-old caused a rumble in the betting jungle and dominated early ante-post exchanges after emerging victorious in a bruising edition of the Curragh's G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup last month. He sets the standard in a nine-runner renewal shorn of White Birch (Ulysses) for a second straight season. Stablemate Continuous (Heart's Cry), himself a G1 St Leger winner, is here to ride tempo. It's going to be a case of no quarter asked, no quarter given, according to O'Brien. “He's very happy to lead and very happy to get a lead,” the trainer explained. “He will go forward, there will be strong pace on and everybody knows that. He's not a wimp, he loves a fight and he will really brawl if he has to. The more competition for him the better. It's going to be a strongly run mile-and-a-quarter.”   Age is But a Number Los Angeles's Curragh victims were headed by the reopposing Anmaat (Awtaad), who had the Ballydoyle nominee's number–and then some–when registering a career high in October's G1 Champion Stakes over course and distance in his only prior visit to this Berkshire track. It is worthy of note the contest has not fallen the way of a seven-year-old since its 1968 reincarnation and Shadwell's Owen Burrows trainee must buck that statistical trend. He has saluted thrice and placed twice in five outings on a good-to-firm surface, but fast ground might deter connections. “We are keeping an eye on the ground and if it was quite quick we would need a conversation,” admitted Burrows. “There was some rain at the weekend, which is a big positive for us, and we will see what it's like on the first day. We have been very pleased with him since his run in Ireland. He got a little bit tired there in the last 50 yards, but he's taken a nice step forward since then.”   Graffard Ordnance Worth Surveying Few back home in France have been able to apply the brake on Francis Graffard's domestic juggernaut this term and the in-form trainer, who kept his powder dry yesterday, unleashes Wathnan Racing's progressive G2 Prix d'Harcourt victor Map Of Stars (Sea The Stars) as the second star of his formidable squad on deck this week. Asmarani (Sottsass), in the G2 Queen's Vase, fires Graffard's opening salvo earlier on the card. The four-year-old was last seen running Sosie to a neck in April's G1 Prix Ganay and has delighted connections with his progress since. “Francis called us last week and said the horse had worked brilliantly, his scope was clear and he's in fantastic nick,” said Richard Brown. “I think you could argue he might be unbeaten because he's been unlucky twice. Mickael [Barzalona] made a move down the false straight at Longchamp last year, which he was kicking himself about, and we just didn't get the run of luck in the Ganay. The ground was pretty quick in the Harcourt and he showed a very serious turn of foot. He's a colt we're very excited about.”   Ombudsman Flies HQ Flag Newmarket hopes rest on Godolphin's upwardly mobile Book 2 graduate Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), a John and Thady Gosden trainee who enjoys the profile of a typical Clarehaven project. He lowered the colours of Map Of Stars in September's G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange, but surrendered his perfect record when runner-up in Sandown's G3 Brigadier Gerard on seasonal return last month. Positive vibes have emanated from HQ after recent workouts and a sixth win for the yard isn't beyond reach. “He's in good form, but would probably prefer if the ground was a bit easier,” commented John Gosden. “It's a proper race with a good depth to it. Los Angeles just battles it out, he's a tough devil and he'll just keep galloping. His style of racing tries to take the speed out of you and, sitting there with a turn of foot, I think we're going to wait and pounce.”   Burke Targets Queen Mary Threepeat In the 18th century, Edmund Burke wrote you can never plan the future by the past. In the 21st century, Karl Burke may beg to differ. Royal Ascot's day two festivities get underway with the 25-runner G2 Queen Mary Stakes providing an adrenaline rush over a fast and furious five furlongs. Burke annexed this juvenile distaffers' contest with Dramatised in 2022, hit the board with Beautiful Diamond in 2023 and celebrated a second victory with Leovanni last year. Beautiful Diamond and Leovanni annexed Nottingham's EBF Fillies' Maiden en route to this and the Spigot Lodge trainer's tried-and-trusted formula sees exciting TDN Rising Star Zelaina (Mehmas) next in line. Wathnan Racing's £650,000 Goffs Breezer banged a knee and had an interrupted preparation prior to her scintillating debut success and was value for much more than the official 2 3/4-length buffer. That Colwick Park race was no run-of-the-mill affair as Godolphin's second Secret Oath was a €550,000 Goffs Orby yearling while Coolmore's third Novelette was a £410,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up graduate. Zelaina has been favourite for this ever since and rider James Doyle is confident of a bold showing. “Leovanni won the exact same race before going on to win the Queen Mary and this filly clocked a marginally quicker time on what I felt was slower ground than what Leovanni won on at Nottingham, so that has to give you confidence. If she can turn up nice and relaxed, you would be hopeful she could run a big race. It's always difficult to compare yours to what you might be up against but I don't think I would be swapping this filly, that's for sure.” Ballydoyle sends forth the twice-raced maiden True Love (No Nay Never), whose full-sister Truly Enchanting ran 13th last year. She is better than the bare form might imply, having forced G3 Naas Fillies Sprint victrix Lady Iman to pull out all the stops when highly tried in the Listed First Flier Stakes first time out. She then went down fighting to G2 Coventry hero Gstaad at Navan last month. No Wesley Ward, no problem. Ward's trailblazing posse has four Queen Mary rosettes in the bag and will be sorely missed this week, but Stateside representation is not lacking and the Patrick Biancone barn fills the void. Step forward two-for-two Lennilu (Leinster), who garnered the same Keeneland maiden special weight used as a springboard by Ward's 2009 heroine Jealous Again. That debut form has since received multiple nods and she lines up off a wide-berth defeat of G3 Albany entry Bibi Dahl in last month's Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies on the Gulfstream Park turf. She is a $23,000 OBS Winter bargain buy and has been stationed at the Bedford Lodge base of Charlie Fellowes. Luis Saez retains the ride. “She's perfect, I am very happy with her and she's ready to go,” Biancone said. “Newmarket is like Chantilly and it's the mecca of English racing. My friend Luca Cumani was here, the stables are beautiful and the people are very nice. I know she is a very, very good filly. She is one of the best two-year-olds I've trained in my career and she is one of the favourites with the bookmakers.”   Asmarani Set For Queen's Vase Evaluation Francis Graffard contender Asmarani (Sottsass), representing a stable which started the week basking in G1 Prix de Diane glory, meets a high standard for the G2 Queen's Vase over an extended 14 furlongs. His runner-up finish in ParisLongchamp's 11-furlong G3 Prix Hocquart was bolstered when conqueror Rafale Design doubled up in Sunday's G3 Prix du Lys at Chantilly. “It is probably quite a big ask, but we think that the step up in trip will suit him,” Graffard suggested. “He has always shown us more in the afternoon than in the morning and he's a horse that finishes his races off very well. He can hit a bit of a flat spot and tends to get going quite late. We don't really have these kind of tough races in France and it will be a new experience for him. He goes on any ground and I think we would be happy if we ran into a place.” Aidan O'Brien has authored the book on the standard required for this marathon and matched Sir Henry Cecil's record haul with an eighth triumph, provided by G1 Gold Cup-bound Illinois, last year. Ryan Moore takes charge of G3 Zetland Stakes third and G3 Gallinule Stakes fourth Shackleton (Camelot) while G1 Oaks hero Wayne Lordan is called up for duty aboard Navan maiden winner Scandinavia (Justify). Ireland's strong hand also includes Fiona Carmichael's Listed Yeats Stakes victor Carmers (Wootton Bassett), who is a Paddy Twomey-conditioned G1 Irish St Leger entry and winner of both starts to date. Devil's Advocate (Too Darn Hot) finished a neck shy of third for Godolphin and the Gosdens in the G2 Dante, but that form took a hefty knock when five of the first seven home at York got an old-fashioned walloping in the Derby. He'll need to find improvement stepping up a half-mile in distance. “I was pleased with Devil's Advocate in the Dante,” said John Gosden. “We didn't expect to be in front, they all came to him and then he stayed on again. The Dante form took a bit of a knock in the Derby, but it was completely different ground at Epsom. The Queen's Vase will suit him.”   If the Slipper Fits Focus diverts back to the fillies for an intriguing edition of the one-mile G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes and very much centres on Godolphin's GI Belmont Oaks Invitational and GII Saratoga Oaks Invitational heroine Cinderella's Dream (Shamardal). She makes her eagerly awaited return to action after romping to an impressive wide-margin G2 Dahlia Stakes success from Elmalka (Kingman) at Newmarket on the 1000 Guineas undercard. Elmalka has not triumphed in five starts since claiming G1 1000 Guineas glory last year and ran fourth against the boys in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan when last seen. “Dropping back to one mile will be on the sharper side for Cinderella's Dream, although she showed enough gears in the Dahlia Stakes to suggest that she will handle it comfortably,” said Charlie Appleby. “She's in great nick and a repeat of her Newmarket run will make her the one to beat.” David Howden's Running Lion (Roaring Lion) inched John Gosden one clear of Sir Michael Stoute's four on the race's roll of honour when making virtually all last year, but has failed to better her tally in four starts since. One of those defeats was a narrow reversal in October's G1 Prix de l'Opera and there's no doubt she will have been primed for this title defence. The yard also saddles Wathnan Racing's 2023 G2 Queen Mary winner Crimson Advocate (Nyquist). Wathnan's 2024 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Fallen Angel (Too Darn Hot), has several instances of interlocking form with Cinderella's Dream, Elmalka and Running Lion and bids to regain the winning thread coming back off a creditable sixth in Newbury's G1 Lockinge. She is one of five runners on the day's card for Karl Burke while Paddy Twomey's day two squad also features G3 Park Express victrix and G2 Ridgewood Pearl second One Look (Gleneagles), who trades at relatively short odds.   Rogues Let Loose in Windsor Castle Black-type feasting is interrupted while the Royal Hunt Cup and Kensington Palace cavalry charges hog the spotlight and returns to round off the day's proceedings with a conundrum that is the five-furlong Listed Windsor Castle Stakes for two-year-olds. The 24-runner field averages out at just two runs apiece in an event which enjoys more than its fair share of long-priced winners. Paddy Twomey is responsible for another fancied contender and sends out dual winner Rogue Legend (Havana Grey), who posted clear-cut scores over five furlongs at Cork and Tipperary in one week last month. The latter win prompted John Stewart's Resolute Racing to pry him away from the Rogues Gallery Syndicate for an undisclosed sum. He is listed as the 5-1 favourite in an obviously open renewal. “He has done all of his winning over five furlongs and we're looking forward to Royal Ascot,” reported Twomey. “He's been very straightforward to train and is improving with every run, culminating with an impressive weight-carrying performance at Tipperary last time. It's great to have John Stewart and the Resolute team join the yard.” Stewart added, “I was impressed with his recent performance on the track and, with a Timeform rating of 104, he is one of the top two-year-old sprint horses in Europe. I expect for him to be very competitive.” Rogue Legend's former owners have not been left in the lurch after parting ways with one of their leading lights and the red-and-white silks will be seen aboard impressive Wetherby maiden winner Rogue Supremacy (St Mark's Basilica), who became the first winner for his freshman sire in his June 2 debut last time. “We really, really like this horse and loads of people have tried to buy him,” revealed syndicate founder Tony Elliott. “It's not all about selling because we want some nice ones ourselves and it's a tricky situation. However, we're not all multi-millionaires and sometimes you have to use your head. The jockey was more or less stood up with him the whole way at Wetherby and we don't yet know what we've got. We don't know if he'll get six furlongs, but he's sharp and that's why we're looking at five furlongs.” George Weaver struck another blow for America with Crimson Advocate in the 2023 G2 Queen Mary and the Louisville native is back in town with Keeneland maiden special weight winner and mount of Flavien Prat, Tough Critic (Caravaggio). Like Lennilu in the Queen Mary, he will be ponied to the gate by the British Racing School's Capricorn Prince piloted by Lydia de Souza. “Going back a second time is a little easier for us because now we've got the lay of the land,” Weaver said. “It's quite expensive to make this kind of trip for the owners, but it's really exciting to go and it's definitely a great experience. We were very happy with his first start and he's done some nice breezes since. He's a colt that is just coming into himself mentally and physically. You never know, but I just have a feeling he is going to run well and we're looking forward to the Windsor Castle.” In the absence of three-race maiden Kansas (Wootton Bassett), who has been scratched, Coolmore's case will be made by G3 Marble Hill Stakes fourth First Approach (No Nay Never) in a contest won three times by the Aidan O'Brien stable in the last 10 years.   Illinois Heads Gold Cup Eight Coolmore's Kyprios supersub Illinois (Galileo) has bagged stall one and faces seven opponents in Thursday's G1 Gold Cup, with his foes featuring the Francis Graffard-trained G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier hero Candelari (Frankel) and Godolphin's 2024 runner-up Trawlerman (Golden Horn). Elsewhere on the day-three card, Coolmore's TDN Rising Star Charles Darwin (No Nay Never) enjoys short-odds favouritism and has drawn a high-numbered stall in the G2 Norfolk Stakes. He encounters 15 rivals, including Wathnan Racing's Stateside raider Sandal's Song (Mendelssohn), in the five-furlong contest. Robert Moran's TDN Rising Star Catalina Delcarpio (Lope De Vega) is one of 11 distaffers declared for the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes while G1 Prix du Jockey Club third and fourth, Detain (Wootton Bassett) and TDN Rising Star Trinity College (Dubawi), will cross swords once again in the G3 Hampton Court Stakes. They have been drawn alongside each other in stalls five and six. The post Los Angeles On Deck, Prince Of Wales Has L.A. X-Factor appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Having been beat in her three starts since winning this race a year ago, Vahva aims to right the ship June 21 in the $300,000 Chicago Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.View the full article
    • Emulating his sire Kingman in style as well as bare results, Field Of Gold got the Juddmonte-Colin Keane retainer off to a flyer at the highest level in Tuesday's St James's Palace Stakes. Making a mockery of the Royal Ascot rematch with his 2,000 Guineas conqueror Ruling Court, the 8-11 favourite left that son of Justify and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett) trailing with his ruthless acceleration between the two and the one. Like his sire going one better than Newmarket in the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas before confirming himself top dog here, the Gosdens' grey hit the line with 3 1/2 lengths to spare over Henri Matisse, with Ruling Court staying on 3 3/4 lengths back in third. “It was exciting, to say the least,” John Gosden said. “I thought he'd gone too soon, but he's a proper horse and we'll give him a holiday now.” The post ‘He’s A Proper Horse’: Kingman’s Field Of Gold Destroys St James’s Palace Rivals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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