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    At a Glance: Ack Ack Stakes

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    • John Sikura's presence among the filly Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna's connections is meaningful. He has a knack for being associated with quality runners and producers.View the full article
    • The Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation has named Conan Murray and Mark Moloney as the 2026 recipients of its Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Experience scholarships, the Foundation announced Friday. Granted to recent graduates of equine programs from Irish educational institutions, these annual awards provide young people with the opportunity to travel to the United States and gain placement at a leading Kentucky farm. Conan Murray, a Kildare native and graduate of Kildalton College, will be based in Lexington at Springhouse Farm, a full service breeding operation. Conan has worked at Baroda Stud and Ballylinch Stud in Ireland and had a stint with Yulong Investments in Australia. “I'm extremely thrilled to have been accepted for the Gerry Dilger scholarship and am really looking forward to getting started,” said Murray. Joining him is Mark Moloney, a native of County Waterford who will be joining Hunter Valley farm in Versailles, also a full service breeding operation. Mark graduated from the renowned Irish National Stud course in 2024 and has worked at several well-known farms in Ireland including Clare Castle Stud, Glidawn Stud, The Beeches and Ballyhimikin Stud. In addition, he has ridden out for Dungarvan trainer Paul Stephen Kiely. “[I am] deeply interested in the art and business of pinhooking and [am] committed to building a strong reputation in this area,” Moloney said. Click here for full scholarship details. The post Gerry Dilger Scholarship Foundation Names 2026 Recipients appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Is there an adequate Japanese proverb that conveys the nation's unflinching endeavour to win the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe? Perhaps “Ishi no ue ni mo san nen”, to sit patiently on a cold stone for three years which relates to the power of perseverance, or “Nana korobi ya oki”, to fall seven times and get up eight, or “Mateba kairo no hiyori ari”. The latter points to waiting out the unpredictable to choose the right route and ultimately prevail. Since the country's first real go in 1999 with the mighty El Condor Pasa, the list of misses is in the thirties and includes the revered Deep Impact and Orfevre. The former was unlucky to come up against one of the monument's true greats in Montjeu.  The latter just threw it away inexplicably in the cruellest twist to the ongoing saga. Maybe Orfevre's last-ditch deviation from the path to Japanese racing's true fulfilment was the true set-up for the story's ending, but will it come this year? In 2026? 2027? We've already seen countless demonstrations of the country's increasing power in this sphere in the Middle East, but in Europe it is fair to say not so much. Coming into this year's race, the portents were strong that the long endurance could be about to be rewarded. After the impressive triumvirate of Croix Du Nord (Kitasan Black), Byzantine Dream (Epiphaneia) and Alohi Alii (Duramente) all won their “trials” with the required prowess, all that was needed was a kind draw and the proverbial fine weather on sea routes. At this point in time, one has been denied and the other is in the balance as France's late summer threatens to turn. For Croix Du Nord and Byzantine Dream, there is no time to wait for calmer waters to navigate with the instant setback of their hostile draws. Alohi Alii has that in his favour, but there is no doubt that significant rainfall will compromise all three and on Friday brooding skies hovered over Paris. If it comes this year, it is fair to say that it will be against the odds so expect justified delirium if either Yuichi Kitamura, Oisin Murphy or Christophe Lemaire deliver the impossible dream. Ballydoyle's Own Quest Continues It may seem ludicrous to suggest that a trainer who has saddled a one-two-three in it can be held up as an example of the Arc's elusiveness, but Aidan O'Brien also knows the power of the race's ability to bring even the best to their knees time and again. In all probability, there won't ever be a repeat of the 2016 frame-filling masterpiece by the Rosegreen handler and it is significant that all tries in the interim have hit the rocks. This time, he has the ideal candidate in Minnie Hauk (Frankel), who has the maximum weight allowance due to age and sex, proven form and ideal attitude which she showed at Epsom, The Curragh and York. She is also a smart-breaking filly which will help from stall one and while she is yet to meet the colts, her trainer is convinced that greater competition will bring out the best in her. While Minnie Hauk is on the up, it is difficult to gauge where last year's third Los Angeles (Camelot) is at after three off-the-board efforts. Drawn slightly higher than 12 months ago, he will probably be asked to go forward again as he was then and this is a colt with real physical substance who knows how to battle on softer ground. “I'd never be surprised by anything that happens in a race,” O'Brien said when asked to compare his duo. “My two have never worked together, they've had two different preparations totally and it will be interesting. She does look a very good filly, but he looks a horse who is slowly progressing back to his best so it's impossible to say.” A Continuing Aventure Ever since 1976, when Ivanjica provided Jacques Wertheimer with his breakthrough in the race, the family have become synonymous with it courtesy of the exploits of Gold River and Solemia who surprised Orfevre in 2012. It may be that last year's runner-up Aventure (Sea The Stars) is the best they have pitched at it for some time and it is a guarantee that she will be trying her heart out for connections. The other Wertheimer runner is Sosie (Sea The Stars), who has enjoyed a close-to-perfect Arc prep and who will have the ground more in his favour than he had in the Prix Foy. Andre Fabre's eight winners of this were all perfectly crafted to peak on the day and he looks to have made the kind of progress expected of him from three to four based on his impressive time performance in the Prix d'Ispahan here earlier this term. Where Aventure will be compromised is she has lost the weight-for-age concession she enjoyed last year and she has a wide draw in stall 12, so the Vermeille heroine is in some ways up against it. She is housed next to the filly who chased her home last time and interestingly White Birch Farm's Prix de Diane heroine Gezora (Almanzor) was marginally faster over the final three furlongs there. Gezora's 33.09 finish in the Vermeille was a match for Byzantine Dream's in the Prix Foy, so we are dealing with a racehorse who can really turn it on late which always comes into play here. Where the situation becomes complicated for the rapid finishers is if the ground gets anywhere near the 3.8 reading of last year, or “very soft” which brings into play the likes of Quisisana (Le Havre) and Kalpana (Study Of Man), so eyes will be on the skies leading into Sunday's action. Marcel Boussac Propels Arc Day Into Action All six Group 1 races on Sunday's card are Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” races and the opening salvo is the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac which is some race in its own right. Ballydoyle's exciting Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica), one of the brigade of TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard, and the Wertheimers' Green Spirit (Kingman) are putting their unbeaten records on the line. The latter has proven course-and-distance form, having captured the Prix d'Aumale last month and flies the flag for France while Al Shaqab Racing and Amo Racing's May Hill winner Aylin (St Mark's Basilica) will also have a say in a race that will have a significant bearing on next year's Classics. Next up is the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, where the Aga Khan Studs representative Rayif (Sea The Moon) meets another Wertheimer crack in the Prix la Rochette scorer Nighttime (Wootton Bassett) and Ballydoyle's Champagne Stakes scorer Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett), which is followed by the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines. Asfoora (Flying Artie) takes in the latest of her European ventures, where she is met by Al Shaqab's two-year-old Afjan (Mehmas) and the Prix du Petit Couvert one-two Monteille (Cable Bay) and Rayevka (Blue Point). In an open renewal of the Prix de l'Opera Longines, the impressive Blandford winner Barnavara (Calyx) takes on the top-level stalwarts See The Fire (Sea The Stars), Tamfana (Soldier Hollow) and January (Kingman). In the Qatar Prix de la Foret, the all-important draw has favoured Maranoa Charlie (Wootton Bassett) and hasn't been too unkind to the Aga Khan Studs homebred jewel Zarigana (Siyouni) as they break from stalls four and six, but has seriously compromised the ante-post favourite More Thunder (Night Of Thunder), with Saeed Suhail's Hungerford winner handed a nightmare outside post in 16. Ready For Saturday's Warm-Up Acts Before we get to Arc day, the previous afternoon features Newmarket's Sun Chariot Stakes, where the Prix Rothschild and Matron Stakes winner Fallen Angel (Too Darn Hot) encounters Godolphin's Falmouth winner Cinderella's Dream (Shamardal) again as well as the unbeaten improver Lady Of Spain (Phoenix Of Spain). At ParisLongchamp, an impoverished renewal of the Qatar Prix du Cadran is one blip on a card which includes the Qatar Prix de Royallieu where Ballydoyle's once-revered Bedtime Story (Frankel) is asked to try 14 furlongs against the likes of Juddmonte's Prix Alec Head winner Latakia (Frankel) and the Park Hill winner Santorini Star (Golden Horn). The card's Group 2 action includes the Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein, which includes the shock Sussex scorer Qirat (Showcasing) and Baron Edouard De Rothschild's Group 1 nearly-horse Alcantor (New Bay), and the Qatar Prix Dollar in which the Fabre-trained geldings First Look (Lope De Vega) and Bright Picture (Intello) take on some smart three-year-olds headed by the still-unexposed Dante runner-up Damysus (Frankel). The post Is The Arc Japan’s Unreachable Star? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • This summer's GI Dunkin Diana Stakes winner Excellent Truth (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) was injured during training and has been retired to Resolute Farm, John Stewart announced on social media Thursday. His post reads: “I am sad to announce that Excellent Truth has been retired after sustaining an injury during training. After consulting with the best medical professionals in the industry, we believe she has unfortunately ran her last race. She competed in three Grade I's, coming in second twice and winning the Dunkin Diana. She will rest up the remainder of the year on Resolute Farm before joining the many Grade I winning mares in her second career.” Excellent Truth was a €1,600,000 acquisition from the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale in 2024. After joining Stewart's North American string, she ran second in both the GI Jenny Wiley and the GI Just A Game Stakes to bring her career earnings north of $677,000. Her final start was her win in the Diana at Saratoga July 12.   The post Excellent Truth Injured In Training, Retired To Resolute Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • The New York Racing Association announced it is partnering with FOX Sports to present live coverage of the Oct. 5 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) at ParisLongchamp Racecourse in France. View the full article
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