Wandering Eyes

FOURSTAR CROOK (m, 6, Freud–Avril a Portugal, by D’Accord) had been knocking on the door at the Grade I level for some time, and burst through here to land a spot in the GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Turf. The New York-bred, backed at 4-5 for powerful connections and having last been seen finishing second in the GI Beverly D. S. Aug. 11, rallied from off the pace to score by a good-looking two lengths in 2:03.28. Stablemate Onthemoonagain (Fr) (Cape Cross {Ire}) completed the exacta for her trainer, while Lady Montdore (Medaglia d’Oro) was third. Sales history: $55,000 yrl ’13 SARAUG; $70,000 RNA 2yo ’14 FTFMAR; $110,000 2yo ’14 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 19-12-4-1. O-Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables & Gary Aisquith. B-Kathleen M. Feron (NY). T-Chad C Brown. View the full article

Race favorite Fourstar Crook overcame tepid fractions set by longshot Feeling Bossy, rallying from last in the seven-horse field to catch stablemate Onthemoonagain in late stretch and take the $500,000 Flower Bowl Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. View the full article

CURRENT (c, 2, Curlin–Crosswinds, by Storm Cat), bought for $725,000 just a few steps away during last year’s Keeneland September sale, made good on his purchase price with a last-second surge in Sunday’s GIII Bourbon S. The flaxen-maned chestnut was third in a hot heat won by subsequent GI Summer S. winner Fog of War (War Front) turf sprinting at the Spa Aug. 3, and broke through there by three lengths when stretched to a mile at Belmont Sept. 8. Away at 9-2, Current rallied out wide from far back to just best Kentucky Juvenile S. winner Henley’s Joy (Kitten’s Joy) in a tight photo. Salvator Mundi (Artie Schiller) was third. The winner earns an automatic berth to the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with the victory. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1. O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Robert LaPenta. View the full article

Jaywalk outpaced her competition Oct. 7 to win the $400,000 Frizette Stakes (G1) over one mile at Belmont Park. View the full article

JAYWALK (f, 2, Cross Traffic–Lady Pewitt, by Orientate) became the first graded winner (and Grade I winner) for her first-crop sire (by Unbridled’s Song) with an emphatic romp in the GI Frizette S. Saturday at Belmont. A second-out maiden romper at Parx July 24, the grey had last been seen annexing Delaware’s White Clay Creek S., which has now produced four next-out winners, but was dismissed at 6-1 as Covfefe (Into Mischief) took all the money. Seeking a stakes double for her trainer after Uncle Benny (Declaration of War)’s win in the Futurity S., Jaywalk zipped right out to the lead and doled out fractions of :22.63 and :45.65. She showed no signs of slowing into the lane, and ran up the score from there to the tune of five lengths. Brucia La Terra (El Padrino) and Cassies Dreamer (Flatter) provided a two-three finish for trainer Barclay Tagg, while the heavy chalk faded to fourth. The winner, who now has a guaranteed spot in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, stopped the clock in 1:34.57. Lifetime Record: $190,000 yrl ’17 KEESEP. O-Cash is King LLC & Leonard C Green. B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds LTD (Ky). T-John Servis. View the full article

INTO MYSTIC (f, 2, Into Mischief–Loveofalifetime, by Medaglia d’Oro), a $650,000 OBS April acquisition off a bullet :9 4/5breeze earlier this year, made good on even-money backing with a visually impressive three-length graduate score. Last seen finishing a well-beaten and well-bet second behind subsequent optional claiming winner but GI Alcibiades S. 14th finisher Lady T N T (Justin Phillip) at the Spa Aug. 5, the bay emerged from the early scramble here to quickly open up and post splits of :22.83 and :46.80. Still traveling sweetly into the stretch, she was never seriously threatened as she streaked under the line three lengths to the good in 1:24.13. Longshot Bess (Mineshaft) spiced up the exacta. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0. O-Spendthrift Farm LLC. B-Runnymede Farm Inc & Catesby W Clay Investment 2 (KY). T-Todd A Pletcher. View the full article

UNCLE BENNY (c, 2, Declaration of War–Celebrity Cat, by Storm Cat), an easy 2 1/2-length winner first up on the dirt at Monmouth Aug. 24, handled his major class test with aplomb Sunday in Belmont’s Futurity S. The $185,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling earned an automatic spot in the starting gate for next month’s inaugural Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with the victory. Dead last early, the 5-1 shot rallied out wide of 56-1 shot Backtohisroots (Mark Valeski) and defeated that foe by a neck in 1:11.26. Dragic (Broken Vow) was third. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Aprahamian Ara. B-Peter Magnier (Ky). T-Jason Servis. View the full article

Enable defended her crown in the Oct. 7 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triumphe under the most of intoxicating of circumstances, but 2018 was light years away from 2017 in every possible way. View the full article

STRIKE SILVER (c, 2, Violence–Frank’s Hope, by Pulpit), last seen finishing second in the GIII Sanford S. at Saratoga July 21, showed a completely new dimension Sunday to annex the inaugural Indian Summer S. and stamp his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. The $275,000 OBS October topper of last year broke slowly and caboosed the full field as they went a swift clip up front. Favored Wesley Ward trainee Chelsea Cloisters (First Samurai) had taken over in midstretch, but Strike Silver and pilot Julien Leparoux appeared from out of the clouds late and motored home over the top to get up by a head at 65-10. Reward the Miracle (Reward the Cat) completed the trifecta at a huge price. The winner, who scored first out on the Churchill dirt by a head back in June, stopped the close in 1:05. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0. O-John Oxley. B-Lantern Hill Farm LLC (Ky). T-Mark Casse. View the full article

A logical favorite and the longest shot on the board won Saturday’s final pair of Grade I dirt stakes for 2-year-old males prior to the Breeders’ Cup. With less than a month until the juvenile championship, those results represent a microcosm of the division itself–the obvious contenders are solid but not scare-away-the-competition kingpins, and there is no shortage of intriguing dark horses capable of punching through to assert themselves at the top of the crop. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Complexity (Maclean’s Music) stepped up off a maiden win and stretched out to a one-turn mile while controlling a legit pace to wire the GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park. The Chad Brown trainee broke on cue, shot straight to the lead under jockey Jose Ortiz, and always looked comfortable edging away off the turn before getting a mild schooling through the stretch to make sure he knew to finish focused. Complexity will now aim for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but Brown has already acknowledged that two turns is a “question mark” for the frontrunning colt, and that 1 1/16 miles on the first Saturday in November might be the outer limits for how far the undefeated Complexity can carry his never-headed speed. The Champagne itself is evolving into the type of race that is more suited to producing successful middle-distance specialists than Triple Crown threats. It was shortened back to a flat mile in 2005 after a decade-long run at 1 1/16 miles, and the two most recent winners–Practical Joke (Into Mischief) in 2016 and Firenze Fire (Poseidon’s Warrior) in 2017–both went on to capture additional one-turn graded stakes at three after failing to win around two turns in their respective GI Kentucky Derby preps. It’s a good bet that Champagne runner-up Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) will emerge as the “wiseguy” horse for the Juvenile. He lost his footing and pitched forward after a stutter-step break, was rated to last in an attempt to settle, then advanced methodically at the rail down the backstretch. He angled out on cue three-eights out, launching a five-wide bid at the head of the lane that he was able to sustain down the length of the stretch while whittling Complexity’s winning margin to three lengths. Bombs away in the Bluegrass… About 20 minutes before they ran the Champagne in New York, officials at Keeneland Race Course were busy trying to figure out if the tote board still worked. That’s because improbable 70-1 bomb Knicks Go (Paynter) blew it up after his jaw-dropping wire job in the GI Breeders’ Futurity S. Boasting only a maiden win at Ellis Park and a pair of so-so finishes in stakes sprints, few bettors heeded the whispers that the colt had been working even better than a pair of recent morning-training bullets indicated on paper. Racing for the first time on Lasix, Knicks Go popped out of the gate on top, appeared to relish leading the 13-horse charge onto the back straightaway through sensible splits, then kept motoring all the way to the wire while widening his winning margin to 5 1/2 lengths. The $142 mutuel nearly doubled the previous high-price payout ($74.60) for the stakes established by Dawn of War (Catienus) in 2005. The Breeders’ Futurity is annually an intriguing, large-field betting affair, and this edition appeared to be a wide-open shootout on paper. Knicks Go no doubt benefited when the two projected favorites didn’t show up–one literally, one figuratively. The morning line fave, GI Hopeful S. victor Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), spiked a fever and scratched. The 5-2 starting favorite, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Dream Maker (Tapit), got bumped and clipped heels shortly after the break and never was in it to win it. He finished twelfth with a cross-a-line-through-it horror trip. Regardless of whether or not you think Knicks Go is capable of another coup in the Cup, it’s refreshing to see the long list of “firsts” that accompanied his winning connections all down the line. The long-shot score represented the first Grade I wins for owner KRA Stud Farm, trainer Ben Colebrook, and jockey Albin Jimenez. It was also the first graded winner for young sire Paynter (Awesome Again). Perhaps savoring the victory the most were the small-scale breeders of Knicks Go. Angie and Sabrina Moore are a mother/daughter bloodstock team whose GreenMount Farm in Maryland is relatively new to the business. “When my family supported me 6 years ago to start breeding Thoroughbreds I would have never thought I’d breed [a] G1 winner,” Sabrina Moore posted on Twitter after the breakthrough win. “It’s certainly a tough industry, but it’s days like today that keep you going…. It’s still hard letting them go, but you know that these horses end up with amazing connections and today was proof of that.” So what does the future (wager) hold? Now that we’re nearly a half-year into the hastily arranged marriage between sports betting and pari-mutuels, surely there must be a creative bet-taker out there willing to offer some sort of novelty prop linking the Derby chances of Knicks Go with the namesake New York basketball team that hasn’t made the NBA playoffs since 2013. The New York Knicks are currently hovering around 200-1 odds to win the 2019 NBA championship. It’s too early for Derby future book pricing on Knicks Go, but he too still rates as a triple-digit long shot. Even a wager that links Knicks Go starting in the Derby with the chances that the basketball Knicks will be in the playoffs on the first Saturday in May would be interesting. And when the Derby future book odds lists do begin filtering out of Las Vegas (usually later this month), it’s worth noting that Wynn Las Vegas–which for years has offered early odds on hundreds of Derby contenders–will no longer be in the business of operating a Derby futures book. Horse Racing Nation first reported the news of the Derby book’s demise, citing the recent departure of longtime Wynn Resorts sportsbook director John Avello, who has taken a new job as director of operations for daily fantasy sports company DraftKings. On the more immediate wagering horizon though, your prospects in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Future Wager are looking good if you were able to resist playing the “headline horses” that dominated the racing news around the time when the pool closed on Sep. 2. Shortly after the close of betting, both ‘TDN Rising Star’ Instagrand (Into Mischief) and Roadster (Quality Road), the top two favorites in the 24-entry Juvenile pool, were declared out of the race. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), who now projects to be the pari-mutuel race-day favorite in the Juvenile, is a juicy 22-1 for that race in the futures pool. He was only a maiden winner at the time the odds were locked in, but has since won two Grade I stakes on the West Coast. Other outsized individual Juvenile futures include 27-1 on Cairo Cat (Cairo Prince), who won the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill Downs on Sep. 15, plus the two trip-troubled horses mentioned above: Code of Honor is 32-1 and Dream Maker is 17-1. And the “all others” field bet at 8-1 now looks like an even stronger proposition considering the upward arcs of Complexity (unraced when the bet closed), Knicks Go, and the Hopeful winner Mind Control. View the full article

Thanks to his name and hulking physical paired with ample ability, The Big Beast was a racehorse who was hard to forget. Campaigned by JoAnn and Alex Lieblong, the bay captured the GI King’s Bishop S. and placed second in both the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. and GI Forego S. at Saratoga before retiring to stand at Ocala Stud in 2016. With his first crop of yearlings entering the sales ring this year–25 of which are catalogued at this week’s OBS October Yearling Sale–Ocala Stud’s David O’Farrell sat down with the TDN to discuss The Big Beast’s prospects. LM: The Big Beast was obviously very well-known on the racetrack, having won the King’s Bishop and placed in two additional Grade Is at Saratoga as an older horse. Can you talk about the process of how he ended up at Ocala Stud? DO: We obviously followed his races. He had a huge amount of name recognition and won at the highest level at Saratoga–the toughest race meet in the country and the prestige that comes with that. Being a sprinter–you know here in Florida, we’re sprint-biased–we’re always looking for stallion prospects. His sire, Yes It’s True, stood at Florida initially and was wildly popular. A lot of breeders here did very well with the horse, so I was a big fan of The Big Beast, and I happened to cross paths with Mr. Lieblong at the Keeneland September sale. I introduced myself, and told him that if and when he should happen to be retired, we’d love to have an opportunity to sit down and discuss the horse’s future. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"The Big Beast","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/293702228.sd.mp4?s=6a6d1064f4fe82dfc8d2ef8b100616699e803c58&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/273891801.sd.mp4?s=59b83370d3ca1d184f53617f1f64aff7056df628&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} LM: Thinking about his career, he had a very quick progression from debuting at Oaklawn early in his 3-year-old year to winning three straight races in New York, culminating with the King’s Bishop. What does that say about his talent? DO: I think that speaks volumes to his tremendous ability, to have such a learning curve to where he can break his maiden and then very quickly go to Saratoga, win a race like the King’s Bishop, beat a very good horse in Fast Anna, run a very fast time, and come back as a 4-year-old and again run at the highest level and just miss out in the [GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.] to Rock Fall (Speightstown). With a horse that can get to that level very quickly, I think speaks highly about how talented they really are. LM: How did he do in his first two years at stud? DO: His first two years, he covered 175 mares. His foals have been very popular. We couldn’t be more excited about his chances. You can breed any type of mare to him. He’s virtually an outcross to most of our bloodlines. And he’s a horse that suits any type of mare. He’s got size, he’s very correct, and he’s just a big, strapping, good-looking horse. So, I think he appeals to a lot of different breeders, and they should be well received on the marketplace, and I think they have an opportunity to breed a top quality racehorse. LM: From his first yearlings, are you seeing any consistencies? Or is he getting different physical types? DO: He’s stamping his foals pretty well. They have a lot of size, a lot of leg. They’re not overly big. They’re athletic–they have enough size–but they’re not gargantuan. They’re not huge. You know, I think you can breed any type of mare to him. LM: The fact you send your entire crop to the 2-year-old sales in the spring must make this very exciting for you. What are your expectations as the first crop of The Big Beasts start to reach the sales ring? DO: We’re extremely optimistic about our crop going into the 2-year-old sales. One of our best yearlings is a filly that’s a half to Patternrecognition (Adios Charlie), who just won the GII Kelso H. in New York. And also half to Florida Fuego (Kantharos), who’s a multiple stakes winner back here in Florida–she’s a Big Beast filly. She covers a lot of ground. Just looks like a supreme athlete, and we’re really looking forward to her next year. View the full article

Raven's Pass colt edged competition by a neck View the full article

Raven's Pass colt edged competition by a neck View the full article

Evidently the idea behind the gilding of the new grandstand here is not to indulge the opulent tastes of wealthy patrons from the Middle East, but that it should merge romantically with the autumn leaves of the Bois de Boulogne. As it happens, on a morning when the adjacent Seine exhaled a brooding mist into the drizzle, on arrival it sooner resembled Dijon mustard than gold. Perhaps the edifice will obtain a more vulgar aspect at sunnier Arcs. For now, however, it seemed a charmingly self-effacing aspiration: to spend all that money on the premise that you shouldn’t be able to see the result on its most important weekend of the year. Barely less camouflaged, in the event, was Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for much of Europe’s biggest race, hidden away by James Doyle at the rear of the field until breaking through in the straight, as thunderous and abrupt as a falling branch, with an agonising thrust that just failed to reel in Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {GB}) and Frankie Dettori. No less concealed from view, however, was the extreme fragility of the rope walked by the winner in becoming the eighth dual winner of the Arc. For while the race appeared to be dominated by the vivid fortunes of the two jockeys involved in the finish—one having played his cards with the audacity you might expect to have been earned only by winning the Arc, like the other, six times—this was sooner a story of two outstanding training performances. Because when we see these horses emblazon their talent in a great race like this, it is the equivalent of spring blossom or indeed the glorious kaleidoscope of the fall. We must never forget the long, patient groundwork that roots their fulfilment. Getting Enable here had clearly brought John Gosden towards the limit of the mastery that has qualified him as the dominant British trainer of his day. She did look incredibly well, her quarters hard and glistening, but her trainer and his team knew that lustre to be skin-deep. Gosden confessed afterwards that her precarious journey here—taking in just one race, on an undemanding synthetic surface, in recuperating from her knee injury—had been rendered still more challenging by a temperature that caused her to miss a crucial gallop. In effect, the last rung of the ladder was missing and only her inborn courage and competitive spirit enabled her to make the jump onto the roof. But if the last 100 metres, to Gosden, felt “an eternity”, then to connections of Sea Of Class they lapsed with cruel haste. Of course, the winner’s fatigue visually inflated the energy of her pursuer. Anyone aggrieved by Doyle’s dashing solution to such a ghastly draw should go back and look at his similarly magisterial ride in the Irish Oaks. This was one of those rare occasions, in fact, where the unavailing inspiration of the vanquished demanded that the plaudits be divided equally between first and second. You would not know that such a bonny filly, a forelock flicked prettily over a headcollar braided in her owner’s colours, could house either such a lethal edge: whether her acceleration, which took her past 17 out of 18 of the most accomplished Thoroughbreds in Europe, or a personality full of challenges to William Haggas and his team. Haggas has always been the most dextrous of trainers, in terms of knowing how far to push his charges: both in terms of their physical and mental tuning, and in the assignments he sets them. Few others would have been far-sighted enough to turn down Epsom, where Sea Of Class would have been among the favourites, on the basis that the experience could turn her the wrong way. Yesterday’s stunning effort represented the spectacular dividend of that judgement. As they round here: reculer pour mieux sauter. (That is: take a step back to get a better run at your jump.) There were tears in the camp, but there could be no recriminations. Speaking even as Dettori was bringing the acclaim of the crowd around the paddock to a new fervour, Haggas showed typical class in his detached assessment of the melodrama. Resisting any temptation to the slightest self-pity, he assured Doyle that he should simply be proud of his role in the filly’s continued fulfilment. But that is still truer of Haggas himself. The Tsui family’s exit from Ireland dismayed many onlookers but the one guarantee was that Haggas himself would conduct himself with no less dignity, and apply himself with no less skill, than the great man who had trained this filly’s sire to win the 2009 running. Sea The Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) was, of course, bred from the Tsui family’s epoch-making mare, the 1993 winner Urban Sea (Miswaki). If destiny is summoning their silks to a third Arc in three generations, then it is clearly going to tease them a little first. But they can comfort themselves that there is a reason why excellence repeats itself here: witness Enable herself, in emulating such great names as Ribot; Dettori, who professed himself more nervous about his 30th Arc than any other; Gosden, who has now saddled the winner three times in four years; and, of course, the owner-breeder who has made such an indelible contribution to the modern breed. Prince Khalid, lest we forget, has now won the race as often as Dettori. Some of us wonder whether he might have added another, moreover, had his greatest champion run here. Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), after all, had enough latent stamina to sire the winner of the G1 Prix du Cadran here on Saturday. That’s another laurel he has claimed ahead of Nathaniel (GB) (Galileo {Ire})—and you can just imagine the damage a Cadran winner would have done to him. He’ll have to content himself with a dual European champion from his first crop. Nathaniel has a bunch of other stakes and group winners, of course, keeping up a ratio this year that more than matches many a sire standing at much higher fees. Doubtless the Group 1 success earlier on the card of Royal Marine (Ire) (Raven’s Pass)—a son of another stallion whose stats are scandalously disregarded by the market—will make equally little impression on commercial breeders. If I were an architect of grandstands, I might even suggest they can’t see the trees for the wood. View the full article

Enable defended her crown in the most of intoxicating of circumstances but 2018 was light years away from 2017 in every possible way. View the full article

Before the Hammer is a series presented by Keeneland that spotlights consignors, their stories of success and their featured offerings at the upcoming Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale November 5-16. Elite Sales will have 24 horses on offer at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, and part of the selling strategy for the firm’s president, Bradley Weisbord, will be to assess the marketplace as it appears through the eyes of a buyer. “One of the reasons we came up with Elite is we were buyers into this market for many years,” said Weisbord, who is also the president BSW Bloodstock, which specializes in racehorse acquisition, stallion syndication and trade, and portfolio management. “And I thought that the horses could be consigned differently. Specifically, by providing a ton more information than what was currently being given to the market to help raise the prices, inform the buyers, and get the sellers more money. That’s the main reason [partner] Liz Crow and I formed Elite Sales. And we continue to stay on both sides of the room, both as buyers and sellers. “One of the things that is a benefit for Elite Sales is that 50% of the horses we consign, we buy and/or manage, which really allows us to know a lot about each prospect,” Weisbord continued. “We only sell in Books 1 and 2 and few in Book 5. We’re trying to be a premium, boutique consignment.” Weisbord said Elite declined to represent over 50 horses to sell this year, based on a belief that a consignor can only sell a certain amount of horses properly in a single day. “And when I say ‘properly,’ that means knowing anything and everything you need to know, because these are not yearlings,” Weisbord said. “We’re only selling broodmares or racehorses. So these horses have history–on the track and [via] speed figures–and it takes a lot of time to explain to potential buyers everything we know about these horses.” Weisbord continued, “And I believe the buyers have really taken to that and trust us. We had 12 stakes winners already come out of our breeding stock or racing sales consignments in only 1 1/2 years of being in business. [Horses we’ve sold] are going on to perform, which I believe is going to help us this year.” Four Elite-consigned fillies and mares are catalogued in Book 1. “I purchased Santa Monica (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) (Hip 179) last year at Tattersalls, and we brought her over here to race this year,” Weisbord said. “She won an allowance race at the Keeneland April meet on her U.S. debut, then ran back on short rest and just missed in the GII Sheepshead Bay S. at Belmont, only beaten a half-length with some trouble. Then she won the GII Dance Smartly S. at Woodbine, and was most recently second in the GII Glens Falls S. at Saratoga. She’s never been off the board in North America, really appreciates firm ground, and her sire has been on fire. Although she’s five years old, she’s very sound and headed toward the GI E.P. Taylor S. at Woodbine Saturday, and then we’ll come to Keeneland. So she’s a prospect for somebody to race or breed next year.” Elysea’s World (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}) (Hip 62) is another Book 1 prospect aiming for the same Woodbine stakes prior to the sale. “She is on schedule for the E.P. Taylor with Santa Monica,” Weisbord said. “They both are going to run. And she’s sitting on the verge of being a Grade I-placed filly. Her speed figures lead us to believe she is of Grade I quality.” The undefeated Lady Ivanka (Tiz Wonderful) (Hip 112) had a sharp start to her career at Saratoga Race Course in 2017. Although she’s been out of the headlines for quite awhile, her company lines keep getting stronger. “She’s a Grade I winner who has only run twice, and then was unfortunately injured prior to the 2017 Breeders’ Cup and didn’t make it back this year,” Weisbord said. “She is selling as a racemare or broodmare prospect. She did win the GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga, and she did beat a filly named Separationofpowers (Candy Ride {Arg}), who came back to win the GI Frizette S. as a 2-year-old, then came back to win the GI Test S. as a 3-year-old.” Rounding out Elite’s Book 1 quartet is Lipstick City (City Zip) (Hip 123), who won a pair of Gulfstream stakes on both sloppy dirt and firm turf this past summer by a combined total of 10 lengths. “We have 15 horses pointing toward Book 2, and those are headlined by stakes winner Stormy Victoria (Fr) (Stormy River {Fr}) (Hip 1004). She’s run a 90-plus Beyer 10-plus times, and she’s multiple graded-stakes placed,” Weisbord said. “We have six stakes winners in Book 2, and 12 of the 15 are black-type mares. So we’re very heavy on black-type stakes-winning mares. That’s the meat of that Book 2 for us. We felt they would be better positioned there than on the racehorse day in Book 5.” Elite is a relatively new consignor, but Weisbord said he draws upon what he has experienced both as a buyer and a seller over the past decade to form an opinion about the current direction of the marketplace. “I’m not a historian, but I can talk squarely about what I’ve been involved with,” Weisbord said. “I came in the horse business upon graduating college in 2008, and just walking around at the sales then, it felt depressing. I remember people selling mares in foal to top stallions for stud fee. It was hard to give away horses that weren’t meeting the buyers’ needs. But I can say that as a seller in the market the last two years, I’ve never seen anything like it in terms of the positive vibe.” Weisbord summed up: “If you’ve got a horse that has black type and meets people’s checklists, there are many [buyers] in play. Horses are selling for over our appraisal thoughts, and that wasn’t happening when I first started. Back then, you were happy to get horses sold at reserve, where now horses are blowing through your pre-sale appraisals. I can’t say enough how strong this market is. We’re trying to trade the best, and I feel there has never been a better market in my 11 years in the horse business. View the full article

Sharp Samurai kept the momentum going to the wire to score his first graded victory of the year in the $200,000 City of Hope Stakes (G2T) Oct. 6 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

A wide draw is supposed to be the kiss of death in the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret, but nobody told One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) as the Lael Stable homebred benefitted from a masterclass from Pierre-Charles Boudot to lift the spirits of the Haggas stable. Despite breaking from a woeful post in 15 of 16, the bay who had benefitted from being freshened up having won Tipperary’s G3 Fairy Bridge S. over an extended seven furlongs Aug. 30 was an insulting 47-1 and her rider had confidence as he anchored her towards the back. Delivered in the nick of time to reel in Inns of Court (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) close home, she prevailed by a short head, with another Godolphin runner in Dutch Connection (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) a head behind in third. The 7-5 favourite Polydream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) was only seventh. “I’m absolutely thrilled,” commented Sea of Class’s trainer. “She’s very tough and good and we had been running her over six furlongs, but when we went up to seven she won well at Tipperary. Coming here, the key was to get her to settle which Pierre-Charles Boudot did very well. He gave her a great, great ride. When I come here and don’t have an English rider, I usually rely on Christophe Soumillon or Maxime Guyon, but they were not available so agent Shippy Ellis said to go with Boudot. I’m thrilled for the owners too, as they have been with me for over twenty years and send me everything they breed. I trained the dam and the granddam, so you can only imagine how proud I am. The plan was to keep her in training as a four-year-old, but now she’s won a group 1 we will have to regroup and see.” Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France QATAR PRIX DE LA FORET-G1, €350,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-7, 3yo/up, 7fT, 1:20.29, gd. 1–ONE MASTER (GB), 125, f, 4, by Fastnet Rock (Aus) 1st Dam: Enticing (Ire) (MGSW-Eng, $260,363), by Pivotal (GB) 2nd Dam: Superstar Leo (Ire), by College Chapel (GB) 3rd Dam: Council Rock (GB), by General Assembly 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Lael Stable; B-Lael Stables (GB); T-William Haggas; J-Pierre-Charles Boudot. €199,990. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire & SW-Eng, 8-4-0-2, €283,680. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Inns of Court (Ire), 128, c, 4, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Learned Friend (Ger), by Seeking the Gold. O-Godolphin SNC; B-Darley (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €80,010. 3–Dutch Connection (GB), 128, h, 6, Dutch Art (GB)–Endless Love (Ire), by Dubai Destination. O-Godolphin; B-Mrs S M Roy (GB); T-Charles Hills. €40,005. Margins: SHD, HD, 1 1/4. Odds: 47.10, 16.00, 37.00. Also Ran: Gustav Klimt (Ire), Sir Dancealot (Ire), Jimmy Two Times (Fr), Polydream (Ire), Tornibush (Ire), Teppal (Fr), So Beloved (GB), Zalamea (Ire), James Garfield (Ire), Burnt Sugar (Ire), Geniale (Jpn), Karar (GB). Scratched: Coeur de Beaute (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Cruelly denied in a photo that was almost indeterminable in York’s G1 Nunthorpe S. last time Aug. 24, David Armstrong’s Mabs Cross (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) made amends as she came out on top in a blanket finish to Sunday’s G1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines. Hard at work a long way out as Gerald Mosse sought to keep her within hailing distance of the livewires Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Soldier’s Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) up ahead, the filly responded with tenacity down the outside to collar the outsider Gold Vibe (Ire) (Dream Ahead) in the shade of the post and register a head success at 11-1, with the 2-year-old Soldier’s Call only a short-head away in third and a half length in front of the 13-10 favorite Battaash. “They went furious early on and I didn’t want to rush her too much, as I felt she was needing time to get into her stride,” jockey Gerald Mosse said. “Once she was ready for her effort she did it very nicely and she’s a very good filly with a very good record. This was not a surprise.” Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France PRIX DE L’ABBAYE DE LONGCHAMP LONGINES-G1, €350,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-7, 2yo/up, 5fT, :57.11, gd. 1–MABS CROSS (GB), 133, f, 4, by Dutch Art (GB) 1st Dam: Miss Meggy (GB) (SW-Eng), by Pivotal (GB) 2nd Dam: Selkirk Rose (Ire), by Pips Pride (GB) 3rd Dam: Red Note (Ire), by Rusticaro (Fr) 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (£3,000 Ylg ’15 DONNOV). O-David W Armstrong; B-Highfield Farm LLP (GB); T-Michael Dods; J-Gerald Mosse. €199,990. Lifetime Record: GSW & MG1SP-Eng, GSP-Ire, 13-6-2-3, €452,401. *1/2 to Charlie Em (GB) (Kheleyf), GSW-US & SP-Ger, $180,932. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Gold Vibe (Ire), 137, g, 5, Dream Ahead–Whisper Dance, by Diktat (GB). (€58,000 Wlg ’13 GOFNOV; 300,000gns Ylg ’14 TAOCT). O-Pan Sutong Racing Bloodstock; B-Stonecross Stud (IRE); T-Pascal Bary. €80,010. 3–Soldier’s Call (GB), 119, c, 2, Showcasing (GB)–Dijarvo (GB), by Iceman (GB). (85,000gns Ylg ’17 TAOCT). O-Clipper Logistics; B-Llety Farms (GB); T-Archie Watson. €40,005. Margins: HD, SHD, HF. Odds: 11.00, 43.00, 6.80. Also Ran: Battaash (Ire), Lost Treasure (Ire), Different League (Fr), Tantheem (GB), Havana Grey (GB), Finsbury Square (Ire), City Light (Fr), Alpha Delphini (GB), Cox Bazar (Fr), Sioux Nation, Hit The Bid (GB), Declarationofpeace, Antonella (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Bursting on to the scene at Chantilly 12 months ago when capturing the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac with an impressive time performance, TDN Rising Star Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) also made ParisLongchamp her own on Sunday as she proved too strong in the G1 Prix de l’Opera Longines. Freshened up since winning the G1 Nassau S. over this trip at Goodwood Aug. 2, the 13-5 favourite proved reluctant to load but once out of the gates was taken back from a frantic pace battle involving her pacemaker Winter Lightning (Ire) (Shamardal) and last year’s winner Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to race in fifth. Sent to the lead passing the quarter pole by William Buick as Ryan Moore got a rail run on old rival Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the homebred kept up the wattage to hit the line a length to the good as Godolphin came out on top in a second afternoon battle with Ballydoyle. Magic Wand held off Homerique (Exchange Rate) by a nose. Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France PRIX DE L’OPERA LONGINES-G1, €500,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-7, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT, 2:04.32, gd. 1–WILD ILLUSION (GB), 123, f, 3, by Dubawi (Ire) 1st Dam: Rumh (Ger) (SW-Eng), by Monsun (Ger) 2nd Dam: Royal Dubai (Ger), by Dashing Blade (GB) 3rd Dam: Reem Dubai (Ire), by Nashwan O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. €285,700. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng, 8-4-2-1, €1,059,584. *1/2 to Really Special (GB) (Shamardal), SW-Eng & SP-UAE, $108,180; and Ceratonia (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), GSP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Magic Wand (Ire), 123, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Prudenzia (Ire), by Dansili (GB). (€1,400,000 Ylg ’16 ARAUG). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Markus Jooste; B-Ecurie des Monceaux & Skymarc Farm Inc (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €114,300. 3–Homerique, 123, f, 3, Exchange Rate–Chiquita Picosa, by Congaree. ($34,000 RNA Wlg ’15 KEENOV; 22,000gns RNA Ylg ’16 TATOCT; €75,000 2yo ’17 ARQMAY). O-Ecurie de Montlahuc; B-Nicolas & Francois Drion (KY); T-Francis-Henri Graffard. €51,750. Margins: 1, NO, 1HF. Odds: 2.60, 5.00, 10.00. Also Ran: With You (GB), Well Timed (Ger), My Sister Nat (Fr), Navaro Girl (Ire), Athena (Ire), Urban Fox (GB), Lady Frankel (GB), Castellar (Fr), Rhododendron (Ire), L’Arc (Jpn), Desert Diamond (GB), Winter Lightning (Ire). Scratched: Night of England (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday’s Observations features the first foal of high-class mare Venus de Milo. 2.25 Windsor, Cond, £5,800, 2yo, 8f 31yT Sheikh Nasser Al Khalifa and Sheikh Duaij Al Khalifa’s hitherto untested ASAD (IRE) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) is the first foal out of MGSW G1 Irish Oaks, G1 Yorkshire Oaks, G1 Pretty Polly S. and G1 Nassau S. placegetter Venus de Milo (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}). Opposition to the George Peckham trainee includes Al Shaqab Racing’s twice-raced Fenjal (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who is a Hugo Palmer-trained sibling of six black-type performers headed by G3 Chartwell Fillies’ S. victress San Sicharia (Ire) (Daggers Drawn). View the full article

Tanking her way through Sunday’s G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and toward immortality as the only British-trained dual winner of ParisLongchamp’s monument, the even-money favourite Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was ultimately less impressive than at Chantilly 12 months ago but the line came just in time as compatriot Sea of Class (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) bore down late. Enjoying the perfect trip from her perfect draw, the perfect scenario was on the cards as soon as the record-holding five-times Arc hero Frankie Dettori took her forward and on to the lead with 300 metres to race. While there was not the power surge evident 12 months ago, there was enough to steal a large enough advantage to be insurmountable for the impressive flourish of the year-younger Sea of Class. At the line, there was a short neck between the Newmarket fillies, with last year’s runner-up Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) 3/4 of a length back in third. “She was not at her best today and this is entirely down to her and a lovely ride from Frankie on his 30th ride in the Arc,” John Gosden said. “It’s been a difficult and tough year with her and it has not been the preparation we’d have wanted. We had a hiccup between Kempton and here with a slight temperature thing, so it’s not been easy. This is very much down to her mind and ability. She’s a wonderful filly. The ground was a bit slick–I wanted more rain. If she is in good form, there’s no reason we wouldn’t try again but it’s up to Prince Khalid. This is beyond wonderful and very much against the odds, so I feel an enormous sense of relief.” Christopher Tsui said of the runner-up, who had more than 10 lengths to make up on Enable at the start of the “false straight”, “When they came into the straight, I thought she had absolutely no chance and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a race like it. To finish where she did is unbelievable. We can’t do anything about the draw, but we’ll never know what could have happened had she been drawn lower. We are pleased with the result and James [Doyle] has been fantastic in the preparation he’s done. We are very thankful for having him. Obviously, Enable is the best horse in the world right now and to finish just behind her is not bad I think.” Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France QATAR PRIX DE L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE-G1, €5,000,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-7, 3yo/up, c/f, 12fT, 2:29.24, gd. 1–ENABLE (GB), 128, f, 4, by Nathaniel (Ire) 1st Dam: Concentric (GB) (SW & GSP-Fr, $117,776), by Sadler’s Wells 2nd Dam: Apogee (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB) 3rd Dam: Bourbon Girl, by Ile de Bourbon O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. €2,857,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 11-14f, MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Ire, 10-9-0-1, €7,356,881. *1/2 to Contribution (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), MGSP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Sea of Class (Ire), 121, f, 3, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Holy Moon (Ire), by Hernando (Fr). (170,000gns Ylg ’16 TATDEY). O-Sunderland Holding Inc; B-Razza Del Velino SRL (IRE); T-William Haggas. €1,143,000. 3–Cloth of Stars (Ire), 131, h, 5, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Strawberry Fledge, by Kingmambo. (400,000gns Ylg ’14 TATOCT). O-Godolphin SNC; B-Peter Anastasiou (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €571,500. Margins: SNK, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 5.40, 41.00. Also Ran: Waldgeist (GB), Capri (Ire), Salouen (Ire), Kew Gardens (Ire), Nelson (Ire), Study of Man (Ire), Magical (Ire), Way to Paris (GB), Tiberian (Fr), Talismanic (GB), Patascoy (Fr), Defoe (Ire), Hunting Horn (Ire), Clincher (Jpn), Neufbosc (Fr), Louis d’Or (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Derek Leung Ka-chun was slapped with a six-meeting suspension for improper riding on a day when the stewards shared the spotlight with Karis Teetan after sustaining two objections. The Mauritian landed a five-timer, but all the talk after the meeting surrounded the action in the stipes’ room – headlined by Leung’s ride on Endearing in the seventh race. The 30-year-old was out in front but had High Five (Teetan) coming quickly on his outside and the jockey appeared to veer into... View the full article

Much of the talk before Sunday’s G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp centred around the home-trained Anodor (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), but the Freddy Head sensation had to give best behind a Godolphin-Ballydoyle tussle won by Royal Marine (Ire) (Raven’s Pass). Having let the side down on debut, the bay beat the subsequent dual winner and TDN Rising Star Turgenev (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in a seven-furlong Doncaster maiden next time Sept. 14, clocking a faster time than the same card’s Listed Flying Scotsman S. winner Sangarius (GB) (Kingman {GB}) carrying five pounds more. Sent off at nearly 6-1, he raced keenly initially before settling in the able hands of Oisin Murphy tracking Aidan O’Brien’s representative Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) who was placed on the front end by Ryan Moore to counter his customary lethargy. Gaining the edge with 300 metres remaining, the Godolphin homebred asserted to score by a neck, with the 4-5 favourite Anodor, who had been described by Freddy Head before the race as the best 2-year-old he had trained, staying on too late to be 3/4-of-a-length away in third. For Saeed bin Suroor, the win represented a watershed moment coming out of a relatively quiet spell. “Last year, I didn’t really have the horses, but this year Sheikh Mohammed has sent me some nice horses and they are doing well,” he said. “He’s a big strong horse who could be anything and it is exciting for the future. I’ll speak to Sheikh Mohammed and we’ll make a plan.” Murphy added, “He’s a very good horse, low on experience but with plenty of ability. They went slow and we got racing early. I was wary not to get to Ryan too soon, as Royal Marine has a lot of pace but I got away with it.” Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France QATAR PRIX JEAN-LUC LAGARDERE – GRAND CRITERIUM (SPONSORISE PAR MANATEQ)-G1, €400,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-7, 2yo, c/f, 8fT, 1:39.10, gd. 1–ROYAL MARINE (IRE), 126, c, 2, by Raven’s Pass 1st Dam: Inner Secret, by Singspiel (Ire) 2nd Dam: Mysterial, by Alleged 3rd Dam: Mysteries, by Seattle Slew 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor; J-Oisin Murphy. €228,560. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, €239,498. *1/2 to Crystal River (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), SW-Fr; and Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), GSP-UAE, $224,564. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Broome (Ire), 126, c, 2, Australia (GB)–Sweepstake (Ire), by Acclamation (GB). (€120,000 RNA Ylg ’17 GOFOR; 150,000gns Ylg ’17 TATDEY). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €91,440. 3–Anodor (Fr), 126, c, 2, Anodin (Ire)–Decize (Fr), by Kentucky Dynamite. (€32,000 RNA Ylg ’17 ARAUG). O-Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard & Mme Frederic Head; B-I D Fair (FR); T-Freddy Head. €45,720. Margins: NK, 3/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 5.80, 5.90, 0.80. Also Ran: Boitron (Fr), Shaman (Ire), Dark Jedi (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Allowed off at an almost unconsidered 27-1, Martin Schwartz’s Lily’s Candle (Fr) (Style Vendome {Fr}) upstaged her seven rivals and swooped late for Sunday’s G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac to kick off ParisLongchamp’s Arc Sunday with a bang. The grey yielded an instant dividend on the €390,000 Schwartz had paid the night before at Arqana’s Arc Sale. Having opened up with a June 15 debut sixth tackling seven furlongs at Saint-Cloud, she graduated upped to one mile at Marseille-Borely next time July 12 before doubling up in the Aug. 4 Listed Prix des Jouvenceaux et des Jouvencelles reverting to seven at Vichy and she was a last-out fourth over that distance here in the Sept. 2 G3 Prix La Rochette. Settled at the tail of the field for the most part, she was under pressure when gifted an opportunity for a wide run with 300 metres remaining and kept on relentlessly for continued rousting in the closing stages to deny Matematica (Ger) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) by a short neck nearing the line. Star Terms (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) endured traffic in the straight and proved best of the rest, the same margin adrift in third. LILY’S CANDLE (FR), f, 2, by Style Vendome (Fr) 1st Dam: Golden Lily (Fr), by Dolphin Street (Fr) 2nd Dam: Miller’s Lily (Fr), by Miller’s Mate (GB) 3rd Dam: Lymara (Fr), by Lyphard (€15,000 Ylg ’17 AROCT; €390,000 HRA ’18 ARQARC). O-Martin S Schwartz Racing; B-Mme P Lepeudry (FR); T-Fabrice Vermeulen; J-Pierre-Charles Boudot. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-0, €275,560. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article