Wandering Eyes

Saturday will be action-packed and Nicky Henderson’s Top Notch takes on the likes of Double Shuffle and O O Seven, in the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase (Sandown 2:25pm). Then we’ll get to see the magnificent Altior competing on the track, in the Grade 1 Celebration Chase (Sandown 3:00pm). RaceBets’ brand ambassador, Sam Twiston-Davies, had no luck in the Grand National. Blaklion fell at the first fence, but the pair can bounce back by winning the Grade 3 Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Sandown 3:35pm). Wholestone represents his father Nigel’s yard, in the Grade 2 Select Hurdle (Sandown 4:05pm). The Listed King Richard III Stakes (2:45pm) is the feature contest at Leicester and this is usually a terrific race. Kimberella, Jallota and Roger Varian’s Emmaus are among this year’s runners. Meetings are also being held at Haydock, Ripon, Doncaster and Wolverhampton. There are 3 Grade 1 encounters at Punchestown, while the big races at Sha Tin (Hong Kong) include the Champions Mile, the Chairman’s Sprint Prize and the QEII Cup. There’s also the Group 1 Prix Ganay, at Longchamp (France). Good luck with your bets! View All Race-Cards Now! The post Saturday Big Race Preview – Altior To The Fore! appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Disqualified Australian jockey Nash Rawiller has been released from custody in Hong Kong but it is yet to be announced whether he will face charges from the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). Rawiller was photographed on Friday by local press leaving ICAC headquarters in North Point at around 2.30pm, nearly 48 hours after he was detained at Hong Kong International Airport. The Hong Kong Jockey Club banned Rawiller for 15 months on Wednesday after finding the 43-year-old guilty of... View the full article

Champions Day looms as the first true test of the 2018 BMW Hong Kong Derby form and Chad Schofield is backing the tactical versatility of this year’s runner-up Singapore Sling to come to the fore in the HK$18 million Champions Mile. Singapore Sling was arguably the most consistent horse of this year’s four-year-old series; after a second to Nothingilikemore in the Classic Mile, he won the Classic Cup before finishing second to a rampant Ping Hai Star in the Derby. Ping Hai Star... View the full article

Plenty of Europeans have tried and failed to wrest superiority off the local sprinters at Sha Tin, so what makes Blue Point so different to the long list of visitors that have left here outpaced, overmatched and with their tails between their legs? It could just be a matter of timing, suggested Charlie Appleby, who brings Godolphin’s up-and-coming Blue Point to Sha Tin for Sunday’s Chairman’s Sprint Prize. “I think the difference is that we are dealing with a horse that... View the full article

“Oh, you thought Pakistan Star was crazy? Hold my beer.” It was as if Al Ain had heard about the reputation of Hong Kong racing’s resident racetrack rascal and Audemars Piguet QE II Cup rival Pakistan Star and tried to upstage him on Thursday at Sha Tin. Pakistan Star may have attracted worldwide racing fame with his stop-start act, but nobody does crazy racehorses better than the Japanese and Al Ain may just have sent his handler Shin Otose and trackwork rider Yuki Iwasaki... View the full article

OCALA, Fl – The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s April Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds marched through its third of four sessions Thursday in Central Florida, with figures ahead of last year’s record-setting auction. Through three sessions, OBS has sold 533 horses for a total of $51,550,500. The cumulative average is $96,718–up 8.1% from the same point a year ago–and the median is up 22.2% to $55,000. Thursday’s session, which saw 175 juveniles gross $16,047,500 for an average of $91,700 and a median of $55,000, was topped by a colt by War Front (hip 888) who sold for $725,000 to Emmanuel de Seroux’s Narvick International on behalf of Japanese owner Katsumi Yoshida. The colt was consigned by Niall Brennan, who continues to lead all consignors at the auction with 23 sold for a total of $5,187,000. Last year’s sale produced three seven-figure transactions, including the $2.45-million topper, and while this year’s renewal has lacked that breakout horse, 19 juveniles have sold for $400,000 or over, up from 14 a year ago. Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, who purchased two of the top five lots Thursday, leads all buyers having purchased eight juveniles for $1,882,000. “The market is selectively strong,” Ryan said Thursday. “If you see something you like, you are going to have go 35% higher to get it. If you think it is worth $300,000, you better prepare to pay $400,000. Everybody wants the same horse. People are very thorough in their preparation. They know what they want and they will pay you well for the good ones.” Phoenix Thoroughbreds has purchased three horses so far at the four-day sale, including a $625,000 Giant’s Causeway colt (hip 726) from Off the Hook, LLC. The operation’s Tom Ludt agreed competition was stiff for the top offerings. “For the good horses that stand out, you are butting heads with the same people,” Ludt said. “They are going for more than you want to pay for, but if you want a good horse, you have to stretch a little bit.” Off the Hook’s Joe Appelbaum said activity has been building throughout the week in Ocala. “After the first day, it has really picked up,” Appelbaum said. “Day two we saw the median up, which gave me hope. It’s been hard to sell middle-market horses, but there seems to be a bit of a market here for them.” The OBS April sale concludes Friday with a session beginning at 10:30 a.m. War Front Colt Heading to Japan Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International made his second major purchase of the OBS April sale, going to $725,000 to secure a colt by War Front on behalf of Katsumi Yoshida during Thursday’s third session of the OBS April sale. De Seroux, who did his bidding out back alongside Japanese agent Riki Takahashi, purchased a colt by Speightstown for $700,000 during Wednesday’s session of the four-day auction. “We have been trying for a while to get a good War Front colt and they are not so easy to get,” de Seroux said after signing the ticket on hip 888. “He is a very nice type, he breezed very well and he galloped out very well. And he has a turf pedigree which is a plus for Japan. He is everything we were looking for.” The bay colt is out of multiple graded stakes winner River Belle (GB) (Lahib) and is a half to graded winner Strathnaver (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Bred by Lofts Hall Stud, he RNA’d for $275,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale. De Seroux said part of the attraction of Wednesday’s Speightstown colt (hip 403), a half-brother to juvenile champion Good Magic, was his potential as a stallion. The same logic applied to Thursday’s purchase. “He looks like a stallion prospect, he’s a beautiful type,” de Seroux said. “He’s by War Front and from a great female line. So he has a stallion pedigree if he is any good.” The colt’s $725,000 price, highest on the day and third highest of the sale so far, was no surprise to de Seroux. “We thought a lot of people would be looking at him,” he said. “He was one of the top horses in the sale and he has one of the best pedigrees. So for a horse of that class, unfortunately you have to spend some money. We thought he was good value.” The juvenile, who worked a quarter in :21 1/5, will head to Yoshida’s Northern Farm before being assigned a trainer. Candy Ride Filly for Drown Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan continued a busy few days of buying in Ocala, signing the ticket at $650,000 to acquire a filly by Candy Ride (Arg) on behalf of Minnesota owner Jeff Drown early in Thursday’s third session of the OBS April sale. “He wants to increase the quality of his racing stable and his mares,” Ryan said of Drown, who is CEO of Lyon Contracting, Inc. “We knew we were going to have to stretch on her.” Consigned by RiceHorse Stable, the chestnut filly (hip 669) is out of multiple stakes placed Minesave (Mineshaft), a daughter of graded stakes placed Jaramar Rain (Thunder Gulch) and a half-sister to multiple graded stakes placed Imperial Council (Empire Maker). She worked a quarter during last week’s under tack preview in :21 1/5. “She was exceptional,” Ryan said of the filly. “I saw her the week before the breeze show here when I did some looking around the barns. She knocked me out then. I was hoping that she might breeze a little slow–no disrespect to the consignor or the owners–but I knew when she breezed as well as she did that this was going to be a battle. She is a filly that looks like she’ll run this summer in Saratoga. She is bred to get two turns and she is an exceptional filly. You don’t get many like this.” The filly, who is expected to be trained by Chad Brown, was bred by WinStar Farm and was purchased by Rickey Kanter’s Stallionaire Enterprises for $270,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale. “Obviously, she was an expensive as a yearling,” Ryan said. “Great credit to those people. They bought an outstanding filly and she showed it out here. There was a lot of action on her.” Drown, who has a small broodmare band based in Kentucky, campaigns ‘TDN Rising Star’ Summer Revolution (Summer Bird). “He has some quality mares and he loves the game, his family loves it, his parents love it,” Ryan said. “He wants to do it right. And he wants to be a presence in New York. He’s been in the game a while, but now he has ratcheted up what he wants to do. He said, ‘Find me something really good, something we think is New York stakes quality, a Saturday afternoon horse, hopefully.’ That Malibu Moon filly yesterday made $700,000 and I thought it was a flip of a coin which one you were going to go for because they were both exceptional fillies.” Phoenix Strikes for Giant’s Causeway Colt Phoenix Thoroughbreds made plenty of headlines at sales around the world last term, scooping up many high-priced horses of all ages, including last year’s OBS March topper. Amer Abdulaziz’s operation had been quiet through the first two sessions of the OBS April sale, but they made their presence know Thursday, going to $625,000 for a colt by the late Giant’s Causeway. “He’s a Giant’s Causeway. He’s got all that Classic distance to him,” said Tom Ludt, who is Head of U.S. operations for Phoenix. “We think he is going to be a nice two-turn horse. We are looking for some good colts He may not be early, but he may be really good long and we thought he fit the profile.” Ludt added, “He will stay in the States. We will decide in the next month who he will go to. We are spreading horses around a little bit. We haven’t made that decision yet.” Ludt was seated alongside Abdulaziz and bloodstock agent Dennis O’Neill when he signed the ticket on Hip 726. O’Neill has picked out a plethora of talented runners over the years, including GI Kentucky Derby winners I’ll Have Another (Flower Alley) and Nyquist (Uncle Mo). “Dennis has a good eye,” Ludt said. “He has done a good job for people and he is a friend of mine, so he has been offering advice to us.” Phoenix Thoroughbreds bought two horses during Thursday’s session, a $290,000 Trappe Shot colt (Hip 529) and a $55,000 Cairo Prince colt (Hip 647). “We’ve been bidding, but it’s been hard to buy,” Ludt said. “We’ve been butting heads with the same people and have been underbidders on some expensive ones.” Bred by CESA Farm, Hip 726 is out of the Mineshaft mare My Special Secret, who is a half-sister to GSW Ask Me No Secrets (Seattle Slew). The bay breezed in :10 2/5 for Joe Appelbaum’s Off the Hook LLC. “[The breeder] Haras Los Samanes is a longtime client and friend of ours,” Appelbaum said. “We sold the sister [Secret Quality (Elusive Quallity)] of this horse to West Point [for $155,000] a year ago. I see she is training for Christophe Clement right now, so hopefully she is ready to go soon. His pedigree and body type wouldn’t suggest that he would be a fast breeze horse, but as you can see, everyone respected what he did on the track. There is potential for him going two turns.” The great Giant’s Causeway passed away Apr. 16 at age 21 after a brief illness. “He has been an amazing sire for the last almost 20 years,” Appelbaum said. “There are not many left now. We have had some good ones and we have a good spot in our heart for Giant’s Causeway.” Just nine hips later, Appelbaum’s operation had another good sale when a Take Charge Indy colt, purchased by G S Inversiomes Hipicas for just $17,000 at KEESEP, sold for $270,000 to bloodstock agent Liz Crow. Hip 735, who breezed in :10 flat, is out of GISW Nany’s Sweep (End Sweep), who also produced GSW She’s Indy Money (A.P. Indy). “They bought the horse very properly,” Appelbaum said. “Take Charge Indy is really ramping up. That horse has come along too. We were thrilled with him on the farm. He put in a good breeze and he was really a physical character.” Appelbaum continued, “For the last six to eight weeks, we’ve known he’s a good horse and expected him to do well.” Overall through the first three sessions, Off the Hook LLC has sold a total of 21 horses for a gross of $3.045 million. —@CDeBernardisTDN Mateo Scores With Arch Colt Lifelong horsewoman Elizabeth Mateo enjoyed one of her best pinhooking scores Thursday when an Arch colt she purchased for just $60,000 at Keeneland September sold for $410,000 to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, who was acting on behalf of Marc Keller. “I’ve always had a horses,” said Mateo. “I even had a horse with me in college. I can’t be keeping them all so I started pinhooking a few a year.” As for what attracted her to Hip 651, the Alpharetta, Georgia, resident said, “This colt has a classic pedigree. He’s gorgeous and well put together.” Mateo and Robert Meier, who signed the ticket at KEESEP on her behalf, were among the first to congratulate Ryan on his purchase, as was underbidder Rick Violette. Ryan indicated that the colt would go to New York and join the barn of Bobby Ribaudo. “I’ve been a big fan of Arch for a long time,” Ryan said. “We were underbidders on [$1.05 million OBSMAR buy and GIII Lecomte S. winner] Instilled Regard (Arch) here last year. He was a special colt. A good horseman bought him in the beginning and bought him well and $60,000. He’s a special colt. He’s a very noble horse, very stoic, just a really good horse.” Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, the :22 1/5 breezer is out of SW and GSP Mega Dream (Medaglia d’Oro) and hails from the family of champion grass horse Tight Spot. Hip 651 was bred by Nancy Polk’s Normandy Farm, which has also produced the likes of Grade I winner Daddy’s Lil Darling (Scat Daddy) and SW & GSP Sunny Skies (Animal Kingdom). —@CDeBernardisTDN Spendthrift Shows Support for Young Stallion Spendthrift Farm went to $650,000 at the end of Wednesday’s session to acquire a filly by their red hot stallion Into Mischief and B. Wayne Hughes’s operation engaged in another intense round of bidding late in Thursday’s session to support one of their newer stallions, going to $400,000 for a filly from the first crop of Shakin It Up (Midnight Lute). Hip 913 breezed in a bullet :20 3/5 for consignor Eddie Woods. “That is pretty close to where we thought we would be [price wise],” Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey said after signing the ticket while seated alongside Hughes. “Our thought was just that we need to buy this filly. She was as nice as any horse I saw here, so we were thrilled to get her. She had a very good breeze and absolutely looks the part. It is hard to build one better than this.” Catalyst Bloodstock, who bred the juvenile in partnership with Erin Knehr, bought Hip 913’s dam Rupert’s Promise (Capote) with the filly in utero fore $2,500 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale. Woods’s clients the Moss Group purchased the dark bay, who hails from the family of GISW sire Roman Ruler, for $120,000 at the Fasig-Tipton October sale. “I thought she even had a chance to bring more,” Woods said. “People are respecting the stallion, but I think they are a little afraid because it is the first crop. That is still plenty of money to pay for a horse. Her physical and her work are fantastic. If she had been a Malibu Moon, she would have brought $700,000 or $800,000. She still sold very well and the owner of the stallion bought her.” Shakin It Up, campaigned by breeder Mike Pegram in partnership with Dennis Cardoza, won the 2013 GI Malibu S. and a pair of Grade II events for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. He retired to Spendthrift after finishing fourth in the 2014 GI Met Mile. “We’ve been really impressed with how he’s stamping them,” Toffey said. “They’ve been really consistent, breezing well and showing tremendous ability.” Woods added, “I only have two and we will be looking for more.” —@CDeBernardisTDN View the full article

Logan wins first race in Singapore with Green Star View the full article

Night to remember for Circuit Land, Freedman, Maia View the full article

Distinctive Darci scores thriller in Merlion Trophy View the full article

Mr Luck bounces back to winning form after break View the full article

Drone gets right on radar on debut View the full article

Horses' body weights April 27 View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings April 27 View the full article

Early scratchings April 27 View the full article

Sunny Brook Stables' Plein Air (IRE) will aim to build upon her stakes-winning U.S. debut with her second try in a Southern California marathon race April 28 in the Santa Barbara Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Officials at the New York Racing Association announced Thursday that the long-distance racing bonus program would be continued for the 2018 Belmont Spring/Summer meeting that opens Friday at the Long Island oval. All open-company maiden special weight races as well as first- and second-level allowance heats at 10 furlongs and beyond will offer purse money of $90,000 once the bonuses are factored in. Maiden allowance races receive a bump of $15,000 from its $75,000 base, while one-other-than allowances receive a $13,000 enhancement and N2X allowances see their purses raised by $10,000. “Owners and trainers are clearly interested in these races, and we’re pleased that the program has gained momentum over the last year,” said Martin Panza, senior director of racing operations for NYRA. “We continue to be one of the only circuits offering these races and we look forward to building the program even further.” During the first year of the bonus in 2017, a total of 17 turf races were eligible for the higher prize money and attracted an average of 8.65 horses per race, nearly one horse higher than in the previous season when the bonus was not in place. NYRA will also card eight races for 2-year-olds with purse money of $100,000 as part of its ongoing program leading up to the $150,000 Astoria S. for juvenile fillies June 7 and the male counterpart, the $150,000 Tremont S. June 8. Those two events are part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Bonuses worth a total of $25,000 will be offered to the owners and trainers of New York-breds who finish first, second or third in any state-bred or open maiden juvenile race held during the spring/summer meet. The bonus program, supported in partnership with the New York Breeding Fund, calls for owners to receive $9,000 for a first-place finish, $4,500 for second and $2,500 for third. Trainers would get a bonus of $4,000 for first, $3,000 for second and $2,000 for third. View the full article

Freshman sire Mucho Macho Man was represented by his first runner, Mucho Amor, who grabbed the lead early and never looked back to win an April 26 maiden special weight at Keeneland. View the full article

Keeneland, William S. Farish’s Lane’s End and Churchill Downs Racetrack have teamed to sponsor the Bluegrass Breakfast, an enhanced breakfast experience for horsemen in the Churchill Downs stable area during Kentucky Derby Week. The Bluegrass Breakfast will be open 6-10:30 a.m. from Saturday, Apr. 28, through Thursday, May 3, in the Stable Suites located near the gap by the clockers’ stand. “Keeneland is excited to partner with Lane’s End and Churchill Downs to further elevate the hospitality experience for horsemen,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “Keeneland shares a rich connection to the Kentucky Derby in that 21 winners have been sold at Keeneland sales, most recently Nyquist and Always Dreaming. We are proud to have a presence at Churchill Downs during this important week in racing.” The Bluegrass Breakfast will feature Southern-style “grab and go” offerings, a coffee bar and both climate-controlled and rooftop views of morning works on the track. Horsemen will enjoy locally sourced daily breakfast options from Lexington’s DaRae & Friends Catering and Tincan Coffee Roasters. “To be able to partner with our friends at Keeneland and bring a bit of Bluegrass hospitality to our partners at Churchill during Derby week is a great opportunity for us,” said Will Farish. “Lane’s End is always honored to be a part of the biggest race in the sport, whether that’s through the Bluegrass Breakfast or on the racetrack watching our connections compete on Derby Day.” View the full article

The three trainers who accounted for the six winners of the 170-point Road to the Kentucky Derby races contested in the United States sounded confident April 26 when they gathered for an NTRA teleconference call with media members. View the full article

SHANG SHANG SHANG (f, 2, Shanghai Bobby–Yankee Victoria {SP, $193,510}, by Yankee Victor) kept the remarkable streak of baby winners at Keeneland for Wesley Ward alive with a sharp frontrunning score. Attracting a winning bid of $200,000 off a :9 4/5 breeze at OBS March, the dark bay was made a 17-5 third choice in this debut and showed big speed to dictate terms through a :22.13 quarter. Chased by stablemate Moonlight Romance (Liaison) on the turn, Shang Shang Shang never gave that one a chance and hit the wire two lengths to the good of her partner in a sharp final time of :51.03. The victress has a yearling half-sister by Take Charge Indy and her dam was bred to Paynter last season. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,000. O-Breeze Easy LLC; B-Kris R. Del Giudice (FL); T-Wesley A. Ward. 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. Friday’s Insights features a colt from the family of Goldikova (Ire). 1.25 Chantilly, Cond, €35,000, 3yo, 10fT NEAR GOLD (GB) (Dansili {GB}) makes his seasonal debut for Jean-Louis Bouchard and trainer Freddy Head, having looked one of France’s more exciting prospects as he broke his maiden in style here in October. The relative of Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) who is entered in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Epsom Derby encounters seven rivals including the unbeaten ex-Polish filly Glamorous Thingie (Fr) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) who now represents Viktor Timoshenko and Nicolas Clement. 1.50 Sandown, Hcp, £25,000, 3yo, 8fT KINGS SHIELD (Scat Daddy) cost 675,000gns as a Tattersalls Craven breezer, is unbeaten for Qatar Racing and John Gosden and now tries turf for the first time in this prestigious Esher Cup which can play host to some potential pattern-race performers. The half-brother to the smart Great White Eagle (Elusive Quality) and Quarrel (Maria’s Mon) comes into this test on the back of smooth wins on the all-weather at Newcastle and Kempton and holds and entry in the G1 St James’s Palace S. 4.35 Sandown, Cond, £10,000, 3yo, f, 9f 209yT HIGHGARDEN (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is another notable John Gosden representative on a card in which he has historically enjoyed testing his better 3-year-olds. The Lofts Hall Stud homebred created a deep impression when winning on her sole start at Newbury in October and the descendant from the top-class Rebelline (Ire) (Robellino) is entered in the G1 Epsom Oaks. View the full article

MUCHO AMOR (f, 2, Mucho Macho Man–Raucous Lady, by Rock Hard Ten) showed speed and plenty of grit down the lane to hold on for the victory, the ninth straight in a Keeneland baby race for trainer Wesley Ward and the first overall for her sire. Showing a trio of modest local works, capped by a half-mile in :49 flat (31/77) Apr. 21, the $280,000 OBS March buy broke well from her inside stall and showed the way past a :22.66 quarter. Challenged by sneakily-bet Ben Colebrook firster Blame the Frog (Blame) at the furlong grounds, Mucho Amor dug in resolutely to stave that one off by a neck on the wire in :52 flat. The winner’s dam dropped a filly by Sky Mesa last term before visiting Street Boss. Sales History: $135,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,000. O-Ten Broeck Farm Inc.; B-Ed Few (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. View the full article

Sandown’s G3 bet365 Gordon Richards S. is one of those races that Sir Michael Stoute likes to target with his returning stable stars and the leading trainer with eight wins could be extending that sequence on Friday as ‘TDN Rising Star’ Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) comes back to the fray. Sir Evelyn De Rothschild’s homebred took the 12-furlong G3 Gordon S. at Glorious Goodwood in August before finishing second in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster in September, with his trainer always keen to stress that he was a work in progress. He faces a race-fit rival in The Queen’s Fabricate (GB) (Makfi {GB}), who is unbeaten in three starts at this trip and looked a revelation when beating another Stoute trainee in Autocratic (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) with authority in Kempton’s Listed Magnolia S. on Mar. 31. View the full article

Godolphin Racing’s Enticed (Medaglia d’Oro) worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 at Palm Meadows for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin Thursday morning. Breezing under exercise rider Jason Eracia, Enticed worked in company as he prepares for a start in the GI Kentucky Derby next Saturday. “He worked great,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. “I am very happy with him and he has done well [since his runner-up finish in the Apr. 7 GII Wood Memorial S.].” Enticed is scheduled to leave Florida Sunday and arrive at Churchill Downs Monday. Five workouts by Derby contenders are slated for Friday morning at Churchill Downs, headed by the Todd Pletcher-trained quartet of Audible (Into Mischief), Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon), Noble Indy (Take Charge Indy) and Vino Rosso (Curlin). View the full article

Derby pretenders stick their heads above the parapet at Sandown on Friday, with Manton Estate Racing’s Chilean (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) looking to further his claims in the G3 bet365 Classic Trial. Still in the 2000 Guineas, he beat the well-regarded Niarchos colt Study of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in Longchamp’s G3 Prix la Force over nine furlongs on heavy ground last time Apr. 8 and sets the standard. John Gosden has won this a record eight times and relies on Gestut Ammerland’s homebred Sevenna Star (Ire) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}), who opened his account by 14 lengths over this trip also on a heavy surface at Windsor on Apr. 16. “He is in good form and he took that race at Windsor very well the other day,” he explained. “He had been pleasing us at home, but it is not normal to go and win by 14 lengths. We will see what the ground is, but if there is cut in it he will handle it.” View the full article