Freddie Head reports Moonlight Cloud to be as good as ever as she prepares for the Longines Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin on December 8. The French trainer believes the five-year-old mare remains in superb shape after she chalked up Group One win No.6 with a scintillating display in… Read More »
Globe-trotting Joshua Tree has become the first three-time winner of Canada’s premier race, the Woodbine International, achieving the feat under three different trainers and three different jockeys. Ridden by Ryan Moore for Khalid Nabooda and Kamel Albahou, the Ed Dunlop-trained horse beat Hyper and Seismos in the 2400m race on… Read More »
Roger Varian is dreaming of Classic success next year after Kingston Hill continued the Newmarket trainer’s love affair with Doncaster by winning the Racing Post Trophy, Britain’s final Group One race of the season. His first ever runner, Eton Forever, was a winner there on April 2, 2011 after Varian… Read More »
British racing has secured a four-year agreement with the four largest retail bookmakers to make voluntary contributions of STG4.5 million ($A7.61 million) a year the newly-created Incentive Fund. Taking effect from April 2014, the payments from William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and Betfred will be managed by a new distribution group… Read More »
Charlie Appleby may only be in the infancy of his training career but the victory of Sudden Wonder in the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Houghton Conditions Stakes at Newmarket has already sparked Derby dreams for the Godolphin handler. Not beaten far behind stablemates Outstrip, who subsequently ran in the Dewhurst, and… Read More »
Trainer Corine Barande-Barbe is in no rush to decide whether Cirrus Des Aigles will head to Asia this year following another fantastic run in defeat in Saturday’s Champion Stakes. Winner of the race in 2011 and second behind Frankel 12 months later, the seven-year-old was sent off favourite to regain… Read More »
Olympic Glory spreadeagled his rivals to win the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot which almost certainly sealed the trainers’ championship for veteran Richard Hannon. Wearing blinkers for the first time, the 11-2 chance burst through a gap for Richard Hughes over a furlong (200m) out and powered clear to… Read More »
Farhh has brought some consolation at the end of a difficult season for Sheikh Mohammed with victory in the STG1.3 million ($A2.19 million) Champion Stakes at Ascot. The five-year-old moved to the lead early in the straight under Silvestre De Sousa and fought hard to resist the 2011 winner Cirrus… Read More »
Cirrus Des Aigles will face nine rivals as he bids to regain his crown in the Champion Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The French-trained seven-year-old took the honours in 2011 and put up a sterling effort when beaten only a 1-3/4 lengths by Frankel 12 months ago. He has taken… Read More »
Estimate has already orchestrated the most popular moment of the 2013 Flat season and her jockey Ryan Moore is readying himself for the filly’s belated racecourse comeback at Ascot this weekend. A first Gold Cup victory for The Queen prompted spontaneous scenes of joy across the vast Berkshire course, even… Read More »
Record-breaking King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Novellist has been retired and will stand at the Yoshida family’s Shadai Stud in Japan. Trained by Andreas Wohler, Novellist was denied the chance to run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when he spiked a temperature on the morning… Read More »
Aidan O’Brien could rely on either Kingsbarns or Ruler Of The World in Saturday’s Champion Stakes at Ascot after admitting to fears about ground conditions for both Declaration Of War and Magician. The Ballydoyle handler left the quartet of runners in this weekend’s 10-furlong Group One at Monday’s confirmation stage,… Read More »
Double classic winner Camelot has been retired from horse racing after getting injured in training for next month’s Breeders’ Cup Turf in the US. The Ireland-based Coolmore stable said in a statement released on Monday that last year’s 2000 Guineas and English Derby champion “was found to be lame pulling… Read More »
Joao Moreira has ended his Singapore riding days in memorable fashion with six winners at his final Kranji meeting before moving to Hong Kong. The Brazilian jockey has been the star of Singapore racing in recent years, notching 723 wins in less than five full seasons. He is assured of… Read More »
War Command has given Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien a belated first two-year-old Group One win of the season, lifting the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. However, it was a workmanlike rather than an impressive victory for the Coventry Stakes winner. War Command, the 10-11 favourite, was hard ridden by Joseph O’Brien… Read More »
Scatter Dice has recovered from a being left at the start to score a shock win in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket. The Mark Johnston-trained filly was slowly out of the stalls and emerged 10 lengths behind the rest but made up the ground to take the ultra-competitive marathon handicap over… Read More »
Joseph O’Brien broke a 20-year old Irish record at Navan on Wednesday with the final leg of a treble bringing up his 117th winner of the season to consign the previous best set by Mick Kinane to the history books. O’Brien, champion jockey last season with 87 winners, equalled the… Read More »
Qatari Sheikh Joann Al Thani has paid a world record 5 million guineas ($A9.01 million) for a yearling filly at the Tattersalls sale. The filly, a daughter of 2001 Derby winner Galileo and Alluring Park, is also the most expensive horse of any age sold at public auction in Europe,… Read More »
Trainer Freddie Head has all but ruled out a second trip to the Breeders’ Cup for Moonlight Cloud following her scintillating display at Longchamp on Sunday. The five-year-old clinched her third Group One of the year and sixth overall with an incredible performance in the Prix de la Foret. Ridden… Read More »
Yasutoshi Ikee brushed aside the disappointment of his Japanese superstar Orfevre finishing second in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the second successive year and pledged to return to claim the victory his country craves. The 44-year-old trainer, whose father Yasuo also failed to land the race when his… Read More »
