Latest horse racing news from UK, Ireland, and around the world.

Diego Velazquez strikes Group One gold for new owners

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Diego Velazquez held off a late charge from Notable Speech to come out on top in the Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt was recently purchased by Sam Sangster and was running for the first time in the family’s famous silks under Christophe Soumillon.

The bay was running alongside stablemate The Lion In Winter in the Group One, who was joined by Roger Teal’s Dancing Gemini in making much of the running throughout the one-mile trip.

Diego Velazquez was always travelling well on the outside, however, and threw down his challenge in the final stages to see off a rapid finish on the inner rail from Charlie Appleby’s Notable Speech, who was beaten just a head. Dancing Gemini was a further three-quarters of a length back in third.

The winning trainer said: “This is a breeding operation that produces very good two- and three-year-olds. He’s a superb model, a willing horse, his last run was very good and he really came to himself last week.”

Diego Velazquez’s last run was in the Minstrel Stakes, named in honour of the late Robert Sangster’s dual Derby winner who ran in the same colours carried to success at Deauville on behalf of his son.

Of that synchronicity, O’Brien added: “The Minstrel Stakes has often proved an excellent stepping stone – it’s a sharp 1,400 metres, and you need to be sharp.

“If you think about Ballydoyle’s history, and the history of these colours with horses like The Minstrel, who could have imagined that we would have a horse running in Mr Sangster’s silks? It’s just incredible, and I’m so delighted for Sam – truly thrilled.

“We thought he might be a horse for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Keeneland and then possibly the Breeders’ Cup Mile. He loves fast ground and he’s quick.

“A lot of money has been spent this week on his stallion career. But sometimes money isn’t what matters. What they achieved today – you can’t buy that, those are memories.”

An emotional Sangster was thrilled at his new acquisition’s success, telling Sky Sports Racing: “It means a lot, we’re so lucky.

“MV (Magnier, former co-owner) is one of my oldest and greatest friends and when I came to him with the presentation of buying the horse to stand at the National Stud, he was fully supportive.

“We were lucky to buy him and we’re even luckier now, that’s for sure!

“He’s an absolutely gorgeous horse, he’s so tough, so genuine. He’s a phenomenal mover and to be honest, when he came out of his box you could already see him at the stallion barn at the National Stud.

“I’m a little lost for words to be honest, but I’m so delighted. He deserved to get that Group One today and I’m just so delighted to be involved with him.”

Notable Speech posted his best effort so far this year
Notable Speech posted his best effort so far this year (Joe Giddens/PA)

Despite defeat Charlie Appleby was still pleased with Notable Speech, who returned to form to an extent having failed to hit the heights of his three-year-old career so far this term.

He said: “We’re delighted with how the horse ran. Of course it’s frustrating to be beaten by so little, but the most important thing is to see him back to his best. The mile is his optimum trip. We tried dropping him back last time – sometimes you need to experiment.

“We’ll probably go to Canada for the Woodbine Mile, and then head to the Breeders’ Cup.”

Roger Teal, trainer of Dancing Gemini, said: “He really ran exceptionally well. The ground was probably a bit too quick, and perhaps he didn’t fully settle in the last 100 metres. It was still a top-class performance.

“Once again he showed huge ability, and a Group One win will come soon. He’s also entered at Ascot but first we’ll go to ParisLongchamp for the Prix du Moulin.

“We’re hoping to find slightly easier going, that’s the next target. He doesn’t need it heavy but just ground with a bit more give.”

Sir Mark Prescott has cherished memories of special York moments

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York Racecourse holds a special place in the affections of many within racing, including Sir Mark Prescott, who kickstarted his training career on the Knavesmire before returning to win some of the track’s biggest prizes.

The Heath House handler’s career was in its infancy when he sent Heave To up the A1 to contest the Ford Cortina Cup in 1971, but it was a victory which would become the springboard for one of the greatest training careers ever curated and by one of racing’s most decorated characters.

“York has been very good to me and in my first season I won with a horse called Heave To,” said Prescott.

Trainer Sir Mark Prescott has enjoyed a long career as a trainer
Trainer Sir Mark Prescott has enjoyed a long career as a trainer (John Walton/PA)

“It was the richest sprint handicap in Britain at the time and as it’s name implied, it was very, very richly endowed. It was for six-furlong three-year-old sprinters and him winning made a great difference to my first couple of years.

“It would be most memorable for me because it came when I needed it and he would go on to win the Victoria Cup, he really helped get me going.”

Many York patrons will also remember fondly – as does Prescott himself – the gamble landed with Graham Rock’s Pasternak in the race formally known as the Magnet Cup and now the John Smith’s, leg one of an audacious double which would be completed in the autumn when scooping the Cambridgeshire.

However, York’s most prestigious handicap of them all and the centrepiece of the Ebor Festival would enter Prescott’s grasp in 1994 when Hasten To Add finally relieved his handler of the heartache of some previous crushing defeats.

“Before York everybody thought he had won the Northumberland Plate except a very wise old punter who was there,” reminisced Prescott on his agonising reversal prior to the Ebor at Newcastle.

“I thought he had won, television, everyone thought he had won.

“Yet as I pranced down to meet him convinced of what a wonderful trainer I was, this old punter who had been in the police force came up to me and said ‘I have reason to believe that you may not have won’ which was such a lovely phrase and way of disappointing me and of course he was right.

“He had been second in the Duke of Edinburgh and second in the Northumberland Plate and he’d also been fourth beaten at the shortest price ever in the Cesarewitch, so York was a great day and came at the right time, it was good to win the race and get it ticked off.”

For all the handicaps landed and plots successfully accomplished, Prescott has always been more than just a one-trick pony and over the years he has returned to the Knavesmire with the cream of the Heath House crop to take home some of the Ebor Festival’s most prestigious events.

Pivotal gave long-time Prescott owners Cheveley Park Stud one of their greatest days when battling to a narrow Nunthorpe Stakes victory in 1996, but an even more dramatic finish to York’s sprint showcase came eight years ago when Marsha provided the veteran trainer one of his most memorable triumphs of recent times.

Marsha (left) narrowly wins Nunthorpe
Marsha (left) narrowly wins Nunthorpe (Simon Cooper/PA)

With Marsha going head-to-head with American hotpot Lady Aurelia in the closing stages, the race is remembered by many for Frankie Dettori’s steadfast confidence as the pair of courageous mares flashed past the winning line in unison.

Watching from afar, Prescott was one of those to be initially convinced by the mercurial Italian’s bravado at the finish, but gasps would soon ring out around the racecourse as the judge delivered the verdict in Marsha’s favour, with the victory proving a catalyst for a record 6,000,000 guineas fee at the sales later that year.

“She won a nose when no one thought she had got it, including poor Mr Dettori,” explained Prescott.

“I was looking at yearlings at Miss (Kirsten) Rausing’s in Ireland at the time so I wasn’t there and I was watching on television and thought what a shame she got beat. I went straight back to what I was doing, so I certainly didn’t read it right.

“Richard Hoiles, the commentator, was the only person who got it right, he said something like ‘Frankie thinks he has won it, but I’m not sure he is right’ – it was his great day as well.

“Everyone you would meet in the street said they owned a bit of Marsha and when she sold for the record price, she secured the future of the Elite Racing Club and their breeding operation forever.”

York may have been the defining moment of Marsha’s career, but for one of Prescott’s greatest alumni, the Knavesmire proved just a stopping point on the road to greater things when Alpinista set up her historic Prix de l’Arc de Triomph bid with victory in the Yorkshire Oaks.

Exceptional on her travels, but still in the eyes of many swimming under the radar when making the trip to Yorkshire somewhat under duress in August 2022, she headed home with a fifth straight Group One to her name and ParisLongchamp glory within reach.

Alpinista in action in the Yorkshire Oaks
Alpinista in action in the Yorkshire Oaks (Mike Egerton/PA)

“She had been doing a lot of her Group One winning abroad and the Arc was the aim. I had it in mind that we had beaten all the French fillies before in the previous Group One so we would go for the Prix Vermeille where you knew you could beat them,” explained Prescott on his initial reluctance to head to York.

“However, Miss Rausing said she would like it to be York as Alpinista had never won a Group One in England. If it was left to me she would have gone to the Vermeille, but as it turned out Miss Rausing was right.

“She became favourite for the Arc almost straight away which was when the worries started! From then on it all began to get tense.

“She was always under the radar and she won all those Group Ones in succession yet there wasn’t any real pressure on us until after York and building up to the Arc.

“I had no one ringing up asking for quotes on how she was doing or anything and she had won five Group Ones! But then all of a sudden the phone did start ringing, quite regularly as well!”

Bookmaker calls for tax rethink ahead of racing strike action

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Bookmakers have urged the Government to rethink its betting tax proposals as the sport prepares to strike on September 10.

Fixtures at Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton will not take place after the British Horseracing Authority and the track’s owners agreed to strike, making it the first time the sport has voluntarily refused to race in modern history.

The action is in response to proposals to replace the existing three-tax structure of online gambling duties with a single tax, with fears the current 15 per cent duty on racing could be increased to the 21 per cent levied on games of chance.

Sebastian Butterworth, director of racing strategy at Flutter UKI, the parent company of Paddy Power and Sky Bet, believes that any gambling tax rise will impact the future funding of racing.

He said: “Any increase in gambling tax will have a profound effect on funding for racing – be that a rise in betting duty or a tax raid on people who play games like online bingo and poker.

“We are already having to reconsider certain investments in UK racing and we urge the Government to reconsider.”

A Treasury spokesperson said: “We are consulting on bringing the treatment of online betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy – it is not about increasing or decreasing rates, and we welcome views from all stakeholders including businesses, trade bodies, the third sector and individuals.”

Nicky Henderson backs strike action in gambling tax protest

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Nicky Henderson feels racing has “little choice” but to press ahead with unprecedented strike action as the sport mobilises against the proposed gambling tax amendments.

The British Horseracing Authority announced a pause in all racing fixtures on September 10, with cards at Lingfield, Carlisle, Uttoxeter and Kempton rescheduled in a statement against the Treasury’s proposed move to unify the current three-tax structure of online gaming duties into one rate.

The industry anticipates the potential tax increase to have a profound negative impact on racing’s finances and Henderson, a leading figure in the sport and the trainer of many great National Hunt horses, sees strike action as a justified step.

Nicky Henderson thinks strike action is justified
Nicky Henderson thinks strike action is justified (Adam Davy/PA)

“I am not necessarily a person who is favour of using strikes as a tool, but the message has got to get across that this tax could be crippling,” he said.

“It is not a weapon I would ordinarily suggest we turn to, but under the circumstance I would say we probably have little choice.”

Fellow trainer Jamie Osborne was in agreement, backing the strike action with the long-term health of the sport in mind.

Trainer Jamie Osborne also supports the strike next month
Trainer Jamie Osborne also supports the strike next month (Simon Cooper/PA)

He told Racing TV: “I’m pleased to see we’re attempting to get on the front foot. Trainers are busy looking after their own micro-situations and we often don’t have time to get involved in the macro scenario, but the impact for all of us within the sport if this occurs is immeasurable.

“It’s just not as one-dimensional as people think it is. I think there is nothing wrong with the sport attempting to separate itself from sports betting – let them paddle their own canoe, let them make their arguments. We already have the 10 per cent levy that they don’t have. We are in effect taxed at a higher rate than sports betting.

“One thing that mustn’t be lost in this argument, and Government should bear this in mind, is the soft power the sport gives us internationally and especially in the Middle East.

“I think if they underestimate they risk damaging the sport and risk taking away that power. I think that would be a mistake.”

Racing tax: What is it and why is the sport going on strike

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What is happening?

For the first time in the modern history of the sport in Britain, its participants will voluntarily go on strike for a day. A day of protest will be held in Westminster.

What does that mean?

It means there will be no racing in Britain on September 10. The meetings scheduled for Lingfield, Carlisle, Uttoxeter and Kempton that day will not take place. They have been rescheduled to other dates.

And why has all this come about?

The strike announcement has come as part of British racing’s ‘Axe the Racing Tax’ campaign, which is urging the Government to axe the Treasury’s proposal to bring existing online betting duties into one single rate.

Why would tax rises be so bad?

Economic analysis commissioned by the British Horseracing Authority has shown that aligning the current tax rate paid by bookmakers on racing with that of online games of chance could see a £330 million revenue hit to the industry in the first five years, putting 2,752 jobs at risk in the first year alone.

Strike action will surely cost the sport money?

It will, it is estimated it will cost around £200,000 in lost revenue on the day.

So does the racing industry support the strike move?

In a word, yes. Racecourses, owners and trainers are all in agreement. The National Trainers Federation said cancelling fixtures was “a huge sacrifice” which “should serve as a stark reminder to the Government of the impact its tax raid will have on our sport”.

Is this is a one-off, or will there be more strikes?

No more strikes are planned, as things stand.

Can I still have a bet anywhere that day?

Yes, there will actually be one meeting in Ireland, at Cork. Irish racing is run completely separately to British racing.

Racing calls one-day strike over proposed betting tax rise

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British racing will stage an unprecedented one-day strike on September 10 in protest at a proposed rise in taxes on horserace betting.

The four scheduled fixtures at Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton will not take place after agreements between the owners of the courses and the British Horseracing Authority, making it the first time the sport has voluntarily refused to race in modern history.

The BHA set up the ‘Axe the Racing Tax’ campaign in response to proposals to replace the existing three-tax structure of online gambling duties with a single tax, with fears the current 15 per cent duty on racing could be increased to the 21 per cent levied on games of chance.

Lingfield will not stage racing on September 10
Lingfield will not stage racing on September 10 (John Walton/PA)

Brant Dunshea, chief executive at the British Horseracing Authority, said: “We have decided to take the unprecedented decision to cancel our planned racing fixtures on September 10 to highlight to Government the serious consequences of the Treasury’s tax proposals which threaten the very future of our sport.

“British racing is already in a precarious financial position and research has shown that a tax rise on racing could be catastrophic for the sport and the thousands of jobs that rely on it in towns and communities across the country.

“This is the first time that British racing has chosen not to race due to Government proposals. We haven’t taken this decision lightly but in doing so we are urging the Government to rethink this tax proposal to protect the future of our sport which is a cherished part of Britain’s heritage and culture.

“Our message to Government is clear: axe the racing tax and back British racing.”

The four tracks involved are operated by the Jockey Club and the Arena Racing Company, with both backing the move.

Carlisle racecourse is also involved in the strike
Carlisle racecourse is also involved in the strike (Tim Goode/PA)

Jim Mullen, CEO at the Jockey Club, said: “We hope this pause for reflection will enable the Government to truly understand the economic impact of horseracing and its cultural significance to communities across the UK, as well as the world-class racing festivals we host.

“After this period of reflection, we hope the full implications will be understood, and we can prevent the irreparable damage that threatens a sport the nation is, and should be, proud of.”

Martin Cruddace, CEO at ARC, added: “We have always been taxed and regulated differently, and it is imperative for our future that we continue to be so.

“If the Government wants Britain to be a world leader in online casino and a world pauper in a sport at the heart of its culture, then tax harmonisation will achieve that aim.”

While the four meetings will be rescheduled, Paul Johnson, chief executive of the National Trainers Federation, underlined the “sacrifice” in calling a halt to the sport for a day.

He said: “Cancelling fixtures is a huge sacrifice by racing and should serve as a stark reminder to the Government of the impact its tax raid will have on our sport.

“Thousands of jobs are at stake alongside the loss of millions of pounds to the British economy.”

A Treasury spokesperson said: “We are consulting on bringing the treatment of online betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy – it is not about increasing or decreasing rates, and we welcome views from all stakeholders including businesses, trade bodies, the third sector and individuals.”

Racing Bulletin for 17/08/2025

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Leinster puts seal on Curragh four-timer for Dylan Browne McMonagle

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Leinster capped a fine afternoon for jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle when emphatically landing the Comer Group International Irish St. Leger Trial Stakes at the Curragh.

Having earlier bagged a treble on the card, the Joseph O’Brien-trained Leinster was sent off at 6-1 to give the 22-year-old a four-timer in this Group Three event.

The four-strong field raced in single file in the early stages and McMonagle was motionless aboard Leinster as the four-year-old travelled powerfully into the straight full of running and seemingly ready to make his mark.

With Dallas Star and Absurde giving way with a furlong to run and Ryan Moore easing down 10-11 favourite Puppet Master, the coast was clear for Leinster to surge four-and-a-quarter lengths clear and give the young jockey a highlight reel finish to his afternoon at Irish headquarters.

McMonagle said, “We went a steady speed, and he was a bit in my hands all the way. I’d love if they had gone on a stride, but I just needed to get him to relax today because we were riding him forward and he was just doing too much the last couple of days.

“Today coming back in trip and up in grade I thought there would have been more of an even gallop on, but we did go slow again.

“I was comfortable down past the two and I just let him flow. He stays this trip well and is a good horse.”

After notching up a 877-1 four-timer, McMonagle headed to Tramore for three further rides on Saturday evening.

Zahrann advertises big-race credentials in Royal Whip

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Zahrann produced a tremendous display to regain the winning thread and lead home a Johnny Murtagh one-two in the Newbridge Silverware Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh.

Impressive when winning twice earlier in the season, he missed out on a hat-trick when narrowly denied by Ralph Beckett’s Amiloc in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Despite the defeat, he left the Royal meeting with his reputation firmly enhanced, and as such was sent off 2-1 second-favourite behind Aidan O’Brien’s odds-on market leader Los Angeles in his quest to get back to winning ways in this Group Three event.

It was Murtagh’s 300-1 outsider Tangapour who led the field into the final quarter-mile, but when Zahrann’s jockey Ben Coen asked his mount to bravely squeeze up his stablemate’s inner to make his winning run, he found a willing ally who displayed a race-winning turn of foot close home.

He finished two-lengths clear of Tangapour who in turn tenaciously held off Joseph O’Brien’s Galen for second, with Los Angeles unable to land a telling blow in fourth.

And having passed this stern examination of his credentials, Murtagh is now excited to test Zahrann in Group One company, as he sets his sights on a run in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes on September 13.

Murtagh said: “We wanted to see where we stood today. Ben went the brave man’s route today, got the gap and he quickened up.

Trainer Johnny Murtagh was delighted with Zahrann
Trainer Johnny Murtagh was delighted with Zahrann (Niall Carson/PA)

“I haven’t spoken to anybody yet, but hopefully we’ll be able to go for the Irish Champion. Today was the test.

“It looked in Ascot like he was a little bit slow, but I think a strong mile and a quarter should suit him around Leopardstown. He has to improve again, but he might.

“He’s a very relaxed horse that doesn’t show much at home and is learning on the job. He’s a typical Aga Khan horse and reminds me a bit of Sinndar that when he clicks into gear someday, he might realise how good he is.

“He’s still underdeveloped and I think he could be a really nice four-year-old.”

More Thunder keeps up winning momentum in Hungerford Stakes

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More Thunder continued his brilliant summer when powering home for an impressive victory in the Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes at Newbury.

Only an agonising Royal Ascot defeat in the Wokingham counts as a slight blot on the copybook of William Haggas’ four-year-old this season. He was scoring for the fourth time in a campaign which has seen him now successfully climb the ladder into Group company.

Sent off the 6-4 favourite after landing the spoils in the Bunbury Cup last month, Tom Marquand had More Thunder in his customary position away from the pace as Hackwood Stakes winner Rage Of Bamby and Lennox Stakes victor Witness Stand disputed the it and led the runners into the closing stages.

However, the complexion of the race changed once Marquand eased his mount into top gear, weaving his way to the front with half a furlong to run before darting clear in tremendous fashion late on.

More Thunder finished two and a quarter lengths clear of Witness Stand who kept on gamely for second and Marvelman a head further back in third.

Haggas said: “He’s progressing well and I was very pleased with him today, he won well.

“I still don’t really know what his best trip is, but he seems to be getting better anyway and he was strong at the finish today, he wasn’t stopping.

“I think he’s quite effective if not at his best on slower ground and he’s been fun. He’s done very well and beat a horse who won a good race last time, so hopefully the form is strong and he’s won comfortably so I’m delighted.”

Jockey Tom Marquand with More Thunder at Newbury
Jockey Tom Marquand with More Thunder at Newbury (Steven Paston/PA)

More Thunder holds a host of high-ranking entries at distances ranging from six furlongs to a mile later in the season and with Group Two honours secured, the Somerville Lodge handler raised the possibility of stepping up to the highest level before the year is out.

“I would say all options are open for him,” continued Haggas. “We’re in everything from six furlongs to a mile and he’s won a Group Two now so we’ve got to go for another Group Two or a Group One and it will just depend on how many more races we’re going to give him this season.

“He won at both the Craven and the Guineas meeting so he has been on the go for a while so we will have to see.

“We need to make plans, will he retire or race again as a five-year-old? So we’ve got lots to think about – but it’s nice thinking.”

Intervention lifts Great St Wilfrid honours at Ripon

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Intervention landed the William Hill/MND Association Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon for Mick Appleby and The Horse Watchers syndicate.

The eight-year-old – having the 106th start of his career and had just one prior turf success to his name from 38 tries – burst clear under rising star apprentice jockey William Pyle two furlongs out for a clear-cut success.

The 16-1 chance finished a long way clear on his own on the far side, with Kodiac Thriller doing best of the rest a length and a quarter away on the near side. First Folio was third, with Alzahir fourth.

Appleby had entered the classy Annaf who was due to carry top-weight, but when the declarations came through on Thursday Intervention was his sole representative.

Brothers Chris and Martin Dixon formed The Horse Watchers with former Timeform colleague Matthew Taylor and the syndicate is going from strength to strength.

“It is very rare these days for us both to be racing at the same course, especially on a Saturday, but it was no big plan, the truth is we took the kids to Lightwater Valley (theme park) and have dropped in on the way home, we got here with 10 minutes to spare,” said Chris Dixon.

“To be fair Martin did say to me yesterday he thought we had a chance so we were planning a way we could get here and doing that was the best way to do it!

“It was one of those where you would have been thinking of the consolation race for him, but that isn’t there anymore it’s just a normal 0-80 handicap and he’s rated 83 so didn’t get in.

“We were looking at the entries and it looked like he’d get in so Martin said straight away ‘let’s book a top apprentice to take a few pounds off’ so we got William booked straight away and he moved a day of a ban so he could ride.”

He added: “If there was ever a grand plan for this horse it was to try to get him to win his 100th race and he was second at Brighton!”

Dancing Gemini all set to bounce back in Prix Jacques le Marois

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Dancing Gemini is continuing on the path that was laced with gold for Charyn last season when he attempts to recreate his early season heroics in the the Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois.

After laying down an early-season marker with impressive wins at Doncaster and Sandown, momentum has been checked slightly for Roger Teal’s stable star with a narrow defeat in the Lockinge followed by a disappointing showing at Royal Ascot.

However, given plenty of time to recover since the Queen Anne Stakes, Teal is confident of a revival at Deauville where he will recommence rivalries with what are becoming familiar faces.

Teal said: “He travelled over on Thursday and he had a little hack canter around the track on Friday morning. He was quite perky apparently, so all is good.

“It was just a farce of a pace at Ascot and if you take that run out of it he’s bang there, isn’t he?

“There’s a few coming in off disappointing runs, it’s not just him. Notable Speech has had a couple of disappointing runs and Docklands last time didn’t perform like he did at Ascot. It’s the nature of the beast in these big races I’m afraid – it sometimes comes down to how the dice rolls on the day.

“The Japanese horse (Ascoli Piceno) looks pretty strong, so it’s going to be a good race and we’re there to do our best and we’ll see what happens.

“We only know about our horse, we don’t know how the others are performing or training. Our horse seems to be in good form and what will be will be. Whoever wins it is going to have to put up a very good performance and hopefully it goes in our favour.”

The Group One event has been a happy hunting ground for British and Irish raiders down the years, with the last French-trained winner coming in 2017.

Another on the comeback trail is Notable Speech, with Charlie Appleby quickly abandoning the sprinting experiment that saw him contest the July Cup most recently to return to the distance over which he scooped the 2000 Guineas last season.

Speaking on the Godolphin website, Appleby said: “Notable Speech goes into this in good order and we feel that stepping back up to a straight mile is going to suit.

“He looks very competitive in this field and can hopefully get his head back in front at this level.”

Meanwhile, Aidan O’Brien will rely on both one-time Derby hope and Prix Jean Prat third The Lion in Winter and Minstrel Stakes scorer Diego Velazquez in search of just his second-ever win in the race, with the latter sporting the famous silks of the Sangster family having transferred ownership mid-week.

“He’s incredibly exciting and a horse we had been keeping our eye on,” said Sam Sangster on the purchase, with sights set on Group One honours this term.

“There’s plenty of racing in him for the rest of the year starting on Sunday and I don’t think a Group One is out of his reach at all and it’s in Aidan we trust.

“He’s done enough for a place at stud already in my opinion and he has a fabulous pedigree as well, but if we can get that Group One it will boost him even more and that will be the aim for the rest of the year.”

Furthur returns to winning ways with Geoffrey Freer triumph

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Furthur put himself in the Betfred St Leger picture when making an impressive return to Newbury in the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Geoffrey Freer Stakes.

A winner at the Berkshire track at the beginning of the season, Andrew Balding’s colt would go on to run with credit behind dual Derby hero Lambourn when fifth in the Chester Vase and then took the runner-up spot in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.

He left a disappointing display at Newmarket’s July Festival behind here, with Oisin Murphy taking full advantage of the gap presented up the inside rail to send the 13-2 chance on to an impressive three-length win over David O’Meara’s 3-1 joint-favourite Epic Poet.

Coral cut the winner to 14-1 for the final Classic of the season at Doncaster on September 13, with Balding confirming that would be his intended next target.

He said: “That was much more like it and for whatever reason he was really disappointing in the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket last time.

“I think it’s because I probably ran him back too soon after Ascot, but that was pleasing to see him settle nicely and then quicken like he did.

“We’re hoping we’ll be heading towards the Leger now, that seems the logical next step and he’s proved he’s worthy of his place there. The nice thing is he seems to handle any ground and we’ll hopefully be in good shape at Doncaster.”

Lady Iman supplemented for Nunthorpe Stakes

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Lady Iman will bid to become the first two-year-old since Kingsgate Native in 2007 to win the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes after being added to the York showpiece at a cost of £40,000.

Ger Lyons stated his intention to send the high-ranking juvenile to the Knavesmire to take on her elders when announcing lightweight specialist Joe Fanning will take the ride and the supplementary entry was confirmed when the Molecomb Stakes winner appeared among the 19 names going forward to Friday’s contest.

Another two-year-old has been supplemented in the shape of Michael Bell’s Spicy Marg. Rumstar (Jonathan Portman) is another to be added. Australian ace Asfoora is one of the standout names remaining in the mix as Henry Dwyer’s popular international runner bids to better last year’s fourth in the race.

Richard Hughes won the Nunthorpe twice as a jockey and could taste success in the race again with Sayidah Dariyan who was a Group Three course winner over six furlongs last time, while John Quinn saddled home favourite Highland Princess to win this in 2022 and now alongside son Sean will attempt to repeat the dose with King George Stakes hero Jm Jungle.

Second to Jm Jungle at Goodwood was Jack Davison’s She’s Quality who has been knocking on the door all season long. Joining She’s Quality on the journey from Ireland will be Adrian Murray’s Sapphire Stakes winner Arizona Blaze.

“He’s going to York and it looks an open race,” said Murray.

“He’s got a similar profile to Power Blue actually and he always shows up on the day, he never runs a bad race.

“His form stands up well and win or lose he will be bang there, even in defeat he’s been a brilliant horse for us.”

There is a field of eight for the supporting Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup Stakes where John and Thady Gosden’s Gold Cup hero Trawlerman could face an Ascot rematch with Aidan O’Brien’s Illinois.

The Gosden team could also call on stable stalwart Sweet William, while Karl Burke’s Al Qareem has won twice at the Knavesmire this season and is another interesting name in the mix.

There are 11 remaining in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes where Charlie Appleby’s Norfolk Stakes runner-up and recent Rose Bowl Stakes winner Wise Approach sets the standard alongside Ed Walker’s consistent Do Or Do Not – last seen placing for the third time in succession at Group level in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.

Racing Bulletin for 16/08/2025

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