Tag Archive for: Breeders’ Cup

Monday Musings: It’s Coolmore’s Classic, but not as we thought…

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How fitting. City of Troy does have an Achilles (Ancient Greek hero of the Trojan wars) heel, writes Tony Stafford. Not an arrow shot from a bow out of the packed stands at Del Mar on Saturday night, just a different surface and a slow exit that consigned him to being the latest non-winner for Ballydoyle of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

It had been in the expectation of watching City Of Troy win the 2000 Guineas – he didn’t, of course – that Michael Tabor stayed in Europe on the first Saturday in May when he previously insisted he would always go to Kentucky in preference to Newmarket if the boys had an authentic contender for the Run for the Roses.

He changed that life choice this year such was the confidence emanating from the Aidan O’Brien camp, just as he had a few weeks earlier. Then, he made a first-ever trip to Dubai for the Sheema Classic where the 2023 Derby winner Auguste Rodin had one of those off-days that sprinkle his card.

The Coolmore team had two big chances in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs – one in their name, Sierra Leone, carrying the dark  blue of John Magnier, and also Fierceness, the favourite, who although owned by Mike Repole’s stable, the Coolmore team had acquired some of the racing and more importantly breeding interests, just as they had their two Triple Crown-winning stallions American Pharoah and Justify towards the end of their racing careers.

The pair were fancied to complete the 1-2 in Kentucky and Sierra Leone surely should have won in front of Derrick Smith, one of the partners, had he kept at all straight rather than doing his imitation of a naughty schoolboy.

Three noses crossed the line in concert, and it was indeed by a nose that outsider Mystik Dan held on while Japan’s Forever Young was the same distance away in a regularly impeded third place. Most people thought the second and third places should have been reversed. Fierceness, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner, was a non-competitive 15th with no apparent excuse.

In between May and November, Sierra Leone had been beaten three times, albeit close up in the places in Grade 1 races at Saratoga: not his track, said trainer Chad Brown. Fierceness won two of those races, the Jim Dandy in July and the Travers in August, for Todd Pletcher to lay claim to being the best of the Classic crop.

On Saturday, half a dozen or so horses went off in a group at a suicidal pace in what was the fastest first half-mile ever for a Breeders’ Cup Classic. Fierceness sat just behind the front rank, while Sierra Leone was for a while almost dancing step by step with City Of Troy.

The Irish challenger in the first Magnier silks merely plodded along, but Sierra Leone in the vibrant pink second livery made rapid ground. Fierceness, with the utmost gallantry, led three furlongs from home as his fellow front-runners ran out of puff, and turned into the stretch in front; but his old adversary was full of running and won readily. Fierceness deserves the utmost respect for keeping on for second.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic has been something of a Holy Grail for O’Brien and his owners, and he and the team will have to brush themselves down and revert to winning the big races in Europe. Not that he’s a mug at this meeting, two winners on Friday propelling him to 20 and the equal of almost but not quite retired D Wayne Lukas whose Kentucky Derby win for Michael Tabor in 1995 with Thunder Gulch was the catalyst that helped forge the alliance with John Magnier.

Those two nice wins on Friday, with Lake Victoria in the Juvenile Fillies Turf over a mile and the Juvenile Turf for colts and geldings at the same trip with Henri Matisse, both owed plenty to Ryan Moore’s coolness under pressure. Lake Victoria could easily have been a victim of the inevitable first bend crowding around this tight turf course as she got knocked back a worrying few lengths.

Patient as ever, Moore bided his time and burst through to lead in the closing stages. The filly showed that the mile of the 1000 Guineas next year will not worry her. In between the seven-furlong Moyglare and Friday, she outclassed the opposition when dropping to six furlongs for the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. Probably the only thing to stop her will be another of the O’Brien fillies, like for instance Fairy Godmother, who hasn’t been seen since Royal Ascot.

That marvellous Friday was the filling between two less agreeable moments for Aidan. While preparing his Del Mar team, 19 hours further forward on the international time scale, over in Australia the veterinary panel adjudicating on which horses should pass fit to run in tomorrow’s Melbourne Cup, ruled that the unbeaten Jan Breughel could not.

Jan Breughel last raced in the St Leger, beating fellow O’Brien Galileo colt Illinois, when still looking to have a fair bit to learn about racing. As Hughie Morrison can testify when a similar pre-race fate befell his 2018 runner-up Marmelo in preparation for the 2019 renewal, it was a crushing setback.

As was the case last week, Hughie’s vets totally disagreed with the verdict, but there is no recourse. Aidan was visibly fuming and while the Coolmore coffers can withstand the odd reverse of this kind, it’s no less galling than for a team like Morrison’s with the cost of sending horse and staff and keeping them there for several weeks being so excessive.

The man wheeled out to explain the situation was none other than Jamie Stier, the head of the temporary Australianising of the BHA at the end of the last decade. Few mourned his departure from our shores, but beware, he’s still very much out there helping to run Racing Victoria. One horse happily that did pass the scanners and “gait-evaluators” is Brian Ellison’s Onesmoothoperator, winner of the Northumberland Plate and now the Geelong Cup last week which entails 2lb extra in the Melbourne Cup. I’d love him to win the £2.35 million and I’m sure Brian will still talk to everyone if he does!

The worst moment for me of the weekend was to hear than Brian Meehan’s Jayarebe had collapsed and died after sustaining a heart attack while finishing what must have been an ultra-brave seventh place in the Turf race that immediately preceded the Classic.

Brian had plotted a masterful programme for the three-year-old, winning three of his five races and looked to have an exceptional chance. He ran an usually sluggish race, starting slowly and never getting close to the front, which became wholly understandable in the awful circumstances.

In a year when his stock has gone a long way towards where it was at the time of his two previous Breeders’ Cup Turf wins with Red Rocks and Dangerous Midge, this will be a tough blow for Brian to overcome. Let’s hope the new intake Sam Sangster acquired for the various syndicates he manages will bring another star for Meehan to work his magic on.

Talking of magic, it’s hard to believe that it’s coming up to 30 years since Kim Bailey pulled off the Gold Cup (Master Oats) and Champion Hurdle (Alderbrook) double in 1995. Kim continues to show a sure touch especially with his training of staying chasers and at Ascot on Saturday, he brought out second-season chaser Chianti Classico to win his comeback race, the Sodexho Live! Gold Cup with a pillar-to-post victory off top weight,

It's strange not to see the bustling style of David Bass on the Bailey horses but Tom Bellamy seems to have the regular gig now. He's much more a "let the horse do the work"-type pilot and it's looking good and working well so far.

Once Chianti Classico settled in the lead it was almost like a flashback to a few years back in the same race when Vindication came back from a break to win this nice prize. At age seven, Chianti Classico is the perfect profile of a Coral Gold Cup (Hennessy etc) winner at Newbury next month.

-        TS

 



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Is the Classic ‘mission impossible’ for Europeans. Not quite

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City Of Troy faces the formidable task of taking on America’s finest at their own game on dirt in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but past history shows it is not quite mission impossible.

Ahead of this year’s Del Mar showpiece, we take a look back at other European raiders who have performed with distinction:

Arcangues 1993

Andre Fabre’s charge was the longest-priced winner in Breeders’ Cup history when springing a 133-1 surprise at Santa Anita. The horse had been beaten out of sight back home in France on Arc day, but this time came from way back to master leading US hope Bertrando by two lengths. Jockey Jerry Bailey joked: “I couldn’t understand the instructions the trainer gave me in the paddock and I don’t even know how to pronounce the horse’s name, but sometimes a horse runs best when he is ridden by someone who has never been on him before.”

Giant’s Causeway 2000

Aidan O’Brien’s son of Storm Cat travelled to Churchill Downs on the back of an incredible campaign which had brought five Group One victories and earned him the ‘Iron Horse’ nickname. Mick Kinane looked to be perfectly positioned when stalking Tiznow turning for home and mounted a strong challenge down the stretch, possibly even drawing level at one stage. However, for a change, he came off second best in a titanic tussle as Tiznow found the extra reserves required to get home by a neck.

Sakhee 2001

Tiznow proved Europe’s nemesis again as he shaded Saeed bin Suroor’s runaway Juddmonte International and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner by a nose. Frankie Dettori settled Sakhee in sixth, just behind O’Brien’s Galileo, but made smooth progress around the final bend at Belmont Park to loom up ominously on the outside. He briefly went past Tiznow to hit the front but the latter rallied courageously once more and was ahead when it mattered. The race took place just six weeks after the nearby New York terrorist attacks, with commentator Tom Durkin crying out the iconic line: “Tiznow wins it for America!”

Raven’s Pass 2008

John Gosden’s three-year-old created history at Santa Anita by becoming the first horse trained in Britain to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, although this renewal was run over a controversial synthetic dirt surface. Defending champion Curlin made an early bid for home turning into the straight but Frankie Dettori was always tracking the favourite. Ballydoyle’s Henrythenavigator emerged as a serious threat in the final furlong but Raven’s Pass showed real class to win going away. Dettori was at his brilliant best that day and said: “When I pressed the button I was hoping he would go to the end and he did. What a good racehorse he is.”

Declaration Of War 2013

Declaration Of War had won the Queen Anne and Juddmonte International before going close in the Classic
Declaration Of War had won the Queen Anne and Juddmonte International before going close in the Classic (Anna Gowthorpe/PA)

Fresh from a break after winning the Juddmonte International, the four-year-old Ballydoyle inmate was sent off as the third favourite, with O’Brien’s son Joseph in the saddle. They were handily placed on the heels of the leaders rounding the final turn and Declaration Of War responded well to strong pressure down the stretch. Unfortunately, Mucho Macho Man had seized a decisive advantage and just held on to beat the fast-finishing Will Take Charge by a nose, with the Irish raider a head further back in third at the line.

Toast Of New York 2014

Horse Racing – Southwell Racecourse
Toast of New York (right) in a racecourse gallop at Southwell (Simon Cooper/PA).

Jamie Osborne’s charge came agonisingly close to doubling Britain’s tally when foiled by the narrowest of margins as Bayern made all the running to score at Santa Anita. Trying dirt for the first time, Jamie Spencer tracked the winner throughout the race and looked to be getting on terms in the final few strides, but the line came just in time for Bayern, who won by a nose. A stewards’ inquiry was quickly called after the race, but the placings remained unaltered. Osborne said: “He has run his heart out and nearly pulled off the impossible.”



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‘There’s a real sense of excitement’ – Southwell prepares to welcome City Of Troy

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Officials at Southwell are counting down to the much-anticipated arrival of City Of Troy for his pre-Breeders’ Cup Classic gallop on Friday.

Aidan O’Brien’s colt has gained a huge reputation throughout this career so far, and after a sole blip in the 2000 Guineas he has soared through the rest of the campaign to land a famous treble that includes the Derby, Eclipse and Juddmonte International.

Out of the Group-winning Galileo mare Together Forever and by American Triple Crown winner Justify, City Of Troy is beautifully bred with a pedigree that has been beckoning him towards a dirt surface.

City Of Troy winning the Derby
City Of Troy winning the Derby (Adam Davy/PA)

He will therefore head to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup Classic in early November, with the Southwell gallop intended to introduce the world’s highest-rated turf horse to a synthetic surface ahead of his first run on dirt.

In excess of 1,500 people are expected to head to the Nottinghamshire course to watch the workout at 3.45pm, with the track opening bars and making use of their big screens to broadcast the off-course racing throughout the afternoon.

“There’s a real sense of excitement, it’s become almost like a raceday,” said John Holliday, clerk of the course at Southwell.

“We’ve got a lot of staff working, we’re expecting the (American) stalls to be delivered any second now. They’re bringing their own stalls and we’ve got several people staying in the hotel.

“We’re expecting 1,500, maybe a few more to be honest. We’ve got the bars open, the Tote open and we’ll be broadcasting the racing elsewhere throughout the afternoon.

“It certainly has captured people’s imaginations. It’s been quite a surprise just has much it has, it’s kind of developed its own head of steam.

“When it was first discussed we were only imagining a couple of hundred people would be here.

“It’s great because it gives us a connection to him, we’re excited to say we have played a small part in his career.”



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Del Mar mission calling for New Century

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Connections of New Century hope the smart two-year-old is the “one they’ll have to beat” in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf following his top-level success in Canada at the weekend.

Having seen off subsequent Champagne Stakes hero Luther on his penultimate start at Salisbury, Andrew Balding’s youngster journeyed to Woodbine to contest the Grade One Summer Stakes and got the better of a familiar rival in Charlie Appleby’s Al Qudra in the hands of Oisin Murphy.

New Century has not yet made it back to Britain after enduring travel problems, but having seen him provide his 2000 Guineas-winning sire Kameko with a first top-level success, owners Qatar Racing are already looking forward to another trans-Atlantic trip, this time to Del Mar in early November.

“It was an extraordinarily well thought out and executed plan by Andrew Balding’s team to go to Woodbine and a superb ride from Oisin, making him the only Group One-winning two-year-old by a first-season sire in Europe,” said Qatar Racing’s David Redvers.

“The exciting thing is it (Summer Stakes) was a win-and-you’re-in for Del Mar and the only slight issue is it’s been quite tricky getting him home. It wasn’t just a case of getting on a plane and coming back and he’s currently in Churchill Downs awaiting a flight back.

“He had to travel from Woodbine down to Kentucky, but he’s such a professional horse with such an outstanding temperament that he seems to be taking it in his stride.”

David Redvers has high hopes for New Century
David Redvers has high hopes for New Century (Mike Egerton/PA)

While an appearance in the Californian sunshine is very much the focus, Redvers also has his sights on a potential tilt at Classic honours next spring.

He added: “All of his form has looked absolutely rock-solid throughout the season. It’s always lovely when you see those that have finished behind him coming out and franking his form almost every step of the way.

“He’s been rated accordingly – I think he’s the highest-rated turf two-year-old in North America currently and he’s right at the top of the list here as well.

“He is a toughie and Andrew is very much talking about him being a very genuine Guineas prospect for next year, so he seems to be following in his father’s footsteps nicely.

“Del Mar is a different track to Woodbine obviously, but he’ll have had plenty of experience by the time he’s got there and as long as this travelling doesn’t knock him too much, we’d all have to be very hopeful that he’ll be the one they’ll have to beat.”



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Seagulls Eleven will stay on Group One path

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Hugo Palmer was “very pleased” with how Seagulls Eleven acquitted himself in the National Stakes at the Curragh and is plotting a second crack at Group One glory before the season ends.

The son of Galileo Gold was prominent throughout and kept on well to finish a highly-creditable third behind Scorthy Champ, despite being hampered by runner-up Henri Matisse.

Having previously won a Haydock novice before securing second place behind the unbeaten Ancient Truth in the Group Two Superlative Stakes at Newmarket, Palmer is now keen to stay at elite level.

The Manor House Stables handler said: “At the moment, I’d say all options are open. We’ll just see.

The July Festival 2024 – Cup Day – Newmarket Racecourse
Seagulls Eleven in the parade ring at Newmarket (David Davies for the Jockey Club).

“I’d say the Royal Lodge is not on the agenda, but the (Prix Jean-Luc) Lagardere possibly, the Dewhurst possibly, the Breeders’ Cup possibly – and I would have thought he will only run once more this year.

“He looks like he’s ready for a mile now, but if we stay in Europe, I suspect we’ll stay over seven furlongs.”

Galileo Gold won the 2000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes for Palmer back in 2016 and the trainer believes Seagulls Eleven, who is owned by a collective of Brighton & Hove Albion players, has the scope to head down the same path.

Reflecting on Sunday’s Irish raid, Palmer added: “He showed lots of guts and I’m absolutely certain he would have been second if he hadn’t been bashed into, I really am.

“He was hanging in there hard and he got absolutely taken off his feet with two big bumps from a wayward horse that didn’t really want to go forwards.

“So, that’s a little bit frustrating, as I thought he ran a really tough race and he showed plenty of gate speed, which if we went to the Breeders’ Cup would be a big advantage.

“We’re very pleased with him and he’s very versatile as far as the ground is concerned.

“He’s rated the same as his dad was as a two-year-old and his dad finished his season by finishing third in a Group One, he was third in the Lagardere.

“He’s a bigger horse than his father; it doesn’t always follow that a big horse will improve a great deal, but you always think there is more scope for improvement in a bigger horse than a small horse.

“He’s a big horse and we’d be very hopeful of his ability to improve over the winter and the Guineas would be the obvious starting point next season, I would think.”



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Fabre confident Tribalist can continue to reward his faith

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Andre Fabre was not surprised at all that Tribalist was able to make his Group One breakthrough in the Prix du Moulin last week.

Considered to be an outsider in what looked a red-hot renewal, with Charyn, Henry Longfellow and Notable Speech in the race, the five-year-old was bounced into an early lead and lasted home to win by a length and a half.

It was an opportunistic ride by Mickael Barzalona but Fabre felt his previous victories entitled him to more respect from onlookers.

“I wasn’t surprised at all that he won. I was surprised how many people were surprised!” he said.

“He had very good form, he had won five other Group races and always won them in style.

“The only times he has been beaten recently are when we have changed the tactics and dropped him in, like in Hong Kong or in Deauville, when he ran over six furlongs. Remember last year he beat Facteur Cheval at Saint-Cloud.

“You cannot give a horse as good as him such a big lead but it is quite unusual in France races to see that. It was a great ride by Mickael.

“He will go to the Prix de la Foret next, seven furlongs should not be a problem. We might look at the Breeders’ Cup after that, it’s an option I will talk to Sheikh Mohammed about.”



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John Stewart has giant dreams for Resolute Racing after Goliath purchase

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Goliath could become the flagship name of the Resolute Racing revolution as John Stewart sets his sights on making an impact internationally with his burgeoning operation.

Francis-Henri Graffard’s four-year-old caused an almighty shock in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in the summer, surging to a most impressive victory in the hands of Christophe Soumillon.

It was a triumph that garnered attention worldwide and in particular piqued the interest of Stewart – the former chief of Toyota’s operations in Britain before setting up his own private equity firm.

Having already invested heavily in his Resolute Racing operation, the lifelong racing fan from Kentucky made an immediate move to add the son of Adlerflug to his roster.

Stewart managed to negotiate the purchase of a majority interest in Goliath from Philip Baron Von Ullmann and the gelding is now set to be the frontman of Resolute Racing’s quest to dominate racing globally.

The first step on Goliath’s international adventures will see him head to Germany on Sunday – not far from where he was bred at the Gestut Schlenderhan – for a shot at the 62nd Preis von Europa, which will serve as a stepping stone for an ambitious tilt at the Japan Cup on November 24.

In Tokyo, he will bid to become the first French-trained winner since Le Glorieux struck for Robert Collet in 1987, while it is likely he will be getting his passport stamped on a regular basis with Stewart at the helm.

“I’m just getting my racing organisation up and running and we want to be in all of the big races all over the world,” Stewart told the PA news agency. “That Ascot run put Goliath on my radar.

“I’m a big fan of Auguste Rodin and the Coolmore team is an impressive team with what they accomplish. After I saw his impressive victory against Auguste Rodin and some of the best horses in Europe, I made an immediate enquiry and was able to secure the majority interest.

Goliath dazzled at Ascot
Goliath dazzled at Ascot (Steven Paston/PA)

“I wanted the majority interest as I’m really committed to international racing and I wanted to make sure the best horses are entered in the best races all over the world and are being campaigned competitively.

“For Goliath, we have a marketing campaign where he will have his own logo and merchandise, which we are directing towards the Japan Cup – and it is going to be interesting and will create a bit of excitement.

“We want to take him to Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai – and I can even see him racing in Australia and the US as well.”

Such is Stewart’s intent to make an impact in the sport, he has been a big-spending presence at the major sales across the globe in the past year, splashing out in excess of $25million.

Pounce and Sweet Rebecca have already registered stakes-level victories stateside, while he had his first taste of Royal Ascot earlier this year, where Archie Watson’s Evade and Richard Hughes’ Palace Green were two to carry the Resolute Racing colours at Britain’s summer showpiece.

Evade (left) is now joint-owned by John Stewart
Evade (left) is now joint-owned by John Stewart (John Walton/PA)

Keen to target the major prizes around the world, the Resolute Racing silks now could become a regular sight in Europe over the coming years.

Stewart continued: “We’re going to make sure our best horses are coming to Europe and I purposely developed my programme, which I have invested significantly in the last year, 80 per cent of it is turf, so I can compete internationally and that is what I really want to do.

“I was at Ascot this year for the first time and it’s my first year in racing. I had three runners there and they didn’t do really well, but I saw that Americans don’t bring our best horses to Ascot.

“I came back to the US and had conversations with my team and trainers and let them know that if they weren’t going to put Ascot on the plan for next year, then they weren’t going to be my trainers.”

Stewart’s thirst for top-grade international competition has seen him centre the campaigns of some of his star names around the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in early November.

Chris Waller file photo
Australian Chris Waller trains Tutta La Vita for John Stewart

That has meant the likes of Chris Waller’s Tutta La Vita missing valuable assignments at home in favour of competing Stateside.

“This year, for the Breeders’ Cup, I have Didia from Argentina that is going to be there, Tutta La Vita from Australia and Princess Calla from South Africa, plus horses I’ve campaigned in the US.

“So, I’m trying to bring these really good-quality horses together for the best, highest-quality events and make sure fans watch the best possible competition.

“I have six yearlings in Australia and I have Tutta La Vita down there that I actually scratched from the Queensland Oaks to bring to America to run at the Breeders’ Cup, because I want to see that top international competition going on.”

Since going all-in on developing his racing empire, Stewart has begun building up a stellar collection of prize broodmares, which the Kentucky native houses in the former Shadwell-owned Shadayid Stud in Midway – a place he knows well and since acquiring has renamed Resolute Farm.

Dual Breeders' Cup winner Goodnight Olive is now a member of John Stewart's broodmare band
Dual Breeders’ Cup winner Goodnight Olive is now a member of John Stewart’s broodmare band (PA)

Notable names already residing on the farm include Breeders’ Cup winning trio Goodnight Olive, Pizza Bianca and Caravel, while Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf winner Didia is ready and waiting to join the breeding ranks once her on-track career comes to an end.

Stewart also spent a total of $5.9m for the dams of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Forte and Kentucky Derby winner Mage.

“We have bought the Shadwell farm in Kentucky and we have started building our broodmare band,” explained Stewart.

“I want to have the best broodmares in the world and I have already acquired horses from Japan, Argentina, South Africa, France, Britain, Ireland and brought them to the farm.

“Of course, last year at the North American breeding stock sales, I bought most of the top horses at the sale and I want to have the best broodmares and breed the best horses in the world.”

As well as the growing broodmare operation, Stewart has been stockpiling blueblood yearlings to race in the Resolute Racing name.

He recently signed for the top lot on the opening day of the Arqana August Sale in Deauville, going to €1.4m to secure a Wootton Bassett brother to Coventry Stakes third Guildsman.

All of the yearlings acquired in Europe will remain there for pre-training while Stewart considers his options, but given his desire to compete on a global stage and the lure of Royal Ascot, it would be no surprise to see some stay on this side of the Atlantic for their juvenile campaigns.

“I’m still thinking about what I am going to do with him (the Wootton Bassett colt). We have left all of them in Europe for now and they will undergo their pre-training there,” added Stewart.

John Stewart is set to own a three-quarters sibling to Henry Longfellow
John Stewart is set to own a three-quarters sibling to Henry Longfellow (Donall Farmer/PA)

“I have two Wootton Bassett colts on my farm right now and I have a full-brother to Houquetot (trained by Christopher Head), the two-year-old Wootton Bassett out of Happen.

“I bought Happen in foal to Wootton Bassett from Coolmore in November last year and she had a beautiful colt and it is a real possibility I send him to Europe to campaign, with the success that his brother has had over there.”

Further explaining the regally-bred youngsters he has to look forward to, the American added: “I have another Wootton Bassett colt, I have a Siyouni colt and a Frankel colt.

“I also have a horse I bought from Coolmore that is a Deep Impact mare out of Minding and is in foal to Dubawi. She is called Victorium and the foal will be a three-quarters sibling to Henry Longfellow, so Europe is definitely on my radar.”



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Ramatuelle booked in for Foret action

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Christopher Head’s Ramatuelle will return from a summer break to tackle the Prix de la Foret before setting her sights on the Breeders’ Cup.

The chestnut was a superb two-year-old who landed the Prix Robert Papin by four lengths at Group Two level and was beaten only a short neck by Vandeek in the Group One Prix Morny.

Second on debut this season when stepped up to seven furlongs in the Prix Imprudence, the filly then tackled a further distance still when lining up for the 1000 Guineas and going down by just half a length as she was passed in the final strides.

Royal Ascot was the next port of call for the Coronation Stakes, also over a mile, and again Ramatuelle was the third-placed horse, behind Porta Fortuna and Opera Singer.

Both of those horses have enhanced the form since with Group One triumphs, with Opera Singer taking the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood and Porta Fortuna landing the Falmouth at Newmarket.

As for Ramatuelle, Head instead opted to give her a break at the height of summer with an extended campaign to run until the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in November in mind.

The Prix de la Foret will come first, a seven-furlong Group One run at ParisLongchamp on the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe card in early October.

“She’s doing fine, she’s preparing for the Prix de la Foret which will be her next race,” said Head.

“She’s had a bit of break because we have a programme running until the Breeders’ Cup, so we will use the Foret as a preparation to go out there afterwards.

“She’s just a brilliant filly, a really, really nice daughter of Justify.

“She was a tremendous two-year-old who almost won the Guineas this season, everything’s great with her, so far so good.”



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Southwell offer free entry for City Of Troy Breeders’ Cup gallop

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Southwell is gearing up to welcome City Of Troy’s legions of fans after confirming the public will be able to attend the Derby winner’s racecourse gallop later this month.

Aidan O’Brien had long mooted a trip to the Nottinghamshire track to test his Breeders’ Cup Classic aspirant on a synthetic surface before the anticipated climax of his career at Del Mar.

The impressive Juddmonte International Stakes winner will enjoy an away day to the Rolleston venue on September 20, where O’Brien hopes to replicate conditions his Group One star will face in California.

American starting stalls and a crack team of stablemates will join City Of Troy at Southwell as he is put through his paces ahead of his trans-Atlantic assignment, with Ballydoyle also suggesting they would be happy for the racing public to come along and witness what could be the Justify colt’s final action on UK soil.

Mark Clayton, executive director at Southwell, has now confirmed the racecourse is planning on opening the gates for the masses, who will need to register for a free ticket to the event once arrangements for the gallop have been finalised.

He said: “We have decided that on September 20, everybody will be welcome to come and watch City Of Troy.

“We haven’t got the times yet of when he will gallop, but once we have that, we will release a statement with the relevant information.

“All of the public are welcome for free, they will just need to pre-register on our website.

“That is not live yet and until that is confirmed, we won’t be accepting bookings, but we are expecting arrangements to be confirmed ASAP, then it will go live on our website. We will look after everybody and what an occasion it will be for us.”

It will not be the first time O’Brien has brought a member of his all-conquering string to Southwell, with the likes of Galileo and Giant’s Causeway both taking in a lap of the course ahead of their American endeavours.

Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore will put City Of Troy through his paces at Southwell (Damien Eagers/PA)
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore will put City Of Troy through his paces at Southwell (Damien Eagers/PA)

The once Fibresand surface is now a Tapeta all-weather track, but Southwell is thrilled to maintain its reputation as the ‘go-to’ place for Breeders’ Cup preparations and executives are hoping to lure Big Evs back there, as Mick Appleby’s star sprinter also points towards California this autumn.

The son of Blue Point graced the course with his presence prior to winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint 12 months ago and similar to City Of Troy, is also slated to end his racing career in the San Diego suburbs.

Clayton continued: “Who knows, it could be the last time we see City Of Troy on these shores and he’s going off to try to do something special.

Big Evs visited Southwell before winning at Santa Anita last year
Big Evs visited Southwell before winning at Santa Anita last year (Joe Giddens/PA)

“Aidan O’Brien coming to Southwell is quite a unique experience and it only happens maybe once a decade, so it will be nice to make something of it.

“We’re also hoping to entice Big Evs back to do a gallop before the Breeders’ Cup like he did last year. Mick has mooted it to me but it is still to be confirmed.

“If we can begin to be used for that sort of thing, then it can only help the course’s profile. We know it’s not the exact surface (as the dirt in America), but the layout of the course as a one-mile-two-furlong flat oval is wonderful if trying to replicate an American track.”



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O’Brien confident Southwell spin will sharpen Troy’s Classic credentials

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Aidan O’Brien views an upcoming trip to Southwell for a serious workout with some of his “fastest” stablemates as the ideal stepping-stone for City Of Troy ahead of his ultimate test in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The son of American Triple Crown hero Justify has already established himself as the best of his generation on turf, bouncing back from 2000 Guineas disappointment to win the Derby and the Eclipse before dominating from the front to take the Juddmonte International in a course-record time.

O’Brien has long since identified City Of Troy as a horse who could finally provide him with an elusive first victory in one of the world’s most prestigious races on the Del Mar dirt on November 2 – and with connections opting against running in the Irish Champion Stakes on Saturday week, he will instead warm up for his trans-Atlantic mission with a gallop on Southwell’s Tapeta surface on September 20.

“We decided against going to Leopardstown because we didn’t want to use up that run, that’s why we thought we’d go to Southwell instead,” said O’Brien, speaking at an Irish Champions Festival media event at his yard on Monday.

“We went to the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Giant’s Causeway and got beat, we got beat with everything, so we have to tweak something and City Of Troy might go a shade fresher, that’s what we’re hoping.”

While some racecourse gallops can be viewed as nothing more than exhibitions, what O’Brien has planned promises to be anything but.

He added: “He can go a mile, probably with four or five other horses and we’ll go a good, strong pace and see what will happen. He’ll work out of American (starting) stalls, so we’ll have it as close as we can (to a race).

“Obviously we won’t have the surface, but that’s not a bad thing because we’re coming off the grass and it’s a little bit of a step in between, rather than the big jump straight away.

“We’ll work the fastest horses we can and we’ll go very hard for the first half (of the gallop). I don’t know what’s going to happen as any horse we’ve sent to Southwell has never worked well, they always just about finish with their lead horse and maybe this will be the same, I don’t know.”

Having been ridden positively throughout his juvenile career, including an all-the-way victory in the Dewhurst, City Of Troy’s Guineas reverse prompted a change of tactics in the Derby.

However, O’Brien switched tack again at York last month and the master of Ballydoyle appears to be ready to raise the stakes even higher in California, where interestingly the last time the Classic was run at Del Mar in 2021 Knicks Go made all.

“We were waiting to let him go forward, but we only wanted to let him do it before the Classic as while he was aggressive the last day, he’ll be more aggressive the next day,” he said.

“We didn’t want to do that until very late because of what happened in the Guineas. It just took a long time to get back and we had to do it very subtle without him knowing. We had to keep him moving forward, so it took us a long time to get back to (front-running) at York.

“Ryan (Moore) went forward at York, but it was still controlled aggression. I know him and the next day he will hit the gates and want to go.”

O’Brien feels City Of Troy’s combative nature will stand him in good stead for his adventure on the American west coast, but is well aware of how difficult a task it will be.

“We think what he did is going to set him up well for America. We’ve never won the Classic, we’ve tried very hard for 25 years and it’s a very difficult race to win,” he said.

“You’re going to a different world – a different culture, a different track and a different surface. I think for one of our horses to win it, they need to be a lot better than the opposition.

“It’s one of those races you don’t dream about because it’s so hard to win, but you try and hope. Every year you tweak things and look for different horses and different ways of doing it. You look under every stone you can look under and hopefully you’ve looked under enough of them.

“He has so many variables and so many things to get over that he hasn’t encountered before. He’s not simple, if you get into a row with him because he’s a lot of Justify in him and he’s lot of Galileo in him and when you get those I wince. If you’re restricting him, he’ll make you suffer.”

Aidan O’Brien at York
Aidan O’Brien at York (Mike Egerton/PA)

He went on: “He took York very well, he didn’t even blow, he never really got into full tank. He hangs because he’s a hardy customer and he’ll maul you if you’re mauling him – he’s not for kids.

“Obviously in America you try to stay out of the kickback and if you end up getting it you get it, but in my experience you don’t ever get used to it and I don’t think any horse enjoys kickback.

“He always favoured racing aggressively and that’s why from day one he just went out the gates and went. It’s in his nature to do it, but what’s rare about him is he carries it through.

“I’d say he’ll go forward and you’d imagine the faster they go the better it will suit him, but our fast is a little bit different to American fast, so we will watch with interest like everyone else.

“I think they usually fly out the Saturday before. They arrive on the Saturday evening, they’re in quarantine for two days and then they’re out on the track on Tuesday.”

City Of Troy and jockey Ryan Moore after winning the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown
City Of Troy and jockey Ryan Moore after winning the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown (Steven Paston/The Jockey Club)

Win, lose or draw, it appears City Of Troy’s Breeders’ Cup outing will be his swansong, with O’Brien expecting him to be retired to stud next season.

He said: “There’s no doubt probably (he could be better as a four-year-old), but he’s unique and he’s a different kind of a horse, so I’d imagine he’ll have to go off to stud.

“He’s just too different and from day one he was like that. He’s a great shape – he’s not too weak, he’s not too small. He’s perfectly proportioned and balanced and not extreme in any way.”



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Big Evs will bid to bow out in blaze of Breeders’ Cup glory

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Mick Appleby’s Big Evs will head straight to the Breeders’ Cup for his final ever run as he looks to once again put Nunthorpe disappointment behind him.

The Blue Point colt was having a second roll of the dice in the Group One Knavesmire contest after finishing down the field in the race when taking on older horses as a juvenile last season.

It was the only blip of his two-year-old career, which included Windsor Castle and Molecomb successes prior to York and then Flying Childers and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint victories afterwards.

This year, he made his seasonal debut at York, winning the Listed Westow Stakes to get into the swing of things as a three-year-old.

At Royal Ascot, he ran a good race to come home third in the King Charles III Stakes when beaten a length and a half by Asfoora, on whom he then turned the tables when beating her by a short head to win the King George at Goodwood.

York Races – Thursday May 16th
Big Evs winning the Westow Stakes at York (Mike Egerton/PA)

Another bid for the Nunthorpe was his next target but again the race did not return the result expected, with Big Evs racing from stall 14 and failing to land a blow when eighth of 12.

However, connections still intend to adhere to their plan of heading out again to the Breeders’ Cup, with the horse proving himself able to draw a line under a bad run after the Nunthorpe last year.

“He’s doing good, obviously we were disappointed and we think the draw had a lot to do with it,” said Appleby.

“The ground was quite tacky there but it was mainly the draw, anything drawn on the far side didn’t really seem to have much of a chance in the sprints.

“We’ll freshen him up now and head straight to the Breeders’ Cup, that’ll be his last run.

The Qatar Goodwood Festival – Day Two – Goodwood Racecourse
Big Mojo when successful at Goodwood (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“I think we’ll just go there fresh, that’s the plan with him, it’ll be too soft for him in the Prix de l’Abbaye anyway, it normally is.”

Big Evs is in the same Paul and Rachel Teasdale ownership as Big Mojo, who began to follow in his footsteps when winning the Molecomb at Goodwood in good style in late July.

His next outing was also at York, where he stepped up to six furlongs to contest the Gimcrack and came home in fourth, beaten two lengths.

He will now return to a five-furlong trip in the Flying Childers at Doncaster, continuing to follow the path trodden by Big Evs last year before a potential tilt at the Breeders’ Cup.

“I thought he ran very well, I’m not sure whether he got the six or not or whether it was more the fact that when he hit the front, he was looking around a fair bit,” Appleby said of the York run.

“He’s still a bit green, he’ll go for the Flying Childers next and if he were to win that, then he could go out to America as well for the race Big Evs won last year.”



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Simmering camp have sights set on Paris and Del Mar

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A return to France and a trip to the Breeders’ Cup are among the options under consideration for Ollie Sangster’s star juvenile filly Simmering.

Third on her debut at York before finishing best of the rest behind Fairy Godmother in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, the daughter of Too Darn Hot has since completed a big-race double by landing Ascot’s Princess Margaret Stakes and the Prix du Calvados at Deauville.

Her most recent success proved she stays seven furlongs and handles soft ground, making the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp an attractive target before a possible outing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“I spoke to Ollie on Friday morning and he said she’s come out of the Deauville race very well and he’s really happy with her, so we’ll sit down and make a plan for her,” said Alison Begley, racing manager for owners Al Shaqab Racing.

“It’s under discussion where we go next. The Breeders’ Cup is probably the end-of-season target, so it’s really a question of whether we give her another run before that or keep her fresh for then.

“When Ryan (Moore) rode her at Ascot, he thought the Breeders’ Cup would be a good option for her at the end of the year, so we’ll see, but the fact that she won on softer ground in Deauville has opened up a few options for her.

“The Prix Marcel Boussac is an option, as obviously that meeting is important to Sheikh Joaan with the Qatar sponsorship, so they’d probably be the two targets we’re looking at.”



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Breeders’ Cup very much on the radar for Anshoda

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Anshoda could head straight to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf following her impressive Prestige Stakes success at Goodwood.

A taking winner at Lingfield on debut, David Loughnane’s daughter of Inns Of Court was proving her 66-1 second in Sandown’s Star Stakes was no fluke when scoring in the hands of Billy Loughnane on the Sussex Downs.

That was her first run for new owners Team Valor LLC and Gary Barber who are relishing the prospect of seeing their new recruit compete Stateside in early November.

However, before making the trip to California, Anshoda is likely to undertake a racecourse gallop, with the timing of her two entries in Britain falling at awkward dates on the calendar.

“It was a very nice performance, no doubt about it, we’re going to bring her to the Breeders’ Cup that’s for sure then after that we will send her back to England,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor International.

“We promised the trainer we would leave things to him and we will follow through on that. I have talked to him a little bit and he doesn’t know if she will run before the Breeders’ Cup or not.

“There are two possible races for her, one is the Rockfel Stakes (September 27) and the other is the Fillies’ Mile (October 11).

“David thinks the Rockfel is too soon after Goodwood, while the Fillies’ Mile is too close to the Breeders’ Cup. So he might just pick a racecourse and do an afternoon gallop there and head to California like that.”

Anshoda is the first horse the owners have had trained by Shropshire-based Loughnane, and Irwin revealed how he gave up long-held family plans to ensure the exciting prospect carried the respective colours of Team Valor and Barber after watching her fine effort in defeat to Celestial Orbit at Sandown.

Irwin explained: “My wife and I had planned a trip to England, it was going to be a two-and-a-half-week trip and I was going to visit my daughter and my wife has written a play that takes place in Knightsbridge and she was going to do some research. We were going to see some horses and it was going to be a great vacation.

Anshoda (red cap) running at Sandown in the colours of her old owners
Anshoda (red cap) running at Sandown in the colours of her old owners (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“On the morning of the trip we were having pancakes in a restaurant waiting for our driver to take us to the airport and I was offered this filly. I was shown the Star Stakes and her debut and I liked her.

“As I started dealing with it, I could see that if I wanted this filly I was not going to make this trip as I was going to have to work that weekend to get the job done. I cancelled my trip, spent the whole day on the phone and the trainer and a long-time agent of mine worked together to get the deal done.

“It was a pain and hard work to get the deal done, but it was worth it in the end. Goodwood ended up being a wonderful day for us and we hope to have some more.”



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Rashabar team looking forward to next step after Morny near-miss

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Rashabar is to step up to seven furlongs on his next start, with a 2000 Guineas tilt in May the long-term plan for the Royal Ascot hero.

A shock 80-1 winner of the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting, Brian Meehan’s son of Holy Roman Emperor fell agonisingly short of giving his Manton-based handler a third success in the Prix Morny when narrowly failing to reel in Aidan O’Brien’s Whistlejacket at Deauville earlier this month.

However, having finished strongly on the Normandy coast and following encouragement from big-race pilot Sean Levey, his team are keen not only to stretch their colt out in distance but continue campaigning at the highest level, with elite options both in Ireland and France on the radar.

“There’s a fair few options, but we will be sticking in Group One company,” said Sam Sangster, manager for owners Manton Thoroughbreds.

“Sean was absolutely gutted when he got off him in the Morny and felt he was the moral winner. There’s no hiding places though in Group Ones and he is more than worth his place in whichever Group One we run in next.

“He hasn’t turned a hair to be honest and has come back from Deauville the same weight he went over there. He is a very cool horse to deal with.”

Sporting the famous green and blue colours of the late Robert Sangster, the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on September 15 is high up on Rashabar’s list of possibilities, as is a trip to ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend for the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

The Rashabar team after the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot
The Rashabar team after the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA)

Sangster continued: “I had a meeting with Brian and we decided to take a good long look at the National Stakes and we really feel a step up to seven furlongs will suit him.

“He did the quickest sectionals in the final two furlongs of the Prix Morny and just looks like a horse that will benefit from a step up and he should suit the Curragh.

“We also have in mind that the Lagardere is there a little later on. The three races we have in mind are the National Stakes, Lagardere and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and if you were working back from the Breeders’ Cup it would then be one of the others.”

Rashabar returns to the winner's enclosure at Royal Ascot
Rashabar returns to the winner’s enclosure at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA)

A trip to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup has often been mentioned in discussions surrounding Rashabar’s programme but depending on the outcome of his next race, Stateside ambitions may be tempered in order to preserve Classic aspirations next season.

“We feel he is a horse that is not just going to be limited to a two-year-old campaign, he is a horse who is going to keep improving,” Sangster added.

“Whatever happens in his next run we will hopefully be thinking the Guineas is well within his remit after that, and whether or not we go to Del Mar, the steer will be towards the Guineas if we think he’s good enough and at the moment we do think we have the right horse.”



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Shareholder will be coming back in trip after Morny disappointment

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Shareholder is poised to drop back to the minimum distance following his Prix Morny disappointment, with connections placing a target on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint later in the year.

Having showcased both his speed and raw ability when quickly backing up his Beverley debut win to claim the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, Karl Burke’s youngster was sent off the 7-2 second-favourite when upped in both trip and to Group One company at Deauville on Sunday.

However, he was reluctant to settle in the hands of James Doyle in the early stages of the six-furlong event, which ultimately put paid to any chance of glory and saw the owners’ retained jockey give him an easy time in the latter part of the race.

Keen to maximise his key attributes for the remainder of the season, the son of Not This Time – who cost €460,000 at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year – is likely to race at five furlongs until his campaign comes to a climax at Del Mar in early November.

“I think it will be definitely back to five furlongs and we will give him a once over to make sure we are not missing anything,” said Richard Brown, European racing adviser for owners Wathnan Racing.

“Back to five was basically the feedback and on very fast ground – that was sticky, tacky ground over six furlongs and he didn’t enjoy anything about that.

“James was very easy on him after his chance had gone and we will give him a once over to make sure all is OK, but we will be pointing at five furlongs from then on, certainly this year – he’s got bags of pace.”

He went on: “We will work back from Del Mar. Sunday was the only time I’ve had a jockey get off a horse having finished last complaining that he was too fast, he’s just got a lot of speed.”



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