Tag Archive for: Kyprios

Monday Musings: UK Prizemoney has a mountain to climb

Eighty-six horses, many of whose connections feared that heavy ground at Ascot would render their task hopeless, gathered on Saturday aiming to take a slice of the – for the UK anyway – lavish prizemoney on offer, writes Tony Stafford. It was British Champions Day, for four Group 1 races, a Group 2 and a one-mile handicap making up what from the stands seemed a motley six-race card and, in the end, the ground wasn’t too bad looking at the race times.

The UK administrators have clearly been beaten to the punch though by the Irish, and by their two-day feast at Leopardstown and the Curragh in September. Obviously, the French could never be budged from their also two-day sacrosanct Arc extravaganza over the first weekend of October.

So here we were again, switched from the outside flat track to the inner hurdles circuit. As I approached in the late morning, the sun finally having broken through, I passed the one-mile round start. The grass looked lush and verdant green, almost waiting for a herd of cows to come along and start munching.

Apart from Kyprios in the opener, there was no other established superstar on show although Roger Varian’s Charyn deserves to be elevated to the elite level after snaffling the day’s second biggest prize, the one-mile Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, with authority.

Saturday’s top pot, money-wise, the Champion Stakes, had been expected to be a match between the smart French-trained Calandagan and William Haggas’s improving Irish Champion Stakes winner, Economics. But in a rough race, Economics had a dreadful passage (and also reportedly bled), and it looked as though his fellow three-year-old Calandagan was home and dry, having squeezed through a gap at the rail.

But Jim Crowley on the lightly raced six-year-old Anmaat, at 40/1, also managed to thread a passage through in the dying strides to deny the younger horse and give trainer Owen Burrows a massive boost. Most of the crowd were scratching their heads, apart from my mate Steve Howard who fluked a tenner each-way and paid (with help of two of his friends) for a superb Chinese meal for nine of us on the proceeds.

To my mind, the Champion Stakes has never been the same, not benefiting at all from the switch in 2011 from Newmarket and its far less weather-susceptible surface, even conceding Frankel on his career finale the following year.

Saturday’s racing was eventful, Kyprios making it seven from seven on the season with one of his most commanding performances when collecting the G2 Long Distance Cup by an untroubled couple of lengths. What do the boys do now, we thought? Keep on collecting the same half dozen races as in 2022 and this year – 2023 was an injury-marred aberration – or retire him to stud? Not a bit of it, Aidan O’Brien said after the race, he’ll be having the winter off, coming back in the spring for the customary Navan then Leopardstown path to, hopefully, a third Gold Cup – and the rest.

The Stayers are given short shrift by the powers that be, the winner’s cheque £255,000 good enough for a non-elite race but below the other treasures on offer. £283k was the main prize for the sprinters and fillies and mares, while more than double that goes to the milers and ten-furlong stars. Takeaways for the two top prizes were respectively £737k for Anmaat and £655 grand for Charyn. Second home in the Champion Stakes was worth £279k for Calandagan while another French horse, Facteur Cheval, received £248k for his second to Charyn, both uncomfortably close to Kyprios’s take-home pay.

Calandagan had already earned eleven grand more than Saturday on his previous trip to the UK, following home City of Troy in the £703k to the winner Juddmonte International at York.  When Ambiente Friendly ran on into second behind City Of Troy in the Derby two and a half months previously, he collected £334k for the Gredley family and James Fanshawe against the winner’s prize of £882,000, best in the entire UK programme.

Thus, the top reward for a runner-up spot in UK racing in 2024 has been Ambiente Friendly’s £334,000. So what? you may ask. So what, indeed. On the other side of the world, at Randwick racecourse in Sydney, Australia earlier the same day, a horse called I Wish I Win collected £337,331 for finishing last of 11! That’s 43 thousand more than Ambiente Friendly’s best second prize of the entire UK race programme and, as near as damn it, £100k more than Calandagan picked up in the Champion Stakes later that day.

The six-year-old was competing in the Everest Stakes over six furlongs. If he had finished seventh, the money would have been just the same for this six-year-old who had previously won six of his 18 races. His total earnings to date have been a touch short of £7 million.

The year-older mare Bella Nipotina won the race, and her earnings leapfrogged Saturday’s tail-ender by dint of the £3.74 million to the winner – up to £8.78 million. She has won seven of 52 career starts and is trained by Ciaron Maher. Kyprios, with 15 wins from 19 starts and only a year younger than Bella Nicolina, has earnings of £2,635,000.

Until recently, Maher shared the training billing with Englishman David Eustace, son of James and brother to Harry, who has quickly built up a strong stable in their hometown of Newmarket. David has now moved to Hong Kong, another place where the prizemoney levels must burn into the hearts of those David has left behind in his native land.

Not content with knocking off the big one, Maher also collected more than a million for third and, for good measure, added another £1.5 million for the victory of Duke De Sessa in the Caulfield Cup. Caulfield, near Geelong in Victoria, is a mere 886 kilometres south, and a nine-hour drive, from Randwick. The race is usually a stepping stone to the Melbourne Cup, run at Flemington on Tuesday, November 5.

A nice touch on the last race of the Randwick card was the £1.58 million-to-the-winner King Charles III Stakes as the King and Queen embark on their tour of Australia. Maher was second here, threequarters of a length behind winner Ceolwulf, with the favourite Pride Of Jenni.

Reverting to the Everest, and its 20 million Australian dollar (just over £10 million) total prize fund, it threw up some other amazing facts. The 11 competitors after the race had each won more than £1 million in their careers to date, several of them from only a handful of runs, especially a trio of three-year-olds. Among these was a Justify colt owned by Coolmore called Storm Boy, who finished eighth behind the winner yet beaten only two lengths.

The total career earnings for the eleven, stands at a notch over £40 million from a total of 180 runs, which I make more than £22,000 per run. When Duke De Sessa was trained in Ireland by Dermot Weld, he won around €100k for two Group 3 wins and one Listed victory.

The clue? The title name Everest is preceded by the letters TAB, the off-course near monopoly system which fuels the astonishing power of the prize money in that country. No wonder owners here beseech their horses to win nice races as three-year-olds and await the calls of the top trainers, of which Maher is no exception.

We’ve been saying it for half a century. Maybe the Prime Minister’s wife, who likes racing, might get her hubby and his party to rush through a bill to effect an off-course pool monopoly here. Actually, no rush, you have five years to do it!  We’d still have one or two bookmakers on the course for colour, although when it happens, don’t try to get a hefty bet on when you go racing, having paid all the excessive costs – for everything!

*

Last week at Newmarket, Book 2 of Tattersalls sales in Newmarket was also operating at more than 100,000 guineas per horse over the first two days – of course nothing like the drama of Book 1. Maybe if the buyers had been sending their precious acquisitions of the previous week straight to Australia you could start to understand how it could happen.  It won’t be the case; the Aussies are mostly too canny for that and wait to see what they can do on the track before biting.

At the other end of the scale, Book 4, starting late on Friday when most people had gone home, originally catalogued 81 yearlings. Of those, 20, probably wisely, didn’t show and of the remainder that did, 28 didn’t make their reserve prices.

In the event, 33 were sold through the ring, although others, probably out of desperation by their vendors will have found new owners later. The total official aggregate of the 33 that did change hands was £111k, for an average of just over three grand and a median of two thousand, both figures around one per cent of the Book 1 figures.

Ten found new buyers at the minimum bid of 1,000 guineas including a strong-looking Rumble Inthejungle colt bought by Henry Candy. Henry, one of the most-admired veterans of his profession, has been saying that he has no wish to retire, and that he has worked hard all his life and intends to continue to do so. I’d love that colt to win a race or two for him.

As for the hapless vendors who have nurtured their young stock with the same care as the posh studs who made all the big money, you must be totally sympathetic. To be in Book 4 is like a leper’s curse. Surely Tattersalls can either include them in a slightly enlarged Book 3 where they could have a chance as buyers are still around, or be more stringent on which horses they accept for the sale.

- TS

 



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Kyprios and Trawlerman set for Long Distance Cup decider

Kyprios and Trawlerman meet for a third time in an intriguing head-to-head with the score all-square ahead of the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup.

John and Thady Gosden’s Trawlerman came out on top in this contest last season after Kyprios had been nursed back to health following a serious injury.

Then, at Royal Ascot in June the two clashed again and once more it was tight, with Aidan O’Brien’s chestnut prevailing by a length.

Trawlerman has since been kept fresh for this contest, but Kyprios has danced every dance after his interrupted campaign last year.

His season began in April and this will be his seventh outing. He did not run in August but is returning to action less than two weeks after winning the Prix du Cadran for a second time.

“He’s incredible really, he keeps coming up with the goods,” said O’Brien.

“He seems to be in good form since France, we just wanted to give him all the time to see how he came out of it but he seems to be in good shape.

“The ground has never seemed to bother him, whatever it is. This year it was fast ground in the Gold Cup and then it was soft in France the last day, it all seems to come alike to him.

“We’ve not had many like him, he’s been an incredible horse.”

O’Brien also runs the three-year-old The Euphrates, who was not far behind Kyprios in the Irish St Leger and then won the Irish Cesarewitch.

The Euphrates won the Irish Cesarewitch
The Euphrates won the Irish Cesarewitch (Niall Carson/PA)

“The Euphrates ran very well in the Irish St Leger and then went back to the Curragh and won the Irish Cesarewitch. That was a big handicap prize and we think he’s a horse who is very much on the upgrade,” said O’Brien.

Trawlerman has developed into a top-class stayer, although he needs to prove he is as effective on soft ground.

John Gosden said: “Trawlerman had a hard race in the Gold Cup, so we put him away – he had a nice holiday on his owner’s stud farm. He has come back in and is in great order for the rematch.”

The Gosdens have a strong second-string to their bow in Sweet William, the Doncaster Cup winner.

Robert Havlin gets a good tune out of him and told Racing TV: “He’s never been out of the first three in his life.

“There’s no Trueshan in the race this year but there’s quite a few others. Tom Clover’s Al Nayyir has impressed lately. We’re drawn next to Kyprios, so I hope I can keep tabs on him through the race.

“In his home work, he’s a lot more straightforward and his last couple of bits of work have been his best, so I’m hoping for a big run.

“We’ve been changing things all year, given him a few surprises, fiddle around – and he seems to enjoy it.”

Al Nayyir has impressed since joining Tom Clover
Al Nayyir has impressed since joining Tom Clover (Mike Egerton/PA)

Al Nayyir has only had two runs for Clover since joining from France but he pushed Vauban close at York and then was an easy winner at Newmarket.

“He worked on Sunday morning and seems really well in himself,” said the trainer.

“If he can repeat the two runs he has had for us, we would be hopeful of having a good chance. He is ground versatile as well.”

Caius Chorister has been winless this season for David Menuisier but she has nevertheless run some fine races in defeat, before disappointing in France last time out.

“She was travelling sweet when another runner came on her outside three furlongs out and she felt entrapped and tried to run away, so ran her race in the false straight and had nothing more to offer. She’d beaten the winner (Grateful) at Goodwood,” said Menuisier.

“With Kyprios running, we are just going there for the breadcrumbs, but she has some of the best form of the others and finishing second or third would be great.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Mill Stream expected to be suited by return to conventional sprint trip

Jane Chapple-Hyam expects Mill Stream to be much better suited back at six furlongs in Saturday’s Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot.

Having won the July Cup, hopes were high when he went to France for the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.

However, he failed to see out the extra half-furlong and finished fifth behind Lazzat.

“He’s been our flagbearer this year, and a good one at that, winning the July Cup and before that winning the Duke of York and finishing third at Royal Ascot,” she said.

“He’s been so consistent and he’s never let us down. When he ran at Deauville last time it was six and a half furlongs. We thought he’d get it on a flat track, but the extra half-furlong was just too far for him.

“Everything has been smooth sailing and we are all very pleased with him. He worked on the racecourse at Newmarket the week before last. He’s not a flashy worker, but he did everything that was asked of him and William (Buick) was pleased with him.”

The previous two winners of the race, Art Power and Kinross, William Haggas’ Montassib, winner of the Sprint Cup at Haydock, Kind Of Blue, second that day, and Wokingham hero Unequal Love are others fancied.

Andrew Balding’s Kalpana will aim to continue her progression in the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes.

Since finishing third in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot she has won a Listed race and a Group Three by an aggregate of almost 10 lengths

“She is very talented and in great form. This race is a good fit for her. If the ground is soft that is an unknown, but her form is very solid – if you look back at the Pretty Polly and what Friendly Soul has achieved,” said Balding.

Kalpana is a leading Ascot contender
Kalpana is a leading Ascot contender (Bradley Collyer/PA)

“Her only disappointing run was in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot, but there was a slightly false pace which didn’t suit her.”

Sir Mark Prescott’s Tiffany has won three out of four this season, including a Group Two in Germany last time out, so is clearly still progressing.

Aidan O’Brien’s Grateful could drop in trip having been a somewhat surprising winner of the Qatar Prix de Royallieu, with stablemates Content, Lily Heart, Port Fairy and Wingspan also involved.

Oisin Murphy will take the ride on Queen Of The Pride, but soft ground is unlikely to suit her.

“Her dam (Simple Verse) won the Fillies & Mares and she didn’t mind soft ground, but Queen Of The Pride is by Roaring Lion and I think she prefers better ground, so I hope it doesn’t get too deep,” said Murphy.

Trawlerman (right) got the better of Kyprios last year
Trawlerman (right) got the better of Kyprios last year (John Walton/PA)

Kyprios, the star stayer of his generation, is the standout name in the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup.

With Alan King deciding against taking him on again with Trueshan having come off second best in France, his main threat may come from Tom Clover’s Al Nayyir. Second to Vauban at York, he was an easy winner at Newmarket last time out in the Rose Bowl Stakes.

The John and Thady Gosden duo of Sweet William and Trawlerman are set to run, the latter beating Kyprios in this race last year.

Illinois is another possible for O’Brien, along with The Euphrates, Continuous, Grosvenor Square and Point Lonsdale.



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

King Kyprios records landmark eighth Group One success

Aidan O’Brien hailed Kyprios “the horse of a lifetime” after he secured his eighth Group One victory in the Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp.

The popular chestnut rounded off an unblemished 2022 campaign with was a jaw-dropping 20-length victory in this race two years ago, but made it the track only twice last season after suffering a life-threatening injury and was beaten on both occasions.

However, he has roared back better than ever this term, regaining the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger and he was a 1-5 shot to do the same in the Cadran.

Ryan Moore sent the six-year-old into an early lead and despite having to be niggled at various stages to keep up the gallop, he never looked like being beaten.

It was Alan King’s veteran Trueshan, in search of a third win in the race himself, who kept him honest for much of the race yet despite running admirably, he could never quite get on terms for James Doyle.

O’Brien said of the winner: “He’s so special and I sound like a broken record thanking everyone, but all the people around him every day are the ones that make the difference. Everyone had so much patience with him getting him back and I’m so grateful to everyone.

“At those distances he’s only playing with horses really. He’s so much class and Ryan said he’s just going along there in second gear and wanting someone to come and join him all the time.”

Kyprios with connections after winning his second Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp (Ashley Iveson/PA)
Kyprios with connections after winning his second Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp (Ashley Iveson/PA)

By claiming an eighth Group One, Kyprios has now won more races at the highest level than any of the greats O’Brien has trained in his stellar career, with the likes of four-time Gold Cup winner Yeats, Highland Reel, Magical, Minding and Rock Of Gibraltar all having won seven.

While a bid for a third Gold Cup success next summer is clearly the priority for Kyprios, he could back at Ascot in just a fortnight’s time in a bid to win a first Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup, for which Paddy Power make him their 8-11 favourite.

“He’s an incredible horse, the horse of a lifetime really, and if everything is well with him we might have a look at going back to Ascot, then give him the winter off and go back for the Gold Cup next year with his two prep runs before it again,” O’Brien added.

“He’s very unique. When you have a horse with the class he has and gets the trip like he does, it’s vey unusual and his mind is unbelievable.

“For us it’s a privilege to have him. We’ve never had a horse win eight Group Ones before and what can I say? He’s so unusual and I promise you he’s lucky to be here – we didn’t think he would be.”

In the aftermath of his Irish Leger success last month, O’Brien did tantalisingly raise the possibility of Kyprios dropping back in trip for a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but he insists he has no regrets about sticking to the staying division.

He said: “We’d love to have run him in the Arc, but we have to be respectful of the horse and it might be disrespectful to him to ask him to run in a race like that.

“He’d be a lot better with a stronger pace in front of him, but he tries so hard he would go down on his knees for you, that’s the way he is, and that might be the wrong thing to (do when) looking to have him hopefully for next year.

“He’s an amazing horse to have and I don’t think you could ask any more from him – you have to be respectful of him the whole time.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Kyprios aiming to extend perfect season with Cadran crown

Kyprios can further cement his position as the outstanding stayer of his generation when he bids for a second Qatar Prix du Cadran on Saturday.

When it comes to the marathon division, Aidan O’Brien’s six-year-old is the undoubted star attraction, with his 2024 renaissance following injury marking him out as a true champion.

Having taken over the baton from Stradivarius in the long-distance ranks, he reeled off six-straight victories before his enforced 344-day break following this very race in 2022.

Kyprios won the Irish St. Leger on his most recent start
Kyprios won the Irish St. Leger on his most recent start (Niall Carson/PA)

After being nursed back to full fitness by the team at Ballydoyle, defeats at the latter end of 2023 may have seen some questioning if Kyprios’ best days were behind him.

However, the patience and perseverance has been rewarded with an unblemished 2024 campaign featuring a second Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, Goodwood Cup glory and he most recently recaptured the Irish St Leger trophy.

“Everything has gone well since the Irish St Leger and he’s an amazing horse with a lot of class,” said O’Brien.

“He’s very comfortable going those staying distances and we just thought it might be a bit disrespectful to the horse to ask him to run in an Arc after what he’s after doing for us.

“He’s comfortable going those longer trips, he’s going in an easier gear than he would be in an Arc.

“We’re looking forward to seeing him running again. He’s very special and we really appreciate him and really respect him.”

Few can forget the extraordinary way in which Kyprios landed his first Cadran.

The record books show an emphatic 20-length victory, but that distance could have been longer without the son of Galileo hanging dramatically towards the stands rail in the home straight.

“Ryan (Moore) rode him handy and the pace just fell down when he turned in and he just got left in front,” explained O’Brien.

“He obviously thought he was just going back to the stables and was heading for the gates. Ryan will be aware of that this time and he seems to be going there in really good form.”

Kyprios may be the dominant force of the division, but any discussion surrounding the leading stayers of recent times has to involve the now eight-year-old Trueshan, with Alan King’s stalwart is back in the French capital in search of a third victory in the Group One event.

Winner in both 2021 and 12 months ago, Trueshan will be partnered by his 2021-winning pilot James Doyle with Hollie Doyle at Newmarket to ride Nashwa.

Trueshan is bidding for a third Prix du Cadran
Trueshan is bidding for a third Prix du Cadran (PA)

“The ground looks to be very much in our favour, we know he loves the track and he’s been a model of consistency for years now so we go into the race full of hope,” said King.

“We’d love him to get over that £2million mark and this is, surely, the race where he can do that for the Singula Partnership and for all of us at Barbury.”

Andrew Balding’s Coltrane and Sir Mark Prescott’s Miss Cynthia make this a British and Irish-dominated contest, but the sole representative from the home team warrants the utmost respect heading into the race on recent form.

Christophe Ferland’s Double Major was a winner of the Prix Chaudenay on this card 12 months ago before winning the Group One Prix Royal-Oak.

He has proven too good for his rivals in both the Prix Maurice de Nieuil and Prix Kergorlay this summer and now tests his credentials over two and a half miles for the first time.

“I think Kyprios is a real champion and we look more like a challenger at this time,” said Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for owners the Wertheimer brothers.

“Double Major has never been over this distance, but is in good form and has won plenty of Group races. His last run in Deauville was very impressive and he showed a great turn of foot.

“I think he has a good chance, but Kyprios is a champion and in my mind we have to be at our very best and at this stage have to be seen as a challenger.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

James Doyle in line to partner Cadran contender Trueshan

James Doyle will be reunited with Trueshan in Saturday’s Prix du Cadran, with regular rider Hollie Doyle required at Newmarket for Nashwa.

Alan King’s eight-year-old is bidding for a third victory in the two-and-a-half-mile Group One and was partnered by James Doyle for the first of those in 2021 when Hollie Doyle was suspended.

Trueshan is arguably the horse with which Hollie Doyle made her name having won 11 times on him, including this race last year, the Goodwood Cup and three Long Distance Cups at Ascot on Champions Day.

However, due to being the retained rider for Nashwa’s owner Imad Alsagar, she will be in action in the Sun Chariot Stakes rather than at ParisLongchamp.

King said: “Trueshan is very well, he was scoped today and he works tomorrow, provided it all goes well he is on target for the Cadran again.

“We just need to tick a few boxes before saying it is definite.

“James Doyle will ride, we’ve had him on standby for some time as we had an idea Hollie might not be available.

“He’s won on him before so it was logical when we were looking at it.”

Kyprios returns to the ParisLongchamp winner's enclosure
Kyprios returns to the ParisLongchamp winner’s enclosure (PA)

Kyprios is also among the eight remaining entries, with just one contender trained in France.

Aidan O’Brien’s star stayer won the contest in remarkable circumstances in 2022 when, despite hanging across the track in the home straight, he came home 20 lengths clear.

After injury restricted him to just two outings last season, Kyprios has won each of his run races this year. O’Brien has also left in Continuous, who has the option of running in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and Point Lonsdale.

John and Thady Gosden’s Sweet William finally bagged a big prize at Doncaster last time out and could run, with Sir Mark Prescott’s Miss Cynthia and Andrew Balding’s Coltrane also in contention.

The only home-trained potential runner is Christophe Ferland’s Double Major.

William Haggas is searching for a third successive win in the Prix de Royallieu with Sea Theme.

Sea Silk Road after winning at ParisLongchamp
Sea Silk Road after winning at ParisLongchamp (Ashley Iveson/PA)

Sea La Rosa and Sea Silk Road have provided Haggas with Group One victories in a race that has not been won by a French-trained runner since 2017.

Henry de Bromhead’s Term Of Endearment, David Menuisier’s Caius Chorister and O’Brien’s Port Fairy are among 16 left in.

There are 11 left in the Prix Dollar, including Brian Meehan’s Jayarbee, the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat and Ed Walker’s Almaqam.

Haggas’ Maljoom and Karl Burke’s Holloway Boy are among 13 in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein, while St Leger runner-up Illinois is one of 11 in the Prix Chaudenay.

There are supplementary entry stages for all races on Wednesday.



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Kyprios tops Cadran contenders at ParisLongchamp

Kyprios is one of only eight remaining entries in Saturday’s Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp, with just one contender trained in France.

Aidan O’Brien’s star stayer won the contest in remarkable circumstances in 2022 when, despite hanging across the track in the home straight, he came home 20 lengths clear.

After injury restricted him to just two outings last season, Kyprios has won each of his run races this year. O’Brien has also left in Continuous, who has the option of running in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and Point Lonsdale.

Either side of Kyprios’ win, the Cadran has been claimed by Alan King’s Trueshan, and the veteran is once again lined up for the race.

John and Thady Gosden’s Sweet William finally bagged a big prize at Doncaster last time out and could run, with Sir Mark Prescott’s Miss Cynthia and Andrew Balding’s Coltrane also in contention.

The only home-trained potential runner is Christophe Ferland’s Double Major.

William Haggas is searching for a third successive win in the Prix de Royallieu with Sea Theme.

Sea La Rosa and Sea Silk Road have provided Haggas with Group One victories in a race that has not been won by a French-trained runner since 2017.

Henry de Bromhead’s Term Of Endearment, David Menuisier’s Caius Chorister and O’Brien’s Port Fairy are among 16 left in.

There are 11 left in the Prix Dollar, including Brian Meehan’s Jayarbee, the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat and Ed Walker’s Almaqam.

Haggas’ Maljoom and Karl Burke’s Holloway Boy are among 13 in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein, while St Leger runner-up Illinois is one of 11 in the Prix Chaudenay.

There are supplementary entry stages for all races on Wednesday.



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Kyprios team ‘probably looking’ to take Cadran path

The Prix du Cadran appears the most likely next port of call for star stayer Kyprios.

Aidan O’Brien’s charge was a spectacular victor at ParisLongchamp two years ago, winning by 20 lengths despite hanging badly across the track in the home straight.

That victory put the seal on a vintage campaign which also saw him win the Gold Cup, the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger – and while he was beaten in each of his two starts last term after recovering from a career-threatening injury, he has bounced back to regain all three of those titles this season.

In the aftermath of his most recent triumph at the Curragh, O’Brien did not rule out the possibility of Kyprios dropping back in trip for a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on October 6, but he appears set to stick to the staying route the previous afternoon.

Fiona Craig, racing adviser to part-owners Moyglare Stud Farm, said: “I think he’s probably looking at the Cadran, all being well. With Kyprios that does come down to how he is a couple of days beforehand.

“I don’t think he’ll run in the Arc, I think it will be the Cadran or the Long Distance Cup at Ascot, and the further he goes the better.

“After the injury, we just have to see how he is a few days before he runs, but I took Eva (Maria Bucher-Haefner, Moyglare owner) down to see him after the Leger win and he seemed good.

“I think the hope is to bring him back next year and go for the Gold Cup again. He obviously got injured last year and came back and ran two brave races and he’s definitely a much better horse now.

“One day there’ll be a horse out there that can beat him, at the moment there isn’t.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

‘One in a million’ Kyprios not ruled out of Arc contention

Aidan O’Brien was not ruling out a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Kyprios after the popular stayer took back his crown in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger at the Curragh.

The son of Galileo carried all before him in 2022, winning the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup, Irish St Leger and Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp, but suffered a life-threatening injury the following spring and was beaten on his Irish Leger comeback and again on Champions Day at Ascot, albeit performing with credit given the circumstances.

The six-year-old has returned to his very best this season, however, regaining the Gold Cup and the Goodwood Cup, and it was no surprise he was the 2-5 favourite market leader to do the same in the final Classic of the year on home soil.

After tracking his pacesetting stablemate The Euphrates for much of the one-mile-six-furlong contest, Kyprios was bustled into the lead at the top of the home straight as Ryan Moore looked to draw the finish out of Marco Botti’s Yorkshire Cup and Princess of Wales’s Stakes hero Giavellotto.

The latter was travelling ominously well in the hands of Oisin Murphy but was unable to reel in the hot favourite, who galloped on remorselessly to prevail by two and a quarter lengths.

The Willie Mullins-trained Vauban came from the rear of the field to throw down his challenge and split Kyprios and Giavellotto in second.

Kyprios on his way to another victory at the Curragh
Kyprios on his way to another victory at the Curragh (Niall Carson/PA)

“He’s so special and we can see what he did there today,” O’Brien said.

“He’s a very, very special horse and every year he seems to be improving. That even looks to be his best again. Ryan said he won so easy.

“It’s a special place and a special race and these kind of horses are once in a lifetime.

“In the Ascot Gold Cup very few horses are able to get that far (two and a half miles), but this horse has serious class as well.

“He’s so genuine to get through what he did and still be the way he is and stay the way he does and relax the way he does. He’s one in a million.”

Paddy Power make Kyprios their 4-6 favourite from 11-10 for the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup while offering 25-1 from 50-1 for the Arc.

When asked if he could run again this year, O’Brien added: “I’m not sure, he doesn’t have to. The way we approach every race is that we see how he is and have a chat and then see if we go again.

“He looks very fresh there. He could run in an Arc, we knew that, at any time. It’s important to mind him, do the right thing for him, and let him tell us how he is and where he wants to go at that time of the year.

“There is only one Arc and he has a serious engine. He just doesn’t get tired, he keeps going.”

Reflecting on the issue that Kyprios had last year, O’Brien said: “He got an infection in a joint capsule, but Eva (Maria Bucher-Haefner of Moyglare Stud) was so patient with him and there was no pressure to do anything with him.

“Whether he raced or didn’t last year there was absolutely no pressure and it’s the patience that Eva had with him.

Eva Maria Bucher-Haefner, owner of Kyprios, and Ryan Moore with the trophy after winning the Comer Group International Irish St Leger
Eva Maria Bucher-Haefner, owner of Kyprios, and Ryan Moore with the trophy after winning the Comer Group International Irish St Leger (Niall Carson/PA)

“There are so many people did a lot of work with him and we’re so grateful to them all.

“Having so much time and no pressure on anybody gave us the time to get him back.”

Bucher-Haefner, daughter of the late Walter Haefner, who purchased Moyglare in 1962, said: “It’s the first time I’ve been here that he’s won. I was here last year and he was second. What beautiful work they’ve done with him because he was quite sick.”

When asked if we’d see him next year, she said: “I’d say yes, I would love to see him again.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Resurgent Kyprios looking to snatch back Irish St Leger title

Kyprios will be a warm order to cement his status as the world’s leading stayer by regaining his crown in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger.

Aidan O’Brien’s charge looked set to dominate the division for years to come after a faultless 2022 campaign which saw him win the Gold Cup, the Goodwood Cup, the Irish Leger and the Prix du Cadran, but a life-threatening injury suffered the following spring looked set to bring his career to an end.

His trainer felt it was a remarkable feat in itself that the six-year-old made it back to the track in the autumn.

And while defeats in this race and again on Champions Day at Ascot suggested his best days may be behind him, Kyprios has re-established himself as the staying king this term by winning a second Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup ahead of his return to home soil this weekend.

“I thought there was no chance in the world that he could come back, I don’t think anybody did, so it was incredible what the people around him did,” said O’Brien.

“We’re very happy with him, he’s in very good form. He’s a hard horse to read, as he’s very lazy and only does what he has to do, but he did look very good at Goodwood the last day.”

The Ballydoyle handler already has one eye on a potential third Gold Cup success at Royal Ascot next summer, adding: “That is what we’ll be dreaming about. It’s very hard to get a Gold Cup horse, as with those classy stayers, once you get past the two-and-a-quarter, very few get that far.

“He’s an unusual horse in that he’s a Group horse over a mile and a quarter, I’d say, but he gets two-and-a-half, which is very rare.”

Giavellotto winning the Yorkshire Cup in May
Giavellotto winning the Yorkshire Cup in May (Mike Egerton/PA)

The biggest threat to Kyprios appears to be Marco Botti’s Giavellotto, who has enjoyed back-to-back Group Two wins in Britain this season – landing the Yorkshire Cup at York’s Dante meeting in May and the Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket in July.

Botti feels his stable star has plenty in his favour at the Curragh on Sunday, but is under no illusions about the obstacle standing in his way.

“This has been the plan for a while and he seems in good order. The ground is hopefully not going to be too soft and it’s nice Oisin Murphy is able to ride him, as we don’t have to change a combination that has worked well so far this year,” said the Newmarket-based Italian.

“We freshened him up after Newmarket and he’s lightly-raced this year. He likes a bit of space between his races, so I don’t think that should be an issue.

“Kyprios is a very good horse and obviously it’s a strong race, but we knew that. Our horse seems to be in the same form he was before he won the Princess of Wales, so fingers crossed.”

The Willie Mullins-trained Vauban finished second to Giavellotto in the Yorkshire Cup and has since finished fourth in the Gold Cup, third in the Curragh Cup and won the Lonsdale Cup on his return to York last month.

Connections will be hoping for a positive showing to tee him up for a second tilt at the Melbourne Cup in November.

O’Brien has a second string to his bow in The Euphrates, while Giavellotto is joined on the trip across the Irish Sea by Karl Burke’s Al Qareem.

Adrian Murray’s Crypto Force and German raiders Waldadler and Nastaria complete the line-up.



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

O’Brien has Whistlejacket booked for Phoenix Stakes duty

Aiden O’Brien’s Whistlejacket is all set for Group One action in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

The chestnut son of No Nay Never – a full-brother to Little Big Bear – was a Listed winner in the First Flier earlier in the season after finishing runner-up on debut.

At Royal Ascot he was fourth in the five-furlong Norfolk Stakes after coming with a late run, but regained the winning thread when taking the Group Two July Stakes at Newmarket last month, enjoying the move to six furlongs.

Ryan Moore gives Whistlejacket a well-deserved pat after victory at Newmarket
Ryan Moore gives Whistlejacket a well-deserved pat after victory at Newmarket (David Davies for The Jockey Club)

That form was nicely boosted at Goodwood, when the third horse home, Aomori City, landed the Vintage Stakes.

The next port of call for Whistlejacket will be the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, where he will be the Ballydoyle representative in preference to stablemate Fairy Godmother.

“Whistlejacket will run there, that’s the plan. Everything is good with him and that’s always been the plan for him,” O’Brien said.

“He’s a very straightforward horse. It just didn’t click at Ascot, when he was getting going the race was just finished.”

O’Brien also provided an update on Kyprios, a brilliant winner of the Goodwood Cup who is bound for the Irish St Leger to try to regain the title he won in 2022 and missed out on by only three-quarters of a length last year, in what was a remarkable run following nearly a year on the sidelines.

Kyprios was a class apart in winning the Goodwood Cup
Kyprios was a class apart in winning the Goodwood Cup (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“He’s very good. It’s six weeks to the Curragh so that’s probably where we’ll go,” O’Brien said.

“We just want to keep him safe, get through the rest of the year and get to next year with him.”

Of the possibility the Irish Leger being the last race of Kyprios’ season, O’Brien added: “It could be, I’d imagine. He could go to Arc weekend, but that’s what we’ll do at the moment anyway. We’ll take it one at a time.”

Asked if he could be tempted by the Arc for Kyprios, O’Brien said: “I suppose it’s going to depend on what else is there. It’s just about getting him through the winter now to get him to next year.

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

“Those Gold Cup horses are very rare, very unusual, and it’s very hard to get them. We’ve had so many good horses, but when they go past two miles the gauge just stops.

“He’s very good, what he did last year totally surprised me and I think that was the greatest performance of all out of him, his two runs last year.”

Meanwhile, Derby and Eclipse hero City Of Troy remains on course for the Juddmonte International at York’s Ebor meeting, with O’Brien saying: “At the moment everything is going good and that’s where we’re going.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Comeback king Kyprios hailed as ‘so genuine’ by O’Brien

In the most despairing moments of Kyprios’ life-threatening injury, it seemed hopeless to think of him returning to the racecourse, let alone coming back better than ever.

The chestnut looked to be the staying champion-elect at the start of the 2022 campaign and he did not disappoint, striding through the year in an unbeaten run that included four successive Group Ones.

The Gold Cup, the Goodwood Cup, the Irish St Leger and the Prix du Cadran were all collected that term, but the joy of those successes was then tempered by a troubling joint infection that developed into the most serious of injuries.

It took all the patience and expertise of trainer Aidan O’Brien’s team to get the horse back on his feet, but his racing career was an afterthought when his life hung in the balance.

Those efforts were rewarded when the horse returned to action last season to finish second in both the Irish St Leger and the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day, two performances that seemed miraculous considering the doubt that had hung over Kyprios’ future.

The Qatar Goodwood Festival – Day One – Goodwood Racecourse
Kyprios en route to victory (Andrew Matthews/PA)

But there was more in store and in defiance of the received wisdom that tells you ‘they never come back’, the horse has recaptured his old sparkle since his first run of the term.

The Gold Cup at Ascot was regained in June, and in Sussex Kyprios was the 8-13 favourite under Ryan Moore to take ownership of the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup once again.

The six-year-old will have given connections little to worry about throughout the race, and on the turn for home he was clearly faring best of all in a field of seasoned stayers.

His four-length triumph, which was a course record, came at a canter on the line and he remains a shining example of the remarkable horsemanship of those who have guided him back to this point.

O’Brien said: “People go through very tough times in life and this horse is a perfect example of the animal side of that.

“He’s very tough, we thought he couldn’t come back but he did come back. He’s so genuine, he wears his heart and his soul on his sleeve every day.

“He sweated a lot today and didn’t stop sweating, probably because it is so warm, so we were a bit worried about that.

“He was a little different to how he normally is, so we were so relieved when it was over. Anyone who follows a thoroughbred will see the genuineness of this one and he always keeps a little bit – I think it’s an incredible story.

“He’s like an athlete with an awful lot of miles on him, so all his needs have to be tended to on a daily basis, all the time.

“We are very lucky that we have the facilities and the people to be able to do that.

“Obviously, you need the character with the will to be able to take it and to want to do it. We have to be very respectful of him all the time and appreciate him.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Kyprios continues resurgence with Goodwood Cup stroll

Kyprios cemented his status as the best stayer in the land with a comprehensive victory in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup.

Aidan O’Brien’s six-year-old was the dominant force in the division in 2022, winning the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger before rounding off an unbeaten campaign with a jaw-dropping 20-length demolition job in the Prix du Cadran.

A career-threatening injury restricted him to just two outings last term and he was beaten on both occasions, but he had roared back to his best this season, winning each of his first three starts, including a successful defence of his Gold Cup crown last month.

With regular partner Ryan Moore in the plate, the son of Galileo was an 8-13 favourite to regain his Goodwood title and his supporters will have had few concerns for the duration of the two-mile contest.

After being briefly nudged along rounding the home turn, Kyprios soon came back on the bridle and was cantering all over his rivals halfway up the straight.

Gold Cup third Sweet William did his best to make a race of it, but he was not in the same league as the winner, who had four lengths in hand at the line and was value for more.

Sweet William’s stablemate Gregory was just a head further behind in third, with popular veteran Trueshan – winner of the Goodwood Cup in 2021 – staying on for fourth.

Jockey Ryan Moore celebrates with the Goodwood Cup
Jockey Ryan Moore celebrates with the Goodwood Cup (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Of Kyprios, Moore said: “He slipped on the top bend today and I was always struggling with my rhythm on him then, so it was always going against him the whole race.

“I ended up having to go there at the two (furlong pole) when I would ideally have liked to wait a bit longer, but he’s just very high class.

“This fella is very, very good. He wouldn’t show you how good he is, but he’s very good. He’s not an Arc horse, he stays well but he wouldn’t be disgraced.

“I remember Aidan ringing me and telling me what happened to him at the end of his good year. I never thought we would see him run again, so all credit to everyone at Ballydoyle for a massive effort.

“It’s fun to ride him because you know he’s that much better than the rest.”

O’Brien added: “He’s a very special horse. He has so much class, really he was going along in second gear the whole time.

“It wasn’t easy for Ryan because he said he felt on the bend he was different to before, obviously he’s had his injury. Ryan said he felt him slip on the top bend and he was always trying to gather him and help him.

“It was an incredible ride, he’s an incredible horse. Obviously, we know that he stays well but he has a lot of class as well, I’m delighted for everybody.”

The Qatar Goodwood Festival – Day One – Goodwood Racecourse
Connections of Kyprios celebrate their Goodwood Cup triumph (Andrew Matthews/PA).

Betfair make Kyprios a 33-1 shot for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but O’Brien is not planning to drop back in trip for Europe’s premier middle-distance contest.

“The Gold Cup is a very important race for him every year, we were minding him for that,” said the Ballydoyle handler.

“We thought if he was OK, we might bring him back to an Irish St Leger again, he’ll hopefully be OK tomorrow and we’ll have him back for that and then have him next year again.

“We have to be very respectful to him, you saw where he came from and it’s hard to believe he’s here today. He did find the undulations of the track a little more difficult than he did before.”

John Gosden saddled the second and third in the Goodwood Cup
John Gosden saddled the second and third in the Goodwood Cup (David Davies/PA)

John Gosden was pleased with the performance of the two placed horses, Sweet William and Gregory.

He said: “They were two solid runs behind a very good horse. We are delighted. Races like the Lonsdale Cup at York and Doncaster Cup will be the direction we will go.

“I am pleased with Gregory. He scoped perfectly going into Royal Ascot but not perfectly coming out of it. That can happen when you have everything spot-on. Something can just come along.

“I don’t know where Kyprios will go next. Irish St Leger? But we won’t be afraid to take him on again. They all have off days, you know.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

All eyes on staying king Kyprios in Goodwood Cup

Kyprios is likely to be a very short price when he attempts to regain the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on Tuesday.

Aidan O’Brien’s star stayer won the two-mile showpiece in 2022, in the middle of a glorious campaign which also saw him win the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, the Irish St Leger and the Prix du Cadran – the latter by an astonishing 20 lengths.

He looked set to rule the division for a long time, but almost lost his life in the following spring and O’Brien felt it was a bonus to get him back for two races last autumn.

This year has been much more straightforward, with Kyprios winning the Vintage Crop and Saval Beg before reclaiming the Gold Cup. Now he is aiming to do the same at Goodwood.

Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore are looking to get their hands on the Goodwood Cup once again
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore are looking to get their hands on the Goodwood Cup once again (Steven Paston/PA)

“He’s a very special horse with a lot more class than most people think,” said O’Brien.

“He does stay, which is unusual, but he’d have no problem being a Group horse over a mile and a quarter. As he goes up in distance, he just gets better.

“Those good stayers are very rare. When you go to those distances, very few horses get them really, but he has the class and gets the trip as well.

“Obviously we’ve been delighted to have him back this year, given what happened to him.

“Everything has gone smoothly since Ascot, we’ve been delighted. Hopefully he’ll run well again.”

Gregory (left) was a Royal Ascot winner last year but has failed to win since
Gregory (left) was a Royal Ascot winner last year but has failed to win since (John Walton/PA)

His main market rivals are the John and Thady Gosden-trained duo of Sweet William and Gregory.

Gregory won the Queen’s Vase at Ascot last year, but is without a win since. He appeared not to see out the trip in the Gold Cup, but John Gosden felt he was not right on the day.

“Gregory just wasn’t right there, and he wasn’t right after the race. He’d worked well going into it, but he just didn’t fire and that can happen,” he said.

James Doyle will take the ride and he concurs.

“Gregory’s work has been good since Ascot, where he just wasn’t 100 per cent,” said Wathnan Racing’s retained rider.

“I’m sure it was his well-being, rather than the trip, that was the problem there, but coming back to two miles wouldn’t be a negative for him. We are on the comeback trail and he seems in good order.”

There is another previous winner in the line up with Alan King’s popular eight-year-old Trueshan back for another go.

He struck in 2021 and having seemingly been on the downgrade with two defeats earlier in the season, bounced back to winning ways in the Coral Marathon last time out.

No horse has done as much for Hollie Doyle's career as Trueshan
No horse has done as much for Hollie Doyle’s career as Trueshan (Steven Paston/PA)

His rider Hollie Doyle is just hoping the ground does not dry up too much.

“Hopefully it will still be good ground at least on the first day. It was a great day when he won the Goodwood Cup three years ago, and that first Group One win was so well deserved after all he had done.

“He’s often been bogged down by penalties since then, so it was just lovely to see him enjoying himself at Sandown last time.

“It’s a deeper race at Goodwood this time, but I just hope Sandown has done his confidence good.”

Karl Burke’s Al Qareem, Andrew Balding’s Coltrane and the Brian Ellison-trained Tashkhan complete the field.



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Superstar stayer Kyprios in top shape for Goodwood Cup

Aidan O’Brien is preparing to head to the Qatar Goodwood Festival with a team of horses headed by his star stayer Kyprios, although the Ballydoyle trainer has sounded a slight warning note over ground conditions.

The chestnut has returned this year in perfect form, reclaiming the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on his most recent start in a remarkable comeback considering how close he came to losing his life.

It was a joint infection that stopped his career in its tracks and the arduous rehabilitation process only made victory sweeter when the horse came back having lost none of his ability.

Kyprios was the winner of the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup in 2022 when looking to be the new dominant stayer on the scene, and now he is heading back to the Sussex Downs to try to reclaim the same prize.

“Kyprios is lazy in his work but we’re very happy with him. Everything has gone well since Ascot. We are very happy with him,” said O’Brien.

“He’s a very special horse and has a lot of class. He has a lot more class than most people think.

Kyprios in action at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA)
Kyprios in action at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA)

“He does stay, but he’d have no problem being a Group horse over one mile and two furlongs.

“As he goes up in distance, he just gets better. Those good stayers are very rare.

“When you go to those distances, very few horses get them really, but he has the class and gets the trip as well.”

Stablemate Point Lonsdale could either join or replace Kyprios in the race depending on conditions, with O’Brien adding: “Point Lonsdale could possibly join him. We had it in our minds that if the ground was very fast at Goodwood, then we’d have to think about whether we want to risk Kyprios.

“Hopefully he will run, but even if he didn’t Point Lonsdale is going to be an unbelievable sub. He handles fast ground and shows he gets one mile and seven furlongs well. He might get two miles as well.

Boodles May Festival – Day Three – Chester Racecourse
Point Lonsdale and Ryan Moore (David Davies/PA)

“He’s a horse with a lot of class and we saw in his last run he wasn’t beaten far in a Group One over one mile and four furlongs. He’s a lovely horse with a great mind.”

The Qatar Sussex Stakes looks set to be a rematch of the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot as Rosallion, Henry Longfellow and Notable Speech all meet again.

O’Brien has claimed the race six times and is one win away from tying Sir Henry Cecil’s record of seven wins in the one-mile feature.

Henry Longfellow was the runner-up at the Royal meeting and his trainer is looking forward to seeing him renew his rivalry with the best horses in the division at Goodwood.

“We always thought he was a special horse based on what he did last year,” he said.

“We were over the moon with his run at Royal Ascot. If we’d got a clearer run in France we would have known more going into Ascot, so we went into Ascot just learning about him. There’s every chance he’ll progress.”

Pat Smullen Race Day – Curragh Racecourse – Saturday 26th August
Opera Singer previously at the Curragh (Brian Lawless/PA)

Opera Singer is O’Brien’s hope for the Qatar Nassau Stakes after her second-placed run behind the superb Porta Fortuna in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“We were delighted with Opera Singer at Ascot. The other horse who led just messed up her pace a little bit but we were over the moon with her,” he said of the filly.

“We were always going to step up to a mile and two furlongs in the Qatar Nassau Stakes with her after that. We’re very happy with her and everything has gone well since Ascot.”

The unbeaten Jan Brueghel is set to run in the Group Three John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes, after which he could contest in the final British Classic of the season in the St Leger at Doncaster in September.

“The plan with Jan Brueghel is the Gordon Stakes. We always thought he was going to stay and could stay further,” O’Brien said.

“We’re very happy with him. He’s a very relaxed and laid-back horse who has had two lovely runs this year. We thought this would fit into his programme well.”

The Lillie Langtry trophy has never made its way back to Ballydoyle but O’Brien is hoping Grateful can change that when she flies the flag for the stable in the Group Two.

“She’s a Galileo filly and she’s the last of the Galileo’s out of Tepin. She has the most incredible pedigree,” he said.

“We were delighted with her last time when she stepped up in distance. She was still green when she got to the front. Ronan Whelan rode her and thought she would come forward again.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns