Tag Archive for: Luxembourg

Luxembourg aiming to finish on a high in Hong Kong

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Luxembourg will try to end his career on a high when he lines up in Sunday’s Longines Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin.

The five-year-old will take up stallion duties in the new year and bows out a Group One winner in each of his four seasons racing, with this year’s top-level strike coming in the Coronation Cup at Epsom back in May.

He has been unplaced in three subsequent runs, most recently when sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar, and moves up to 12 furlongs in the Vase this time after being beaten just a short head by Romantic Warrior in the shorter Hong Kong Cup last year.

Luxembourg (first left) with his Aidan O'Brien stablemates at Sha Tin
Luxembourg (first left) with his Aidan O’Brien stablemates at Sha Tin (HKJC)

O’Brien said: “We thought he ran a great race last year. He’s a very high-class horse. Last year he was coming home very well and he was just beaten on the line, it looked as if we’d had run him over a mile and a half it would have suited him.

“He ran a very good race in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, much better than you’d think. He’s off to stud after this. He’s been a great horse, big, strong and consistent. Obviously, he wasn’t always first string, but we’re looking forward to it, see what happens.”

O’Brien has previously won the race with dual scorer Highland Reel (2015 and 2017) and Mogul (2020) and he has another string to his bow in last year’s St Leger winner Continuous, although he has struggled to find his stride this season.

Continuous won last year's St Leger at Doncaster
Continuous won last year’s St Leger at Doncaster (Tim Goode/PA)

“Continuous is probably more forward than he’s been all year,” the trainer added.

“Things haven’t really worked for him yet this year but he is in good form, very happy with his work. A mile and a half and nice ground should be fine for him.”

The Marco Botti-trained Giavellotto and William Haggas’ Dubai Honour also line up, with Iresine and Marquisat running for French handlers Jean-Pierre Gauvin and Andre Fabre respectively.

O’Brien will be represented in the Longines Hong Kong Cup in which local favourite Romantic Warrior is a short price to claim an unprecedented third victory.

Yorkshire Oaks winner Content and Breeders’ Cup Turf fifth Wingspan line up for the Ballydoyle trainer in a race which also features Andrew Balding’s The Foxes and Spirit Dancer, who is hunting another big international prize for Richard Fahey and his ownership group that includes Sir Alex Ferguson.

Content claimed the Yorkshire Oaks in August
Content claimed the Yorkshire Oaks in August (Mike Egerton/PA)

“We had the choice of the races for Wingspan and we think the mile and a quarter will be fine for her,” O’Brien said.

“Content can be keen and we think the pace of the race will suit her. She ran in America last time (sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf) and the pace wasn’t really fast enough for her. We thought going back will suit and get her relaxed.”

Docklands will wear blinkers for the first time in the Longines Hong Kong Mile after two Australian runs for Harry Eustace, having found Via Sistina a tough nut to crack in both the Cox Plate and Champions Stakes.

Eustace told Grosvenor Sport: “We are going to use the blinkers with him on Sunday for the first time in a race. Even though he’s coming here after what might look like middling runs on paper, we have reason to believe there’s more to come from him. Back to the mile, blinkers on, and with a top international jockey in Mark Zahra booked, we can’t wait for Sunday.

“I think he will be a good each-way bet. He always turns up, and for me, he ran two excellent races in Australia, and he hasn’t thrown in a dud yet. He’s a solid chance of running into the places.”

Eustace added: “There’s no doubt that he’s earnt a holiday after his travels! He’ll return to the UK after this run and understandably we’ll have our eyes firmly fixed on the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot again. We’ll see what we do after that, but it’s no secret that we’d love to come back to Australia. Fingers crossed for a big run on Sunday to round off what’s been one hell of a trip.”

Starlust goes for gold in the Hong Kong Sprint
Starlust goes for gold in the Hong Kong Sprint (HKJC)

Ramadan changed hands for €1.5million after winning at the Arc meeting and he makes what is likely to be his first and only start for James Ferguson, as he is due to continue his career in Hong Kong.

Breeders’ Cup winner Starlust represents trainer Ralph Beckett and jockey Rossa Ryan in the Longines Hong Kong Sprint but will have to contend with local sensation Ka Ying Rising.

Beckett said: “We’ve come to the conclusion that a flat track around a bend suits him best so the way it sets up here is ideal for him. He came out of Del Mar in good shape.

“Everything went his way that day at Del Mar, I’m well aware of that, but you’ve still got to get it done and he did. I think there’s a good chance he’ll run well on Sunday, but we shall see whether that’s good enough.”



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Luxembourg taking on National Hunt stallion duties

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Four-time Group One winner Luxembourg has been retired to Castlehyde Stud to stand as a National Hunt stallion for Coolmore.

The son of Camelot struck at elite level at two, three, four and five, starting out with an odds-on success in Doncaster’s Futurity Trophy as a juvenile.

After being placed in the 2000 Guineas, he was forced to sidestep the Derby through injury but recovered to claim the Irish Champion Stakes ahead of Onesto and Prix du Jockey Club and Eclipse hero Vadeni.

Luxembourg battled to victory in the 2023 Tattersalls Gold Cup and was runner-up in three more top-tier contests that term, while this year he prevailed in the Coronation Cup at Epsom.

Described by Aidan O’Brien as “a very serious horse” who is “tough and has loads of class”, he does have something of a jumping pedigree on his dam Attire’s side, with Grade Two-winning hurdler Forgotten Voice and Midlands Grand National victor Big Occasion among her siblings.

Coolmore’s Cathal Murphy said: “We’re delighted to have Luxembourg join our team here in Castlehyde.

“He has a very similar profile to the much-missed Fame And Glory, in that he is a Group One winner at two, three, four and five years and he is also from that wonderful Montjeu sire-line.

“Physically, he ticks every box, he has all the size, scope, strength and action you could ask for and he has shown incredible soundness and resilience throughout his extraordinary career. I have no doubt that Luxembourg will be a big hit with breeders.”



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O’Brien backing Luxembourg to improve with age

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Multiple Group One winner Luxembourg starts his season in the Howden Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh on Saturday, with trainer Aidan O’Brien expecting him to return better than ever this year.

The five-year-old was last seen finishing a close second to Romantic Warrior in the Hong Kong Cup, prior to which he was runner-up in both the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

His season did include a win, however, and a significant one at that, as he landed the Tattersalls Gold Cup at elite level at the Curragh in May.

There had been discussions about starting his campaign in the Saudi Cup itself and experimenting with running the son of Camelot on dirt for the first time, but it was ultimately decided that he would stick to turf for now.

“We’re looking forward to it, we were surprised at the way he got over the (dirt) track,” said O’Brien.

Luxembourg winning the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes
Luxembourg in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (Donall Farmer/PA)

“Everyone’s very excited to see him. He’s a big, powerful, long-striding horse. A good, scopey horse, with a good mind and very sound.

“We think we haven’t seen the best of him yet, all through this year and next year he’s going to be a horse to really look forward to.

“He’s big with a long stride and often those types of horses take until four or five to really become strong enough to use their stride.

“He had a lean enough body, but his body is getting stronger all the time.”

Luxembourg (right) finishing second to stablemate Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes
Luxembourg (right) finishing second to stablemate Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes (Damien Eagers/PA)

“We were in two minds about it, the Saudi Cup is probably the most exciting race in the world. We were going to go there and take our chance, but then last minute we thought it was the wrong thing for the horse this early in the season.

“It’s the race everyone wants to win and we nearly did it, maybe we thought it might be safer to do it the other way and maybe we could go there with him next year.

“We will experiment, maybe we should have done it this time but we definitely will, he could go to Dubai and it’s very possible he’ll go there on the grass as well.

“Then we might think about switching over for the second half of the year, something like that.”

Also in the race are Daniel and Claire Kubler’s Astro King and Andrew Balding’s The Foxes, with John and Thady Gosden running Jack Darcy and Richard Fahey represented by Bahrain International Trophy winner Spirit Dancer.

O’Brien has a further hope at the meeting in Tower Of London, who lines up in the Red Sea Turf Handicap over a mile and seven furlongs.

Tower Of London (left) in the Bahrain Trophy Stakes
Tower Of London (left) in the Bahrain Trophy Stakes (Tim Goode/PA)

The four-year-old was twice a winner last term and was unlucky to miss out on a Group Three success when going down by just a head in the Bahrain Trophy Stakes at Newmarket.

His three-year-old season ended in September, so he returns from a significant break, but his trainer has been pleased with his preparation for the race and expects him to perform well.

“He’s been off a good while and he’s carrying a little bit of weight, but he’s been working very well,” O’Brien said.

“We always thought the trip would suit him well and this type of race would suit him well.

“He has plenty of weight but he’s a classy horse, we think that ridden a little bit patiently and gently we will see a very big run from him.”



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Luxembourg on course for Saudi trip

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Aidan O’Brien has confirmed his multiple Group One winner Luxembourg an intended runner in the $2million Howden Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia next weekend.

The son of Camelot has struck gold three times at the highest level, with a Group One juvenile win at Doncaster followed by success in the 2022 Irish Champion Stakes and last season’s Tattersalls Gold Cup.

The five-year-old had the option of having a first start on dirt in the Saudi Cup itself in Riyadh, but is instead set to stick to the Group Two turf feature on the undercard.

Aidan O'Brien (right) with Luxembourg
Aidan O’Brien (right) with Luxembourg (Damien Eagers/PA)

O’Brien said: “It’s his first run back after a little break and we just felt it (Saudi Cup) was going to be too tough a race to pitch him into for his first time on dirt.

“The competition is very strong, and he’s never run on the surface before, so we thought it was a bit too much to ask of him. The Neom Turf Cup will suit him better.”

Luxembourg was last seen going down by a short head to Romantic Warrior in the Hong Kong Cup in December and his trainer has been pleased with how he has recovered from those exertions.

“We’ve been very happy with him since Hong Kong. It was the first time he’d been on a long trip abroad and he ran a great race and took the travel very well,” O’Brien added.

Ryan Moore aboard Luxembourg
Ryan Moore aboard Luxembourg (Tim Goode/PA)

“We were very pleased with the run and he’s been in good form since. Hopefully, he runs well in the Neom Turf Cup and maybe that opens up the option of Dubai.

“He could be a horse that travels a lot over the coming year. He’s got a very high level of form and some solid foundations to build from.

“The Neom Turf Cup looks ideal. Everyone has been very complimentary about the track in Riyadh, and we think it’s a track that will really suit him, and obviously the prize-money is very good, so we had to consider it.

“The Saudi Cup meeting is a very important festival now and it’s great to be going there with a couple of good chances.”

Aidan O'Brien is looking forward to running Luxembourg in Riyadh
Aidan O’Brien is looking forward to running Luxembourg and Tower Of London in Riyadh (Mike Egerton/PA)

The Ballydoyle handler will also saddle St Leger fourth Tower Of London in the Red Sea Turf Handicap.

O’Brien said: “Tower Of London has had a good long break all winter. We’ve aimed him at the Red Sea Turf as we think both the trip and nice ground will really suit him.

“We certainly think he’s a horse that’s going to progress a lot this season, so he could be a horse that goes onto Dubai after this.”



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Luxembourg ready for Romantic Warrior battle

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Aidan O’Brien is looking forward to taking on home favourite Romantic Warrior in Sunday’s Hong Kong Cup.

Luxembourg has not been seen since almost upsetting stablemate Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes.

That form looks red-hot, with Auguste Rodin having won the Derby at Epsom and the Irish equivalent before subsequently triumphing in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

However, in Romantic Warrior, who travelled to Australia to win the Cox Plate recently, he faces a stern rival.

Luxembourg (right) went down narrowly to Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes
Luxembourg (right) went down narrowly to Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes (Damien Eagers/PA)

“He was second in the Irish Champion Stakes and then he had a foot bruise, this was a race we had our eye on with him,” said O’Brien.

“It’s going to be great, hopefully we have him right and well and hopefully we’ll be able to gauge those mile-and-a-quarter races all over the world. We’re looking forward to it.

Asked about taking on last year’s winner Romantic Warrior, O’Brien said: “He’s obviously a very good horse, Romantic Warrior, we totally respect every horse and he is very good.

“It’ll be interesting. I think it’ll be a nice race to watch and it’ll be an even-run mile and a quarter I’d imagine. Hopefully he’ll run well.”

Warm Heart was an impressive winner at Royal Ascot in June
Warm Heart was an impressive winner at Royal Ascot in June (David Davies/PA)

The Ballydoyle handler will have four runners on the card with Aesop’s Fables in the Sprint and Cairo in the Mile, while Warm Heart holds very strong claims in the Vase.

She did not win her maiden until May 7 but went on to land the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot, the Yorkshire Oaks, the Prix Vermeille and went down narrowly at the Breeders’ Cup to Inspiral over 10 furlongs.

Due to the sex allowance, Ryan Moore will get down to 117lb (less than 8st 4lb) to ride her.

“He always got on very well with her and I think he’s looking forward to it,” said O’Brien.

“She has a nice weight pull, she’s well in and is a very consistent filly. It looks like she’s a little bit better maybe at a mile and a half, Rachel (Richardson) rides her out and she’s very happy with her. She looks very well.”



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Luxembourg ruled out of Champion Stakes date

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Aidan O’Brien has been forced to rule Luxembourg out of the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot on Saturday week.

The four-year-old has won a Group One in each of his three seasons on the track but will not get the chance to add to his tally on October 21.

Having beaten Bay Bridge in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in May, he was second to Mostahdaf in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes before failing to see out a mile and a half in the King George.

He was last seen giving stablemate Auguste Rodin a fright in the Irish Champion Stakes – a race he won last season – when going down by half a length.

Champions Day had been his aim but a foot problem will prevent him from lining up.

Speaking at the Curragh on Thursday, O’Brien said: “Luxembourg doesn’t run in the Champion Stakes as he has a little bit of a foot (injury).”

Luxembourg could have international goals on his revised agenda
Luxembourg could have international goals on his revised agenda (Damien Eagers/PA)

St Leger winner Continuous could now line up in the Champion Stakes for O’Brien, with international options on the horizon for Luxembourg once he has recovered.

Expanding on the issue to Racing TV, O’Brien said: “It’s an infection in his foot, so Continuous might go instead as he came out of the Arc very well.

“It’s only an abscess, he had it four four and five days and it wasn’t clearing up. The lads had to give him a shot of Bute and put him on antibiotics and obviously when you do that, it takes him out of the race.

“He cantered this morning, he’ll do two tomorrow but obviously the race is going to come too quick now.

“There’s every chance he could run again – he could go to America, Japan or Hong Kong.”

Continuous was an impressive winner of the St Leger
Continuous was an impressive winner of the St Leger (Tim Goode/PA)

Doncaster hero Continuous would be taking another step back in distance if he lines up at Ascot, having dropped from the Leger trip of 14 furlongs to finish fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe over a mile and a half at the start of the month.

O’Brien added: “Continuous ran a great race in the Arc, he just got trapped back a bit but he finished off well and Ryan (Moore) was over the moon.

“If he goes to Ascot he won’t mind if the ground is easy or if it’s on the quicker side, he’s very versatile.”



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Breeders’ Cup bid set to beckon for Auguste Rodin

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A trip to the Breeders’ Cup looks to be on the agenda for Auguste Rodin following his thrilling return to form in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes.

On the weekend Aidan O’Brien became just the third Irish trainer to reach the 4,000 career winners landmark, the dual Derby winner provided the Ballydoyle handler his fifth straight victory in the 10-furlong Group One contest, denying stablemate Luxembourg back-to-back wins in the Leopardstown feature.

The success was made all the remarkable as it was the second time this season O’Brien and his team had conjured up a piece of magic on the training grounds as the son of Deep Impact once again proved his doubters wrong to bounce back from a bitterly disappointing display in Ascot’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

With a preference for a sound surface, the high-class colt could now have booked his ticket to Santa Anita in early November, with O’Brien believing that could be the perfect spot for the apple of his eye.

He said: The lads love the Breeders’ Cup and he’s a lovely horse for it. They will decide, but he’d love that ground.

“He’s a beautiful mover. He won in Doncaster on heavy and we couldn’t believe that he did it, but it was probably just sheer ability.

“We’ll take our time and see how he is, but I’d imagine it will be something like that (Breeders’ Cup).”

Auguste Rodin returns after winning at Leopardstown
Auguste Rodin returns after winning at Leopardstown (Damien Eagers/PA)

Luxembourg, meanwhile, could bid to better last year’s seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

O’Brien added: “He could go to the Arc. He wouldn’t mind as long as the ground is not heavy, and over a mile and a half we know to ride him like a horse that just gets a mile and a half.

“He doesn’t want to go any further, but we are learning about him all the time. It was a massive run yesterday.”



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Luxembourg and Auguste Rodin both Irish Champion-bound

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Aidan O’Brien is planning to run both last year’s winner Luxembourg and Auguste Rodin in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday week.

Luxembourg got the better of French-trained duo Onesto and Vadeni in the showpiece event of the Irish Champions Festival last season and has added the Tattersalls Gold Cup to his top-level CV this term.

His last two runs have come at Ascot as he finished second to subsequent Juddmonte International hero Mostahdaf in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes before placing fourth in the King George, a race in which his dual Derby-winning stablemate Auguste Rodin proved a bitter disappointment.

Auguste Rodin will bid to bounce back at Leopardstown
Auguste Rodin will bid to bounce back at Leopardstown (Brian Lawless/PA)

O’Brien has found no obvious reason for that listless display, but is hopeful he can bounce back at Leopardstown on September 9.

“We’re very happy with Luxembourg, everything has gone very well. The King George is a tough race and he was on the pace,” said the Ballydoyle handler.

“The plan is at the moment both he and Auguste Rodin are going to Leopardstown. Really we don’t know what happened to Auguste in the King George. He was drawn very wide and trapped very wide and he came off the bridle a lot earlier than Ryan (Moore) would have thought.

“His first impulse was to protect the horse and he was very surprised what happened. Before he had to ask too much he just pulled him up and that’s the reality of the situation.

“It’s probably a blessing in disguise as if he came off the bridle at the stage he was probably going to get a very tough race. For a baby three-year-old he was probably lucky he didn’t get into a brawl and he came home very well.”

O’Brien hinted that whatever the result at Leopardstown Auguste Rodin, a son of Japanese sire Deep Impact, is unlikely to remain in training as a four-year-old.

“He’s such a unique horse pedigree-wise he’s kind of irreplaceable really,” he said.



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Auguste Rodin aiming to add his name to an elite list

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Dual Derby hero Auguste Rodin is one of four runners for Aidan O’Brien as the master of Ballydoyle goes in search of a fifth victory in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes.

It is 22 years since the great Galileo supplemented his Derby triumphs at Epsom and the Curragh with victory in Ascot’s midsummer highlight, comfortably accounting for top-class older horse Fantastic Light.

Dylan Thomas and Duke Of Marmalade provided O’Brien with back-to-back wins in 2007 and 2008 before Highland Reel struck gold for the County Tipperary maestro in 2016 – and in Auguste Rodin he has unearthed another potential middle-distance star.

Disappointing when favourite for the 2000 Guineas in May, the son of Japanese ace Deep Impact has since proved his worth with successive Classic wins over the King George distance of a mile and a half.

Both of those triumphs did come on fast ground, though, and with an easier surface forecast for this weekend, O’Brien is hoping underfoot conditions do not deteriorate further.

He said: “We’re very happy with Auguste Rodin and everything has gone very well since the last day.

“The better the ground, the better it will suit him. We wouldn’t want it getting any worse. We’ll definitely walk the track, obviously.

“He’s a beautiful mover, he doesn’t raise his feet much.”

Auguste Rodin is joined by a trio of stablemates in Luxembourg, Point Lonsdale and Bolshoi Ballet.

Luxembourg is a top-class horse in his own right
Luxembourg is a top-class horse in his own right (Donall Farmer/PA)

While the latter pair are three-figure prices with some bookmakers, it would be dangerous to dismiss Luxembourg, who has won an Irish Champion Stakes and a Tattersalls Gold Cup at Group One level over a mile and a quarter and was second to Mostahdaf in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.

He finished seventh in last season’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on his only previous outing over a mile and a half and O’Brien does not view the longer trip as an issue.

“Luxembourg is very straightforward. He’ll love a mile and a half and will get the trip very well. He’s very fit and everything has gone really well since the last day,” he added.

“It’s a race we were always looking at with him and we thought it was going to suit. He’s solid, has had his two runs and he’s ready.

“It’s a great race and that’s what everyone wants all the time, the best horses all together and then let it happen. That’s what we all want to see win, lose or draw.”

Ryan Moore has a couple of King George wins on his illustrious CV courtesy of Conduit (2009) and Highland Reel and of the O’Brien quartet has unsurprisingly sided with Auguste Rodin.

However, he feels all four are worthy of their place in a stellar renewal and is certainly taking nothing for granted.

“This is clearly as deep a King George as we have seen in a fair while, even with the absence of Desert Crown and three others from the five-day stage, and it is no exaggeration to say that they all have a chance of winning,” the jockey told Betfair.

“Obviously, some a lot more than others, as the betting tells you, but you couldn’t totally dismiss any of these, as the likely outsiders Bolshoi Ballet and Point Lonsdale are Grade One and Group Two winners respectively.

Ryan Moore after winning the Derby on Auguste Rodin
Ryan Moore after winning the Derby on Auguste Rodin (David Davies/The Jockey Club)

“We’d like to think Auguste Rodin is towards the top of the list of the most likely winners though, and he comes into the race on the back of his two Derby wins. Some crabbed the manner of his win at the Curragh last time but I’ll take a Classic success however it lands – and he did it comfortably enough anyway, from a very good horse (Adelaide River).

“It is probably fair to say his defeat of King Of Steel at Epsom reads a lot better, as the runner-up showed how good that form was when winning at Royal Ascot. That was a strong Derby, and we expect him to be very competitive here.”

Moore has steered Luxembourg to all three of his top-level wins and views him as a major danger, adding: “Luxembourg is also a proper Group One horse, just rated 1lb inferior to Auguste Rodin, and he has unfinished business at this trip after an inconclusive run in very deep ground in the Arc.

“A win for him wouldn’t surprise me at all, as I don’t think a mile and a half is an issue for him, but the same goes for the likes of Hukum and Emily Upjohn to name just two, a Classic winner in Westover and last year’s winner Pyledriver.

“This race is as good as it gets in recent years, certainly in terms of depth, but luck in running will play its part with 11 runners, and Luxembourg is drawn one and Auguste Rodin in 11, which may have their challenges – but you play the hand you are dealt.

“I’d be most wary of Emily Upjohn, who I probably think has the best form coming into the race after her second to Paddington in the Eclipse.”



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Phoenix date next on the radar for Guineas favourite River Tiber

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Aidan O’Brien has mapped out a three-race plan for his unbeaten juvenile River Tiber.

The Wootton Bassett colt looked something out the ordinary when scoring by 10 lengths on his racecourse debut at Navan in April and doubled up at Naas the following month.

Having completed his hat-trick in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, River Tiber heads ante-post lists for next year’s Qipco 2000 Guineas and looks set to step up in trip before the season is out.

For now, though, O’Brien is happy to stick to six furlongs, with the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on August 12 next on his star two-year-old’s agenda.

“Everything is good and the plan at the moment is to go to the Heinz (Phoenix) at the Curragh,” said the Ballydoyle handler.

“He’s just having a little bit of an easy time, but that’s what we’re thinking at the moment, staying at six furlongs, and if everything went well then he could step up to seven in the National Stakes.

“If that went well, he could go on to the Dewhurst, so they are the three races that are on his programme at the moment. Obviously it can all change very quickly.”

O’Brien also provided an update on Luxembourg after connections decided against allowing him to join stablemate Paddington in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday.

Luxembourg after winning last year's Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown
Luxembourg after winning last year’s Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown (Donall Farmer/PA)

He added: “He was only going to be a possible for the Eclipse if Paddington didn’t run, he is in the King George and he’ll be trained for that, I think.

“We’re looking at that for Auguste Rodin as well obviously and I would imagine if Auguste is going there Luxembourg might have to stand back again.

“We’ll wait and see, but at the moment he (Luxembourg) is on the King George programme.”



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King George rematch on the cards for Luxembourg and Adayar

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Luxembourg and Adayar look set renew rivalry at Ascot next month after filling the places in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Luxembourg was the marginal favourite at 2-1 for what appeared a strong renewal of the feature event on day two of the Royal meeting and set out to make every yard of the running in the hands of Ryan Moore.

The three-time Group One winner was powerless to resist the late surge of the impressive Mostahdaf, but stuck to his guns to fill the runner-up spot and O’Brien is keen to step up to a mile and a half in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes on July 29.

“We’re very happy and the winner won very well,” said the Ballydoyle handler.

“The plan was that we would have a look at the King George after this anyway. That’s possible, so we’ll see how he is. He was always going to get a mile and a half well.”

Adayar won the Derby and the King George during the summer of 2021 and Charlie Appleby was keen to enhance his potential stallion value by bagging a Group One over a mile and a quarter this term.

However, after seeing his charge beaten four and a half lengths by Mostahdaf, the Moulton Paddocks maestro admitted he appears to be “crying out” for a return to a longer trip, therefore another King George challenge appears the logical target.

Adayar winning the 2021 King George at Ascot
Adayar winning the 2021 King George at Ascot (Nigel French/PA)

“The way the race was set up wasn’t ideal for us. He was a little bit tardy from the gate and we wanted to either be on the lead or sit second to the American horse, but we ended up in the spot we thought Ryan might end up, that was our plan,” he said.

“I was pleased with the horse in respects to the fractions that were set, it was set up for a turn of foot at the end and the winner is good at that.

“I feel for our fella, we’ll step back up to a mile and a half now and go for the King George, that’s what he’s crying out for.

“We’ve had a go over 10 furlongs with him, but against the very best he’s just come up a little short a couple of times. But I’m not walking away too disappointed. If he can reclaim the King George, we’ll be very happy.”



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Marquand hoping this is My Prospero’s time to shine

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Tom Marquand heads into Wednesday’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes with a sense of frustration.

He rides My Prospero in the 10-furlong Group One contest which, in terms of quality, looks to be the cherry on the icing of the Royal Ascot cake.

Trained by William Haggas, My Prospero was beaten a neck in the St James’s Palace Stakes at the meeting last year.

He was also beaten half a length Bay Bridge, who reopposes, in the Champion Stakes over the same Ascot mile and a quarter he faces on Wednesday, a race remembered for being the brilliant Baaeed’s last run and sole defeat in his career.

This is a game of fine margins and after a sharpener over a mile on his return when fourth in the Lockinge at Newbury, Marquand hopes the Iffraaj colt can finally get his just rewards.

“He had that run to open him up and, as we expected, the mile was a bit sharp, so going back up to 10 furlongs plays to his strengths,” said the jockey.

“It’s a hot renewal – probably the race of the week and fantastic for racing, but frustrating for us.

“Looking back at the run in the Champion Stakes, the change in tempo at the bend caught us out a bit. Being beaten so narrowly after that you hope you’ve got a good chance of beating them next time.

“It certainly feels like we haven’t had a true chance to show what is exactly there yet, which makes it pretty exciting.”

Adayar took the Gordon Richards in style at Newmarket
Adayar took the Gordon Richards in style at Newmarket (Nigel French/PA)

My Prospero was a nose behind runner-up Adayar in the Champion Stakes and the 2021 Derby winner, who won the Gordon Richards over this distance at Newmarket on his return with some ease, comes into the race with plenty of confidence behind him.

“We have been delighted with how Adayar has come forward since the Gordon Richards Stakes,” trainer Charlie Appleby told www.godolphin.com.

“It’s a very strong renewal but Adayar is in great shape and we are very much looking forward to it. The target this season has been to win a Group One over a mile and a quarter and this will hopefully be his opportunity.”

The Champion Stakes, part of the Qipco British Champions Series, saw Sir Michael Stoute’s Bay Bridge triumphant.

However, he has been narrowly beaten twice subsequently, in the Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp on his return in April and by Luxembourg in the Tattersalls Gold Cup.

Consequently, Bay Bridge is joint-third best in the betting with My Prospero, although with plenty of rain falling ahead of the start of the meeting and heavy showers in the forecast, connections return to Ascot with plenty of optimism.

Bay Bridge and Richard Kingscote will hope to return to the Ascot winner's enclosure
Bay Bridge and Richard Kingscote will hope to return to the Ascot winner’s enclosure (John Walton/PA)

James Savage, Stoute’s assistant trainer, said: “It is what we expected, a very strong renewal. The mile-and-a-quarter division is as strong as I have seen.

“He took a step forward for every run last year. He took a massive step forward from France to the Curragh, running a big race behind Luxembourg, and we expect him to improve again at Ascot. He has trained very well.

“We are still very respectful of the opposition and if Ascot gets the forecast rain that would be positive, but he showed he is effective on good ground at the Curragh.”

Last season’s Irish Champion Stakes hero, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Luxembourg, tops the market.

The lightly-raced four-year-old, the winner of six of his nine starts, made all in the Tattersalls Gold Cup under Ryan Moore.

Luxembourg beat Bay Bridge at the Curragh last time
Luxembourg beat Bay Bridge at the Curragh last time (Niall Carson/PA)

O’Brien said: “I’m happy with him and he progressed nicely at the Curragh from the first day to the second. I was delighted he made the running which leaves him versatile as to tactics in the race.”

Kenny McPeek sends US Grade One winner Classic Causeway over for his British debut, although he will be the big outsider of the sextet, while Mostahdaf completes the line-up.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the five-year-old was last seen finishing seven lengths adrift of Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan in March.

He has fallen short in his three attempts in top-class company but Angus Gold, racing manager to Sheikha Hissa’s Shadwell operation, hopes Jim Crowley’s mount will run with credit now that he drops back in trip.

“It’s a really hot race. He’s done us proud in the winter and won a lot of money in his two runs abroad,” said Gold.

“He’s a horse for Sheikha Hissa and her family to enjoy, he’s very consistent and if he’s good enough to win a Prince of Wales’s, Wednesday will tell us.

“He’s never been short of speed and there had been a train of thought, even before Dubai, that a mile and a quarter would be his best.

“He didn’t finish off his race in Dubai, to the degree people said he doesn’t stay, but equally he was the one horse off the bend who went to have a crack at Equinox and he paid the price for that later on.

“I’m not saying he doesn’t get a mile and a half, but he definitely has the pace to be competitive over a mile and a quarter.

“He’s given us all some great days and it will be fun to see where he fits in. He loves fast ground, though.”



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Big guns stand ground for Prince of Wales’s showdown

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Adayar, Luxembourg and Bay Bridge will clash in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

A field of six line up in the day two feature, which promises to be a mouthwatering affair despite the enforced absence of last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown.

Winner of the Epsom Classic himself in 2021, the Charlie Appleby-trained Adayar looked as good as ever on his return in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket.

Ryan Moore with Luxembourg at the Curragh
Ryan Moore with Luxembourg at the Curragh (Niall Carson/PA)

Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg, meanwhile, was an all-the-way winner from Sir Michael Stoute’s Bay Bridge – who beat Adayar in the Champion Stakes at Ascot – in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.

Born To Rock (Jane Chapple-Hyam) and Beautiful Diamond (Karl Burke) head the market for the Queen Mary, which also features intriguing American challengers in the shape of Bundchen (Wesley Ward) and Crimson Advocate (George Weaver).

In the Royal Hunt Cup, Frankie Dettori will carry the silks of the King and Queen aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained Reach For The Moon.

Although Laurel was not declared for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, it could still be a big day for the Gosdens and Dettori, as they also have Gregory in the 14-strong Queen’s Vase – where the Stoute-trained Circle Of Fire is the royal representative with Richard Kingscote in the saddle.



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Big guns stand ground in tantalising Prince of Wales’s Stakes

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Charlie Appleby’s 2021 Derby and King George hero Adayar will face a maximum of seven rivals in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

The son of Frankel was brilliant in winning at Epsom and Ascot respectively a couple of years ago, but endured an interrupted four-year-old campaign last season, making it to the track on only two occasions.

Adayar readily dispatched of a couple of rivals on his Doncaster comeback before finishing second in the Champion Stakes – and proved his ability remains very much intact when beating subsequent Group One winner Anmaat in last month’s Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket.

Luxembourg after winning the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh
Luxembourg after winning the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh (Niall Carson/PA)

The five-year-old disputes favouritism for the Group One feature on day two of the Royal meeting with Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg.

The Camelot colt is following a tried-and-tested route, having won the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on his most recent outing, his third win at Group One level.

He looks set to renew rivalry with Sir Michael Stoute’s Bay Bridge, who beat Adayar in the Champion Stakes in October and was only half a length behind Luxembourg in Ireland a few weeks ago.

O’Brien’s apparent second string Bolshoi Ballet, the William Haggas-trained pair of Dubai Honour and My Prospero, John and Thady Gosden’s Mostahdaf and Kenny McPeek’s American raider Classic Causeway complete the potential field.

The seven-race card gets under way with the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes, which has attracted 33 speedy juvenile fillies. Leading contenders include Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Born To Rock, Karl Burke’s Beautiful Diamond and Crimson Advocate, a trans-Atlantic challenger for George Weaver.

Joseph O’Brien appears to have a particularly strong hand in the other Group Two on the card – the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.

The Owning Hill handler is responsible for three of the 15 fillies still in contention, with ante-post favourite Jumbly joined by Goldana and Honey Girl.

John Gosden is hoping Laurel can show her true colours in the one-mile contest after disappointing against the boys in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

“I think she somewhat over-raced and was too fresh (in the Lockinge),” he told Sky Sports Racing.

“The Shadwell horse (Mutasaabeq) went a blistering gallop, she didn’t think that was fast enough and started taking Frankie on and naturally paid the price between the two and the one.

“I think having got that behind her now – that exuberance and that freshness – I hope she will run more of a race where she builds a rhythm and finishes strongly.

“She was a filly who was really immature as a two-year-old and only came to herself really late on. She’s a filly who I think has improved again between three and four and I’m hopeful of a big run.”

A total of 33 entries have been made for the Kensington Palace Fillies’ Handicap, while 61 have horses have stood their ground for the Royal Hunt Cup, with Migration heading the weights and the King’s Saga also in the mix.

Arrest, a Derby disappointment for the Gosdens, heads 22 contenders for the Queen’s Vase and 46 go forward for the concluding Windsor Castle Stakes.



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Setback rules Desert Crown out of Prince of Wales’s Stakes

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Desert Crown will miss the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, Sir Michael Stoute has confirmed.

Last year’s Derby winner was on course for a clash with Adayar, Luxembourg and stablemate Bay Bridge in the 10-furlong Group One contest on June 21, having produced a scintillating piece of work under Ryan Moore on Wednesday.

However, after a routine canter under Ted Durcan on Saturday morning, he was found to be lame.

A market drifter on the exchanges on Sunday morning, asked if all was well with the colt, Stoute told the PA news agency: “No. He’s not running, no. He’s a non-runner.”

Desert Crown cruised to success in the premier Classic, but picked up an ankle injury and was not seen again until reappearing in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown last month.

Though he looked better than ever beforehand, he was defeated in the dying strides by last season’s Coronation Cup winner Hukum, who was similarly coming back after a year on the sidelines.

Frankie Dettori was booked to ride the son of Nathaniel at Royal Ascot, replacing Richard Kingscote, but Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail, added: “I knew they weren’t happy with him yesterday morning.

“He worked well on Wednesday. He doesn’t usually work like a rocket. His general work practice is to go steady early and to quicken.

“I didn’t see him yesterday. He worked nicely and I believe it was on his own. His final gallop was going to be next Tuesday or Wednesday with Dettori on him.

“I thought he won’t be doing too much. That was at 10 o’clock in the morning. At 12 o’clock, I heard he was a bit lame.

“They were having a good look at him. Injuries so close this time to the race mean you don’t take chances.”

Desert Crown’s absence leaves the Charlie Appleby-trained Adayar and Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg in a battle for Prince of Wales’s favouritism.

The latter landed the Tattersalls Gold Cup from Bay Bridge last month, and his Ballydoyle handler reported him on course for Ascot.

“The plan is to go for the Prince of Wales’s. Everything so far is going well,” said O’Brien, speaking after saddling the exciting Pearls And Rubies to victory at Navan.

“What was good the last day was it showed that he didn’t mind being ridden in front if he had to be. (We have) options.”



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