Europe

Nicky Henderson has been awarded the Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy, which commemorates the person or person whom the Goffs UK Board feel have made the biggest contribution to the success of the company during that year. The award was presented at Newbury this past Saturday. Training out of Seven Barrows Stables, the multiple champion trainer has had many talented horses pass through his care, not least Goffs UK alumni Constitution Hill (Blue Bresil) and Jonbon (Walk In The Park), who have won 18 Grade 1 races between them. Said Goffs...

Guy Petit has been appointed as bloodstock director at AKTEM, the new auction house in France which is scheduled to hold its first sales in February next year. A bloodstock agent for more than 30 years, Petit has sourced top-class National Hunt performers such as Min, Royale Pagaille and Thousand Stars, as well as the Grand National winner Mon Mome. On the Flat, his high-profile purchases include the Group 1 winners Rougir and Tribhuvan. "I am delighted by this new challenge, which allows me to move to the other side...

The G2 Richmond Stakes winner and G1 Dewhurst Stakes runner-up Royal Scotsman will take up stallion duties at Michael Swinburn's Genesis Green Stud in 2026. He will stand for a fee of £6,000, in partnership with owners Jim and Fitri Hay. Bred by Rabbah Bloodstock, Royal Scotsman is out of the 100-rated Cheveley Park Stud-bred mare Enrol (Pivotal) and was consigned by Genesis Green Stud when fetching 125,000gns at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. He won the Richmond after finishing a close-up third behind Bradsell in the...

Prize-money at Ascot Racecourse will be a record £19.4 million in 2026, an increase of £1.65 million on this year. Figures exclude the industry-owned QIPCO British Champions Day. Across 25 racedays, 88 of Ascot's 169 races (52%) will have a higher total prize fund than in 2025, with all races on the Flat worth £25,000 or more. Royal Ascot will be worth £10.65 million, from £10.05 million. Increases have been made across the Royal Ascot programme, with all eight Group 1 races now worth a minimum of £700,000 (including two...

NEWMARKET, UK -- Britain doesn't yet have its own equivalent of the Irish Stallion Trail or La Route des Etalons, but credit must go to the seven farms in and around Newmarket that have thrown open their doors to breeders for an extended run to coincide with the concluding sessions of the Tattersalls December Sale. Opening times over the next few days vary for each farm but, on Sunday, it was possible to view 26 stallions parading within a 30-mile radius of British Flat racing's headquarters. Spared the fuss of...

The aptly-named Easy has been billed as one of the star attractions to Monday's Sceptre Sessions at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale and Brian Slattery says that the Listed-winning daughter of Kodiac boasts "international appeal" and a successful sale would put the cherry on top of what has been a dream year for his brother and trainer, Andy.  The landscape of Irish racing has changed even in the past few years alone. The bigger trainers have become behemoths and it has become harder and harder for the middle to lower...

TOKYO, JAPAN -- It turns out that it takes the world's best horse to win what will surely be judged for the second time in three years to have been the world's best race. For 20 years the Europeans have come and failed to conquer, but Calandagan (Gleneagles), already at the summit of the world rankings for 2025 and with Mount Fuji as the backdrop for his most towering challenge to date, lowered the record of the great Almond Eye when outbattling race favourite Masquerade Ball (Duramente) to win the...

TOKYO, JAPAN -- In a special ceremony at Tokyo racecourse prior to the 45th running of the Japan Cup, history was made when brothers Teruya and Katsumi Yoshida became the first Japanese members of the Jockey Club. The major owner-breeders and owners respectively of Shadai Farm and Northern Farm, Teruya, 78, and Katsumi, 77, were presented with lapel badges by senior steward Baroness Dido Harding to mark their honorary membership. Baroness Harding was joined in Tokyo by Jockey Club CEO Jim Mullen, assistant racing and international director Matthew Woolston, and...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Heads In Beds at Del Mar. Hello Youmzain Filly Wins At Del Mar    Heads In Beds (Hello Youmzain) broke her maiden at Del Mar for Phil D'Amato on November 28 (video). Owned by Bridlewood Farm, e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables and Michael Dubb, the three-year-old filly was bred by Mette Campbell Andenaes. Mandore International Agency bought the winner on behalf of...

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan, post time: 15:40, JAPAN CUP-G1, ¥960,400,000, 3yo/up, 2400mT Field: Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Croix Du Nord (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), Cosmo Kuranda (Jpn) (Al Ain {Jpn}), Deep Monster (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Sunrise Earth (Jpn) (Rey De Oro {Jpn}), Ho O Biscuits (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Jpn}), Seiun Hades (Jpn) (Silver State {Jpn}), Struve (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), Admire Terra (Jpn) (Rey De Oro {Jpn}), Yoho Lake (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Brede Weg (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}),...

Minella Racing's Minella Academy (Sea The Moon) was knocked down for £370,000 during the Goffs Coral Gold Cup Sale at Newbury on Saturday. Sold as lot 6 to Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins, the three-year-old won his hurdle debut at Cork by eight lengths earlier this month. His granddam, Last Second (Alzao), won the G2 Sun Chariot Stakes, G2 Nassau Stakes and G3 Park Stakes and was second in the G1 Coronation Stakes. At stud, she left 10 winners from 15 foals, among them multiple top-level winner and French Classic...

Oh to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond. Coming in at 170,000gns, West Moor Stud's Havana Grey colt didn't just stand out on the final day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, he towered above the opposition. Bought on behalf of Yeomanstown Stud by bloodstock agent Hamish Macauley, the Havana Grey colt was said to have stacked up well even against the Friday foals.  "The best foal here today and he would have stood up well yesterday," Macaulay said shortly after signing the docket. "He has size and...