Europe

In a book recently published by his son, Mick Channon's second profession is bleakly defined as an exercise in "introducing successful people to failure." In reality, of course, as a man who has famously mastered two very different walks of sporting life--first as an international footballer, and now as a racehorse trainer--Channon enables his clients to share a nearly unique brand of success. Even so, this time of year presents him with two imperatives that are very difficult to reconcile. On the one hand, he would love his clients to...

The sales of a share each in leading young sires Siyouni (Fr) and Le Havre (Ire) on Arqana Online concluded on Tuesday, with Merry Fox Stud securing the share in Siyouni for €340,000 and the China Horse Club prevailing for the share in Le Havre for €355,000. Gary Hadden, acting on behalf of Merry Fox Stud, bested six other bidders for the share in Siyouni, who will stand for €45,000 at the Aga Khan's Haras de Bonneval next year. The share in Le Havre, who will stand for €60,000 next...

The Tattersalls December Sale moves into its next phase on Wednesday with the first of four sessions of foal sales at Park Paddocks in Newmarket. The catalogue is organised on a rising tide basis, with 1,135 lots slated to sell between Nov. 23 and 26. The lineup includes 104 foals by the current top 10 active British and Irish sires and 216 by the current top 20. There are siblings to 147 stakes winners catalogued. Perennial leading sire Galileo (Ire) is represented by a lone offering, a daughter of the...

A filly foal by Frankel (GB) is one of five wildcards added to Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale. All five wildcards will go through the ring on the opening day of the sale Dec. 3. Consigned by Haras des Capucines, the Frankel filly (lot 170) is out of the listed winner Ascot Family (Ire) (Desert Style), and is therefore a half-sister to G2 Prix Robert Papin winner Family One (Fr) (Dubai Destination) and the stakes-placed Modern Family (Fr) (Excellent Art {GB}). Group 1 winners G Force (Ire), Flotilla (Fr) and...

Sportech has gained a contract with Tote Ireland to strengthen and expand its suite of pari-mutuel betting technologies and services used by 26 racecourses in Ireland. Sportech, which has been the technology and service provider to Tote Ireland since 1999, has gained a contract of five years plus five one-year options. Among other things, Sportech will provide an upgrade to Tote Ireland's pari-mutuel betting system to deliver more features and functionality to punters. Tim Higgins, CEO of Tote Ireland, said, "Tote Ireland have a long and productive business relationship with...

12.40 Chantilly, Debutantes, €27,000, 2yo, c/g, 8f (AWT) NORMANDY SPIRIT (IRE) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) represents the Freddy Head stable responsible for crafting the career of his G1 Prix Jean Prat, G1 Prix du Moulin and G1 Queen Elizabeth II S.-winning full-brother Charm Spirit (Ire). Representing Olivier Thomas and his breeders Ecurie des Monceaux, the bay encounters a Wertheimer homebred in Erikha (GB) (Shamardal) whose listed-winning dam Only Green (Ire) (Green Desert) is a half to the MG1SW Occupandiste (Ire) (Kaldoun {Fr}).

A little over 137 million gns has been spent on yearlings at Tattersalls throughout 2016, with the company's one-day December auction adding a further 4,377,500gns to the tally to ensure a record figure for the year. It was a case of 'if at first you don't succeed' for the Frankel (GB) half-brother to multiple Group winner Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), who, after failing to meet his reserve when offered at Keeneland in September, played a leading role in Newmarket on Monday, topping the session at 250,000gns. The son of the...

After failing to reach his reserve when bought in at $325,000 at Keeneland's September Yearling Sale, Mount Brilliant Farm's Frankel half-brother to Godolphin's dual Australian Group 1 winner Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}) is currently the top lot at Tattersalls as its one-day December Yearling Sale draws to a close in Newmarket. Offered for sale by Highclere Stud, where the bay colt was foaled, he will be trained by Ed Dunlop for an unspecified client.

It seems a long time since a jet-lagged young Englishman was given a tour of the New Zealand stud where he hoped to learn something about the coalface of the bloodstock business. "Don't worry mate," Ed Harper was told, as he blearily took his post for a debut night shift. "It'll be quiet tonight." By daybreak he had presided over six foalings, by torchlight in a relentless downpour. "And one of the mares died of a prolapsed uterus, at the time the most horrific thing I'd ever seen," Harper remembers...

Not many 31-year-olds have the distinction of breeding a Classic winner, but Peter Kelly of Ballybin Stud has achieved that professional milestone quite early in his career. When Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) got the better of Cartier Horse Of The Year Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in this year's G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas, however, it was a rather bittersweet moment for Kelly, as he had sold Mean Lae (Ire) (Johannesburg), the dam of Jet Setting, to a colleague of his two years previously. Kelly isn't one to dwell...

Two of Hong Kong's most progressive horses were each sent off as odds-on favorites in Class 2 events late on the Sunday program at Sha Tin, but each tasted defeat for the second time in their respective careers. 'TDN Rising Star' Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal) was the $15 (1-2) favourite in race nine, a 1600-metre event, and was once again off a beat slowly before lagging well behind the field and racing erratically at times down the backstretch. Trailing the field as they entered the final 450 metres, Pakistan Star...

Bahana (NZ) (Elusive City) completed a fairy tale weekend for trainer Stephen Gray, winning this richest race on the domestic racing calendar to add to the victory of Lim's Cruiser (Aus) (Casino Prince {Aus}) in Friday's EW Barker Trophy. A two-time graduate of New Zealand Bloodstock sales, Bahana entered the Gold Cup having won half of his 12 career appearances and two straight, a BM89 over 2000m Oct. 9 ahead of a battling success in the El Dorado Classic, the course-and-distance prep, Oct. 30. With Craig Williams flown in especially...