Europe

When the Sir Mark Prescott trained Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) won the Listed Land O'Burns S. at Ayr in June in facile fashion she seemed to have all the hallmarks of a Group 1 sprinter. However having been beaten in two subsequent pattern races she went off a 16/1 shot when tackling Group 1 company for the first time in the Qatar Prix de l'Abbaye at Chantilly on Arc day. However the Elite Racing Club homebred rose to the occasion beating Washington DC (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Mecca's Angel (Ire)...

Dubawi may have ruled Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale but his Darley stud mate Shamardal took his turn in the spotlight on the opening day of Book 2 with Mountain View Stud's colt (lot 571) making his way onto Shadwell's list for the session's top price of 250,000gns. Shamardal has already worked well with this particular family, providing G3 Killavullan S. winner Dubai Prince (Ire), a half-brother to the colt's dam Dehbanu (Ire) (King's Best) who was bought by breeder Rory Mahon for 67,000gns in December 2011 in...

2.10 Leicester, Mdn, £8,000, 2yo, 8f 6yT FIRST NATION (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) debuts in a hot contest for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby and is a half-brother to the G1 St Leger and G1 Hong Kong Vase hero Mastery (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}). Joined by the operation's fellow newcomer King's Shadow (Distorted Humor), a $200,000 KEESEP Saeed bin Suroor-trained son of the GI Vanity H. heroine Love Theway Youare (Arch), he will have to be smart to overcome Azam (GB) (Dansili {GB}), Al Mirqab Racing's 260,000gns son of the GII New York...

Galileo (Ire), like just about every Thoroughbred, has a male line tracing to Eclipse, the legendary horse whose name lives on in the phrase "Eclipse first, the rest nowhere." I have recounted before how this phrase came about, on the day that Eclipse made his debut in May 1769. Contesting a race scheduled to be run in three four-mile heats, the son of Marske and Spiletta won the first heat so impressively that the famous gambler Dennis O'Kelly claimed he could predict the exact result of the second heat. For...

The fourth Group 1 on Ascot's card on Saturday is the QIPCO British Champions Fillies And Mares S. and last year's winner Simple Verse (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), although entered, is far from certain to take her chance. Her trainer Ralph Beckett is favoring a crack at the G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup over a half a mile further. "We won't decide until declaration time on Thursday. It will depend on ground and how we thought the race was shaping up,” said Beckett.  "At the moment I'd...

With the ground currently good and only a small amount of rain forecast, Henry Candy has Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) on stand-by for the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint at Ascot on Saturday. Originally intended for the Breeders' Cup following his scintillating victory in the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret at Chantilly, Candy is keeping his options open with the prospect of good ground in store. "I think we'll have to hang on as long as we can with him. If the ground stays good then he'll run, but there...

Despite being the end of the season the fields are holding up well for British Champions day and the G1 QIPCO Champion S. has 19 acceptors headed by Jean-Claude Rouget's brilliant 3-year-old Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). The colt brought up a four timer when beating Found (Ire) (Gailleo {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO Irish Champion S., form which received a significant boost in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Also on target is last year's winner Fascinating Rock (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) who has missed some recent...

China Horse Club have adopted a familiar strategy with Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) having supplemented the Adrian Keatley trained filly for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot this Saturday. It is the third Group 1 that the filly has been supplemented for this year and the policy has certainly borne fruit for her previous owners the Equinegrowthpartners who spent €30,000 to run in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas where she beat Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by a head. The two fillies may clash again on...

1st-CUR, €16,500, Mdn, 10-10, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:27.66, g/y. ANEEN (IRE) (f, 2, Lawman {Fr}--Asheerah {GB} {SP-Ire}, by Shamardal), who was a debut fourth on the same day her G1 Irish 2000 Guineas-winning half-brother annexed the Sept. 10 G2 Boomerang S. at Leopardstown, overcame a wide draw to stalk the pace in a share of third through halfway here. Stoked into action with a quarter mile remaining, the 5-2 favourite bounded to the front approaching the final furlong and was ridden clear to easily outpoint Petticoat (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire})...

A decision on whether dual Derby winner Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) races on as a 4-year-old is expected to be made over the next two weeks. Dermot Weld would no doubt be thrilled to train the colt for another season and he commented, "There has been no decision on whether he retires to stud or races next season and I'd say it will be a couple of weeks." Reflecting on a season of highs and lows with the Aga Khan homebred Weld added. “He had a long hard...

Belardo (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}–Danaskaya {Ire}, by Danehill), the European champion 2-year-old of 2014 will retire to Darley's Kildangan Stud for the 2017 season. A limited number of lifetime breeding rights will be sold in the 4-year-old who was last seen running the brilliant Tepin (Bernstein) to half a length in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot. The Roger Varian trainee had earlier in the season won for the second time at the top level when beating a strong field in the G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S....

2.50 Salisbury, Mdn, £5,500, 2yo, f, 6f 212yT ICESPIRE (GB) (Frankel {GB})sports a hood on this first startfor Khalid Abdullah and John Gosden as she bids to keep her sire's momentum rolling. She is a half-sister to Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy), winner of the G1 Cheveley Park S. before boasting the unique distinction of being awarded both the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.