Europe

With four engaged, it was long odds-on that Aidan O'Brien would be collecting a 16th renewal of this traditional Derby pointer, especially after the chief opposition Firey Speech (Street Cry {Ire}) was withdrawn by Dermot Weld and so it proved. Ryan Moore faced a tough choice, with each one of the quartet having shown quality in their brief careers so far and he correctly opted for the proven one, as Capri had already scored in black-type company in the Aug. 5. Listed Coolmore Canford Cliffs S. over an extended seven...

Runner-up to Sea of Grace (Ire) (Born To Sea {Ire}) in an extended seven-furlong maiden at Tipperary July 9, Eziyra showed she was above average when decisively beating the subsequent G1 Moyglare Stud S. and G2 Debutante S. runner-up Hydrangea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a Galway maiden over this trip 17 days later. Second again to Sea of Grace in the G3 Flame of Tara S. over a mile at this venue Aug. 28, the chestnut proved too strong for her opponents to bring up a sixth success in the...

Sheikh Hamdan's G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas runner-up Massaat (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) has been ruled out of the remainder of the season by trainer Owen Burrows but will remain in training next year. The bay colt signaled his talent last year with a second behind Air Force Blue (War Front) in the G1 Dubai Dewhurst S. and filled the same position first-up in the Guineas, but was beaten 16 lengths when ninth in the G1 Investec Derby. Given a short summer break thereafter, he was beaten 40 lengths when last of...

Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) was found to have bled after being scoped after her defeat as the 4-6 favourite in Saturday's G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket. The 2-year-old 'TDN Rising Star', previously the winner of the G2 Queen Mary S. and G1 Prix Morny, lost her unbeaten record in the Cheveley Park when third behind the War Front pair of Brave Anna and Roly Poly. The bay folded late after setting fast fractions. "It was a head-scratcher and disappointing, but when we got back to the barn the vet...

G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe favourite Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) pleased trainer Roger Varian in a work ahead of that Oct. 2 Chantilly assignment on Saturday morning. "Postponed is in great form," Varian said. "He worked this morning and worked well." Postponed rides a six-race win streak into the Arc, which includes four Group 1s, most recently the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, G1 Coronation Cup and G1 Juddmonte International. The 5-year-old entire has drawn a lot of attention to the Varian yard this year, something the trainer says he...

Few Irish farms of the postwar era have punched quite so far above their weight, and for quite so long, as Kilcarn Stud. Since its foundation by Major Edward "Ned" O'Kelly in 1943, the Co Meath nursery has consistently achieved exceptional dividends both at the sales and on the track, most recently when two lots--out of just four consigned--made it into the top five purchases at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale last year. At €2-million, a filly by Raven's Pass brought the highest price of the sale when bought by...

Sunday's G3 C.L & M.F Weld Park S. at The Curragh has gone the way of Dermot Weld on five occasions and there is no doubt that the Rosewell House legend would love to usurp the record of seven set by John Oxx in the race run in memory of his late parents Charlie and Marguerite. He has fitted a hood to His Highness The Aga Khan's Eziyra (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) after her latest second to Sea of Grace (Ire) (Born To Sea {Ire}) in the G3 Flame of Tara...

Since 1996, The Curragh's G2 Juddmonte Beresford S. has failed to go to Aidan O'Brien only five times and it looks likely that the Ballydoyle supremo will be enjoying a 16th renewal on Sunday. Of the quartet from Rosegreen, Ryan Moore is on the Listed Coolmore Canford Cliffs S. winner Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who displayed a creditable attitude when making virtually all in that 7 1/2-furlong contest at Tipperary Aug. 5. Seamie Heffernan is on the impressive Sept. 5 Galway maiden winner Exemplar (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Colm O'Donoghue...

With conditions in his favour for Sunday's G1 Preis Von Europa at Cologne, Iquitos (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) has an ideal opportunity to shoot for number one status among Germany's middle-distance performers. Coming of age when registering an impressive success in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden over this trip Sept. 4, Stall Mulligan's bay can continue to make hay while his great rival and probable better Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) is away. Beaten only by that rival--he was no match for him in the G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis at Hamburg July...

THE LION ROARS On a day when the betting mattered little, The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) followed on where Brave Anna (War Front) had left off by recording a 25-1 surprise in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. at Newmarket. Despite those odds, which were too large given the manner of his four-length success on his penultimate outing in Kempton's G3 Sirenia S., there were no excuses for beaten rivals and no fluke to this all-the-way victory under Joe Fanning who was gaining a long-overdue first top-level success on...

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE Saturday's renewal of the G1 Connolly's Red Mills Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket has to go down in the race's illustrious history as one of the great ones thanks largely to the unadulterated zeal of Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy), but in the end it was the Ballydoyle pair of Roly Poly (War Front) and Brave Anna (War Front) who fought it out in a thrilling duel to the line with the latter prevailing by a short head. Aidan O'Brien had yet to win this contest, so...

Gaining TDN Rising Star status with an impressive debut success by six lengths over seven furlongs at Sandown July 20, Best of Days succumbed to Syphax (Arch) late on when runner-up in the G3 Acomb S. again at that trip at York Aug. 17 but made amends over this more suitable distance. Heavily-supported, the bay raced towards the stand's side of the pack early off the pace with James Doyle asking him to start his run passing the three pole. Gaining the lead 1 1/2 furlongs later, he soon enjoyed...