Europe

Frankie Dettori mingled with some classy females from around the globe on Saturday morning when putting two top-flight winners through their paces ahead of big-race engagements in Newmarket in the coming weeks. First up was the unbeaten Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy), who is aiming to add the G1 Cheveley Park S. to her list of victories in a fortnight's time and has been stabled at the National Stud since returning triumphant from Deauville, where she won the G1 Darley Prix Morny on Aug. 21. The Wesley Ward trainee was a...

Four equally-matched older horses line up for Chantilly's G2 Prix Foy on Sunday, with three of them group 1 winners and the other the still-unexposed One Foot In Heaven (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Brought along steadily by Alain de Royer-Dupre, who campaigned his dam Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre) with such deadly effect, he mastered his examinations in the G3 Prix d'Hedouville over this trip at Saint-Cloud May 8 and the June 5 G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly before finishing sixth to Silverwave (Fr) (Silver Frost {Ire}) after meeting trouble in...

Given the record that winners of the G2 Qatar Prix Niel have overall in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, it is a surprise that 10 years have passed since Rail Link (GB) became the latest of the dozen to complete the double. He was trained like five other Niel-Arc heroes by Andre Fabre, who boasts 11 successes in this in total, and the master of Chantilly puts forward Al Shaqab Racing's progressive Doha Dream (Fr) (Shamardal) this time. Not seriously tested when winning over this trip in the...

Coming right when winning the 12-furlong G3 Give Thanks S. at Cork last time Aug. 2, Best In the World (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) bids to continue her upwards trajectory in the G2 Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford S. at The Curragh on Sunday. In dealing with the impressive subsequent G3 Snow Fairy S. winner Somehow (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and English and Irish Oaks third Harlequeen (GB) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) in that 12-furlong contest, Susan Magnier's full-sister to Found (Ire) became the latest Ballydoyle 3-year-old filly to make her mark over middle...

Having beaten the subsequent winner Exemplar (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a seven-furlong maiden on debut at The Curragh Aug. 21, Landfall put another Ballydoyle blueblood to the sword here as TDN Rising Star Douglas Macarthur managed only third as the hot favourite. Tracking that front-running rival throughout the early stages, the bay took over with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining and stayed on strongly to assert for an authoritative verdict over Firey Speech, who denied Douglas Macarthur the runner's-up spot as the major stables went away empty-handed. "I said during the...

Third in The Curragh's G2 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five S. 12 months ago, Take Cover (GB) (Singspiel {GB}) returns to front the latest renewal on Sunday in arguably the form of his life. Battling to a neck verdict over Washington DC (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) for a second win in Glorious Goodwood's G2 King George S. over this trip July 29, Norcroft Park Stud's veteran trailblazer was third in the G1 Nunthorpe S. at York last time Aug. 19 and will be hard to pass if remaining in that kind of...

For one year staged at Chantilly, Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille looks light on its usual star quality now that Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) is in the history books but there are some lurkers among the six fillies gathered, including LNJ Foxwoods's Golden Valentine (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}). Despite beating the June 5 G3 Prix de Royaumont winner The Juliet Rose (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) in Deauville's G3 Prix Minerve over 12 1/2 furlongs Aug. 14, trainer Freddy Head was convinced afterwards that she has more to offer. Whether the fast pace...

If Sunday's G1 Moyglare Stud S. is an indicator of the standard of Ballydoyle's juvenile fillies, all is well in Aidan O'Brien's garden with a quartet headed to The Curragh in search of a record eighth renewal for their trainer. Successful in the G2 Debutante S. over this course and distance Aug. 21, Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who is a daughter of Halfway to Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) holds stablemate and runner-up Hydrangea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and also the third Intricately (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), fourth Rehana (Ire) (Dark Angel...

Sunday's G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. at The Curragh is one of the few remaining domestic feature races in which the legend after which it is named still holds the record over Aidan O'Brien, but the gap is closing all the time with the current Ballydoyle maestro five behind his predecessor on 10 wins. That could easily be 11 by the time Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) completes the seven furlongs of Ireland's premier juvenile test as he moves up another rung. Successful in Royal Ascot's Listed Chesham S. June...

MURPHY'S LAW Saturday's G1 Ladbrokes St Leger had a straightforward look to it beforehand, with Idaho (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) dominating the betting and formbook but there was drama galore as he stumbled in early straight and unseated Seamie Heffernan before the 22-1 outsider Harbour Law (GB) (Lawman {Fr}) swooped late to become a fairytale Classic winner for Laura Mongan and jockey George Baker. Also the first St Leger winner to be handled by a female trainer and the first Classic winner to be trained at Epsom since 1969, the bay...

1st-LEO, €30,000, Mdn, 9-10, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:31.14, gd. +RAIN GODDESS (IRE) (f, 2, Galileo {Ire}--Where {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}), was sent off at an unconsidered 50-1 for this fully subscribed affair and settled just off the pace after breaking to the fore. Making progress once angling into clear runway inside the final quarter mile, she kept on strongly under urging in the closing stages to deny Holiday Girl (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) by a length nearing the line for a taking debut score. Aneen (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), whose G1...

Bar one blip when unplaced in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Al Shaqab Racing's Zelzal (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) has exhibited star quality throughout his career and now he has to measure up against the older horses in Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp at Chantilly. Only 11th in the Poulains at Deauville May 15, the bay was held up in the G3 Prix Paul de Moussac and duly delivered over this course and distance June 11 before repeating the dose in the G1 Prix Jean...