Europe

Group 1 winners Order Of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Fascinating Rock (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) will be among the stars to step out at The Curragh this weekend for the Irish Champions Weekend trial races. G1 Gold Cup winner Order Of St George will use Saturday's G3 Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger Trial as a springboard to the main event on Sept. 11, which he won last year. G1 Champion S. and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup victor Fascinating Rock looks likely to be met by O'Brien's one-time...

HRH Princess Haya Al Hussein will be the keynote speaker at the 50th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities Oct. 3 in Paris, France. Princess Haya was president of the Federation Equestre Internationale from 2006 to 2014, and led the global equestrian sports governing body to many significant milestones, including the FEI Solidarity programme, FEI Clean Sport and an affiliation with the World Organisation for Animal Health. During Princess Haya's tenure, the FEI and International Federation of Horseracing Authorities also joined forces to create the International Horse Sports Confederation as a...

The Wertheimer brothers' five-time Group 1-winning gelding Solow (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), who was injured while training in March, is unlikely to race this year, but trainer Freddy Head told At The Races he is looking towards a 2017 campaign for the grey. "I saw him three days ago, he seemed well, the vets are very pleased so we'll cross our fingers," Head told At The Races. "We won't have him this year I think; we'll try for next year. We'll try for Dubai. He's a great horse and has kept...

A mouthwatering showdown between Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) and Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) in Sunday's G1 Prix Morny at Deauville appears unlikely to happen after Caravaggio's trainer Aidan O'Brien said the last-out G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner is likely to target the G1 Middle Park S. Sept. 24 instead. "It looks like he's going to the Middle Park," said O'Brien. "It looks like that's going to be the plan, without anything being written in stone, at the moment."

In less than two weeks, Au Dela Des Pistes, the French effort to provide a link between the racing world and other equestrian disciplines to provide second careers for racehorses, will have its first major promotional day. Saturday, Aug. 27 at Deauville will feature La Reconversion des Chevaux de Courses (the conversion of the racehorse day), showcasing former racehorses who have succeeded in second careers. Rehoming racehorses is an issue for every racing jurisdiction in the world, and the President of Au Dela Des Pistes, Aliette Forien, took some time...

Charles Barnett has been appointed Secretary General of the Large Independent Racecourse Group--consisting of Ascot, Ayr, Chester, Goodwood, Newbury and York racecourses--the company announced Monday. Previously, Barnett had spent over 30 years in senior executive roles at Haydock Park, Chester, Cartmel, Aintree and Ascot and already represents the Large Independent Racecourse Group as the Deputy Chairman of the Racecourse Association Board (RAD Board), as well as on the British Horseracing Authority (BHA)'s Members' Committee. He will continue to serve in those positions, with his new role effective immediately. Barnett will...

by Emma Berry and Chris McGrath Described by Arqana's leading vendor Henri Bozo as the “stallion of the century”, Galileo (Ire) snatched back the spotlight from his outstanding son Frankel (GB) at Arqana on Monday when two fillies collectively brought more than €2 million within minutes of each other. The pedigree of the sale's leading lady is all too familiar to regular visitors to France's elite auction. The half-sister to G1 Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) is out of Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), the mare owned in partnership...

1st-ROS, €14,000, Mdn, 8-15, 2yo, 7fT, 1:29.74, gd. +ZORION (GB) (c, 2, Smart Strike--Zofzig, by Danzig), sent off the 4-7 favourite, showed early speed to race in a share of second from the widest draw. Green before taking total command with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining, the homebred surged clear for a resounding 6 1/2-length success from Joy For Mary (Ire) (Roderic O'Connor {Ire}). "He's a very nice horse and one we like a lot," Bolger's travelling head lad Ger Flynn said of the winner, who is a full-brother to Zip...

With the media currently offering wall-to-wall coverage of the Olympics, I had the misfortune to hear a BBC radio debate in which a sports journalist questioned why anyone should be praised for winning a silver or bronze medal. Inevitably that saying beloved by Americans--that second place is just the first loser--reared its ugly head. I believe that phrase is attributed to Dale Earnhardt, a famous NASCAR driver nicknamed The Intimidator, but the sentiment has spread to many other sports. Indeed, horse racing is far from blameless in this respect. All...

Lot 97, a half-sister to G1 Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) catapulted to the top of the Arqana August leaderboard just three lots into session two when hammered down to Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock for €1.4-million. Consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux, the bay is out of the stakes-winning Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}). Two lots later, Monceaux sold another Galileo filly (lot 99), this one to MV Magnier, for €650,000.

With just a sixth placing in the nine-furlong G1 Prix d'Ispahan at Chantilly May 24 so far to show for the decision to remain in training at four, last year's G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner New Bay made the most of his clean slate to successfully kickstart his rise back to prominence in this low-key affair. On this day last year, the world seemed his oyster as he returned from his post-Jockey Club sojourn to win the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano before adding the G2 Prix Niel to his...

TOP OF THE PILE In one of the highlights of the entire Deauville festival, Antonio Caro and Gerard Augustin-Normand's G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero Almanzor (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) returned in fighting form to again deny His Highness The Aga Khan's Zarak (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) with a telling late surge in Monday's G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano. Virtually anyone who is anyone in the French Classic generation was here, with even the G3 Rose of Lancaster S. winner Royal Artillery (War Front) thrown in for good measure but it was...