Europe

G1 King's Stand S. winner Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) has been supplemented for Saturday's G1 Darley July Cup. The Clive Cox-trained 4-year-old is three-for-three over five furlongs this season and his elevation towards the top of the European sprinting ranks this year recently prompted Darley to secure the breeding rights to the Alan Spence colourbearer, a move that was rewarded following his Royal Ascot win. The Newmarket six furlong feature will also see a clash of the generations with Karl Burke's Group-1 winning filly Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB})...

Just like old times? Well, not quite. But it was undeniably evocative to see horses representing these two old adversaries square up for G1 honours at Sandown on Saturday, while the outcome did permit the Godolphin team to hope that they might at least have begun a journey back to the future. Television footage of their celebrations, as Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy) held on by a half-length from a Ballydoyle favourite in the G1 Coral Eclipse S, provided a vivid sense of the catharsis uniting the men charged with restoring the...

Clive Cox is hoping My Dream Boat (Ire) (Lord Shanakill) can bounce back from a below par effort in Saturday's G1 Coral Eclipse where the 4-year-old finished fifth. A break is on the cards for Paul and Clare Rooney's colt, with Cox believing the short turnaround since his win in the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot to be a contributing factor to his performance on Saturday. "It was below what we hoped, but giving 11lb to the 3-year-olds at this time of year can be difficult," said...

Jessica Harrington-trained Bocca Baciata (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}) achieved a valuable Group 1 placing recently when chasing home Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh and she could bid to go one better in the GI Beverly D. S. at Arlington next month. Owned by the Niarchos family's Flaxman Holdings, their racing manager, Alan Cooper, commented, "We're having a think about America and the Beverly D. at Arlington. It was a great ride by Colm [O'Donoghue] in the Pretty Polly and great tactics from...

Caught in the backwash of A Shin Hikari (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) when a staggering 12-lengths third in the nine-furlong G1 Prix d'Ispahan at Chantilly last time May 24, Silverwave underlined just what that Japanese challenger achieved on that day by gaining a group 1 win that he had long been creeping toward. Having burst onto the scene when stripping the unbeaten record of the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Epicuris (GB) (Rail Link {GB}) as the four-length winner of the G3 Prix la Force over 10 furlongs at Longchamp...

Jean-Claude Rouget's 3-year-olds show no sign of relenting in 2016 and Al Wathna became the latest group winner to emerge from his Pau stable when justifying favouritism in this weak-looking renewal. Appearing to need further than 10 1/2 furlongs despite winning a conditions event on the Polytrack at Chantilly Mar. 22, the bay was too conservatively ridden to stand a winning chance in the 11-furlong Listed Prix de la Seine on turf at that venue May 10 but showed promise when staying on into third behind The Juliet Rose (Fr)...

Saturday's G1 Coral Eclipse winner Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy) has no shortage of options for the rest of the season and his trainer Charlie Appleby is already looking forward to another top level challenge for the Godolphin colt, who has won his last six starts. "He's doing so well at a mile and a quarter at the moment there's a possibility he'll stay at that trip and go for the [G1] Juddmonte International or the [G1] Irish Champion S.," said Appleby. The trainer believes Hawkbill could be even more effective over...

FIT THE BILL Supplemented by Godolphin for Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse, Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy) fully justified that decision with a defeat of The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a thrilling tussle up Sandown's hill as the 3-year-olds came out firmly on top. Given the green light for this test following a fifth straight success in the G3 Tercentenary S. over this trip at Royal Ascot June 16, the 6-1 shot was the virtual early leader under William Buick behind the pacemaker Countermeasure (GB) (American Post {GB}). Hooking up with Ballydoyle's 4-6...

Having broken through at a high level when winning Baden-Baden's G2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft over 11 furlongs May 29, Stall Mulligan's Iquitos (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) now has to back that up in Hamburg's G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis on Sunday. He faces Australian Bloodstock Stable's 2014 G1 Melbourne Cup hero Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), who entered the winner's enclosure for the first time since that momentous day after a conditions event at Dusseldorf June 5, and may appreciate being back on German soil. There is just the one 3-year-old tackling...

With no stand-out performer in a weak-looking renewal of the G2 Prix de Malleret at Saint-Cloud, it pays to focus on what the seven-times winning record-holding trainer Andre Fabre has to offer in Sunday's edition. One of his duo is Papillon Stables's June 13 Listed Prix Melisande winner Impressionist (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), who looked as if something had clicked in that 10-furlong contest staged on heavy ground. Her stablemate Jollify (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) was fourth last time in the G3 Prix de Royaumont at Chantilly June 5, where Al Shaqab...

This renewal was depleted by four withdrawals due to the heavy preceding rain, with the 3-year-olds Abingdon (Street Cry {Ire}) and Fireglow (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) the most sorely missed of those, but in Endless Time the race was saved by a winner of real substance. Successful on four of the five occasions she raced last term, the bay beat the subsequent G1 St Leger and G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. winner Simple Verse (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) in a handicap over this trip at Goodwood in...

Alain de Royer-Dupre has a strong hand in Sunday's G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, with Vazirabad (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) and One Foot In Heaven (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) posing a formidable challenge. The latter, who sports the Fair Salinia colours as did his esteemed dam Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre), is on a roll after successes in the G3 Prix d'Hedouville over this course and distance May 8 and June 5 G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly, and this will test his ability thoroughly. Stablemate Vazirabad drops back in trip after proving...