Europe

Leaving the sharp five-furlong tests behind her, 'TDN Rising Star' Roly Poly (War Front) moves up in trip for Sunday's G3 Grangecon Stud S. at The Curragh. Fourth and eighth behind the Scat Daddy duo Caravaggio and Lady Aurelia, respectively, in the Listed Marble Hill S. here May 21 and Royal Ascot's G2 Queen Mary S. 11 days ago, the daughter of Misty For Me (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will benefit from much less demanding company and a six-furlong trip that will allow her to use her class in a more...

Now that the 3.6-million guineas purchase Sir Isaac Newton (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) has found some momentum with a first black-type success in the Listed Wolferton H. eight days ago, Sunday's G3 Finlay Volvo International S. at The Curragh offers an ideal opportunity for the Ballydoyle colt to press on. In winning that 10-furlong Royal Ascot contest, he was improving markedly on a prior third to the Royal Hunt Cup winner Portage (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and the re-opposing Chemical Charge (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the Listed Silver S. over...

Upgraded to Group 2 status this year, Sunday's Curragh Cup saw the Ballydoyle pair Bondi Beach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) do battle 12 months ago prior to making a significant impact on the English and Irish St Leger, and Aidan O'Brien again saddles two of a disappointing quartet to show up. Just what Sword Fighter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Landofhopeandglory (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) achieved when first and fourth, respectively, in Royal Ascot's Listed Queen's Vase nine days ago is open to question,...

Sunday's G1 Sea the Stars Pretty Polly S. has received the ultimate boost after Aidan O'Brien opted to adorn the 10-furlong test with his star filly Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) as Coolmore embellish this meeting which carries great significance to the operation. Impressive when getting out of jail to complete the G1 1000 Guineas-Epsom Oaks double June 3, Derrick Smith's bay receives 12 pounds from her older rivals due to the weight-for-age scale, and that will surely prove insurmountable if she is anywhere near her best. She showed when she...

2.15 Curragh, Mdn, €18,000, 2yo, c/g, 7fT TAJ MAHAL (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) debuts for Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor in the maiden that pretty much ensures he has shown enough in his prep work to suggest he is at or near the top of the pecking order at Ballydoyle. Out of Giant's Causeway's G2 Cherry Hinton S.-winning sister You'resothrilling, the January-foaled bay is pure Galileo gold with his three siblings being the G1 English and Irish 2000 Guineas hero Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who broke his maiden in...

1st-CMP, €34,000, Cond, 6-25, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:30.39, hy. DEEP INSIDE (FR) (f, 2, Redoute's Choice {Aus}--Well Spoken {Ire}, by Sadler's Wells), who was a neck second in a firsters' heat going 5 1/2 furlongs at Chantilly last time June 1, broke well and raced a shade keenly in third through the early fractions of this one. Taking the opportunity of an open seam along the fence at the quarter-mile marker, the well backed 17-10 favourite was ridden to the front approaching the final eighth and kept on strongly under...

Tattersalls Ireland's Derby Sale came to an end Friday with its third and final session, Part II. Trade came down a few levels, with the top-priced lot being a €60,000 gelding by Touch Of Land (Fr) (lot 577) purchased by agent Bobby O'Ryan, but sales officials nonetheless expressed satisfaction with the session. "The record breaking renewal of The Derby Sale earlier in the week was always going to be difficult to follow and while somewhat more subdued than 2015, Part II has still managed to produce an improved top price...

1.50 Chester, Mdn, £10,000, 2yo, 5f 16yT ATTEQ (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was a 310,000gns TATOCT purchase by Al Shaqab Racing who is entrusted to Richard Fahey and makes his debut around the testing tight turns of this unique circuit. Out of a half to the 2013 GI Northern Dancer Turf S. hero Forte dei Marmi (GB) (Selkirk) from a distinguished Luca Cumani family, the bay at least has a favourable draw in two to help on this tricky racecourse introduction. 3.00 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, 6fT WHITECLIFFSOFDOVER (War Front)...

Plenty of Thoroughbred business professionals both inside and outside of Britain and Europe are trying to figure out what the U.K.'s 52%-48% vote Thursday to leave the European Union means to the horse business. There's an awful lot about which as yet we have no idea, and a few things we can say. First, generally it cannot be good for business because it's sure to further complicate things. International protocols to do with disease and movement of horses which are sponsored by the EU are going to have to be...

The Irish National Stud's 2016 intake of 26 students for its Thoroughbred Breeding Course graduated from the course in a ceremony at the stud on Friday. Hailing from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and America were Emma Beazley, Charlie Dee, Tom Evetts, Alice Edgar, Chloe Pitts, Kate Curran, Hannah Mee, Courtney Schneider and Nicholas Wheeler. From Europe's Hungary and Czech Republic came Livia Prem and Jakub Vitek, respectively, joining Irish students Basil Brindley, Joseph Callan, Danny Collins, Micheal Conaghan, Cathal Gorman, Stephen Greene, David Hannigan, Jerry Horan, Joann Lyons, Clare Manning,...

In the wake of the UK's decision to leave the European Union in the Brexit vote, the British Horseracing Authority has advised, "it is too early to assess the implications of the vote on the [racing industry] as a whole." The BHA's Director of Corporate Affairs, Will Lambe, outlined in a statement on Friday the areas in which the racing industry could be affected by the vote, but said the expectation is that there will not be a substantial impact on racing in the short term. "The BHA will work...

With The Curragh's G2 GAIN Railway S. providing a litmus test for the country's quality juveniles year on year, it is no surprise to see Aidan O'Brien's name on the honour roll no less than a dozen occasions since King of Kings (Ire) started the sequence in 1997. Now that the current Ballydoyle general is just two off the record of the late great Dr. Vincent O'Brien, it is surely only a matter of time before he eclipses that. Saturday's renewal features two from that establishment from opposite ends of...