Europe

Such is the obsession with all that is new and shiny in the bloodstock world, every season there are generally over a dozen new stallions that attract significant numbers of mares in Europe. History tells us that the vast majority of these new sires are destined to be failures, but most years see one or two of those new stallions make the grade to one extent or another and enjoy commercial success in the years that follow. Inevitably, there will be good and bad years for new stallions, but based...

1st-CMP, €34,000, Cond, 6-10, 3yo, f, 8fT, 1:40.71, sf. MAQUETTE (f, 3, Tapit--Announce {GB} {G1SW-Fr, $547,607}, by Selkirk), who earned 'TDN Rising Star' status going one mile at Saint-Cloud in her only prior start Oct. 2, broke on the lead before occupying a stalking role in second after the initial strides of this belated return. Nudged along approaching the quarter-mile marker, the 1-5 chalk eased to the fore with 300 metres remaining and kept on well under mild coaxing to easily account for stablemate Girl Friday (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) by...

Last year's GI Canadian International winner Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop Kid) has been disqualified from his win in the Sept. 25 Listed Sakhee Godolphin S. at Newmarket after testing positive for a prohibited substance. The medication in question is O-desmethyltramadol, a metabolite of tramadol, a prohibited pain medication. The British Horseracing Authority found no substances or products in Stoute's yard, or in the care of his service providers, in an investigation conducted last October. The BHA also reported there were cases over adverse analytical findings of O-desmethyltramadol and/or tramadol in...

3rd-HAY, £6,100, Cond, 6-9, 2yo, 7fT, 1:27.86, g/f. +FRANKUUS (IRE) (c, 2, Frankel {GB}-- Dookus {Ire}, by Linamix {Fr}), sent off the 4-1 second favourite, was settled in fourth early before being cajoled to the front with two furlongs remaining. Lugging down towards the rail and into Arc Royal (GB) (Arcano {Ire}) as a result, the €130,000 GOFORB yearling asserted when straightened up by Joe Fanning to score by 1 3/4 lengths and become the fourth winner from five runners for his exalted first-season sire. The winner is a half-brother...

Trainer Dermot Weld has revealed that Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was sore for a few days after his win in the G1 Investec Derby on Saturday, but said the Aga Khan homebred has improved and is still on track for the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby June 25. "Harzand was sore for a few days and had some antibiotics to make sure everything was all right," the conditioner explained. "He was back in light exercise [Thursday], just a trot, and is sound and well in every way....

The Goffs Land Rover Sale drew to a close with the last of three sessions on Thursday, which comprised Part 2 of the sale. A 3-year-old unbroken filly by Presenting (GB) (lot 469) topped trade when hammered down to agent Bobby O'Ryan for €57,000. Second-top billing went to lot 588, a 3-year-old gelding by Kayf Tara (GB), who was bought by Johnny Hurley for €48,000. Part 2 saw a dip in figures overall, with the average down 11% at €13,707 and the median down 15% at €11,500. The sale's cumulative...

+CURRENCY CONVERTER (c, 2,Exchange Rate--Ruby's Realm, by Empire Maker) was allowed to start at 20-1 with all the focus on Ballydoyle's much-vaunted newcomer Douglas Macarthur (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and missed the kick before tracking the leading trio. Sent to the front approaching the furlong pole, the $95,000 KEESEP yearling quickly asserted to register a convincing 2 1/4-length verdict over Drake Passage (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}). Douglas Macarthur, the 1.25million guineas TATOCT full-brother to the 2012 G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Was (Ire) sporting Markus Jooste's colours, was unable to land a...

Arqana will introduce a vet file repository beginning with its Summer Sale June 29 to July 1. The repository will provide veterinary surgeons with centralised access to all veterinary documents for horses offered for sale, and will utilise Keystone software, the technology already in use in repositories in America, Australia and New Zealand. Using the Keystone software, files will be uploaded prior to the sale and will become available for viewing after the horse in question has arrived on the sales grounds. Vets wishing to use the repository must lodge...

An intriguing element to the racing at Royal Ascot each year is the influx of overseas raiders which, until recently, has been spearheaded by Australian runners. Challengers from down under are sadly thin on the ground this year, with the John O'Shea-trained Holler (Aus) (Commands {Aus}), winner of the G1 Canterbury S. in March, being the sole Australian representative as part of a significant international challenge from Godolphin's trainers around the world. Welcome in their place, however, is a growing American contingent, perhaps encouraged by the success of Wesley Ward,...

A Shin Hikari (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) has claimed the top spot on the Longines World's Best Racehorse rankings for his 10-length score in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan May 24, earnings him a ranking of 129. The 5-year-old, also the winner of the 2015 G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup, will look for further European glory in next week's G1 Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot. A joint second on a mark of 126 are G1 Dubai World Cup winner California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) and champion Australian mare Winx (Aus)...

Horse Racing Ireland has appointed seven summer interns to be based at the HRI-owned racecourses–Fairyhouse, Leopardstown, Navan and Tipperary–the HRI head office or TOTE Ireland for 12 weeks. They are Matthew Collins from Raheny, Dublin; Christian Dodd from Ashford, County Wicklow; Mark Lynch from Castletown Geoghegan, County Westmeath; Alison Brassil from Newmarket On Fergus, County Clare; Hannah Berry from Dundrum, Dublin; Guiseppe Orlandi from Mullingar, County Westmeath; and Sarah Dempsey from Carbury, County Kildare. Carol Nolan, Group HR Manager of Horse Racing Ireland, said, "The Student Internship Programme continues to...

On one day in May back in 2006, Roy and Gretchen Jackson achieved the extraordinary feat of breeding the winners of two Classics on two different continents, with George Washington (Ire) (Danehill) landing Newmarket's 2,000 Guineas, followed some eight hours later by the Kentucky Derby victory of Barbaro (Dynaformer) in their own Lael Stable silks. “I had a call from John Magnier the next day and he said that he didn't think we'd ever see anything like that again. We watched George Washington win from our hotel room at about...