Europe

First Winner For Stay Thirsty At Redcar

1st-RED, £5,000, Cond, 5-31, 2yo, 6fT, 1:15.14, g/f. +CHEVAL BLANCHE (f, 2, Stay Thirsty--Primrose Hill, by Giant's Causeway) made a sluggish getaway and was off the pace in rear until inching into midfield at halfway. Making continued headway from there, the 4-1 chance was pushed into contention approaching the final furlong and kept on strongly under whipless cajoling in the closing stages to deny Mightaswellsmile (GB) (Elnadim) by a short head on the line. Cheval Blanche, a first winner for her Ashford Stud-based freshman sire (by Bernardini), is a half-sister...

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Observations On Wednesday's European Racing Scene
Observations On Wednesday's European Racing Scene

2.00 Nottingham, Mdn, £5,000, 2yo, f, 5f 13yT PARLANCE (IRE) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) debuts for Cheveley Park Stud and Sir Michael Stoute and is of particular interest as a daughter of a half-sister to Invincible Spirit's finest, the mile champion Kingman (GB). Her granddam is the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Zenda (GB) (Zamindar), a half to the sprinting sensation and supersire Oasis Dream (GB). 2.50 Chantilly, Cond, €34,000, 3yo, f, 9 1/2f (AWT) NEKO (FR) (Dansili {GB}) bids to build on her impressive nine-length debut success over this...

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Tramore Plans Major Development

Tramore Racecourse in Co. Waterford is on course for a major facelift following approval by the board of Horse Racing Ireland to grant 40% of an estimated €1m capital expenditure plan. This grant aid of over €400,000 will enable the racecourse to carry out significant development of the current facilities for racegoers, horses and professionals, over the next four years. From a racegoer perspective, the main area of investment will be a spacious new entrance building, which will be the sole access point to the racecourse. The building will house...

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O'Brien Looking Forward To First Runners
O'Brien Looking Forward To First Runners

Joseph O'Brien looks set to receive his trainer's licence at the end of this week which in theory should allow him to saddle runners in his own name as early as next Monday. The 23-year-old former champion jockey is based at Owning, Co. Kilkenny, the same facility from where his father Aidan dominated the Irish jumps trainers championship in the mid-nineties. "He will come up to the licensing committee on Friday. They will interview him and I imagine they will sanction his licence," said Turf Club press officer Cliff Noone. "They...

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Botti Plotting Dylan Cup Bid

Marco Botti has one eye on a possible G1 Melbourne Cup bid for his prolific winner Dylan Mouth (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}). The triple Group 1 winner, successful in twelve of his fifteen starts, most recently in the G2 Gran Premio Di Milano at San Siro last Sunday, has the ideal temperament in Botti's opinion for such a venture. "There are a lot of options as he travels so well, and we can look to try to get some good prize-money with him,” Botti told Racing Post. “One race the...

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Weekly Wrap With Chris McGrath for May 31

With the possible exception of electoral hustings, no competitive environment teaches the neutral observer quite such wholesome habits of scepticism as the racetrack. If something looks too good to be true, then often that is exactly what it will turn out to be. Looking at his 10-length success in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan, then, you had to wonder whether A Shin Hikari (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) profited from the kind of optimal cocktail of circumstances that produced similarly freakish margins when, for instance, Homecoming Queen (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire})...

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Observations On Tuesday's European Racing Scene

2.00 Leicester, Mdn, £7,000, 2yo, 6fT JUMIRA PRINCE (IRE) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), a €400,000 GOFORB yearling, is out of the 2010 G1 Premio Lydia Tesio victress Aoife Alainn (Ire) (Dr Fong) and faces one dozen opponents in this debut for the Roger Varian stable. His rivals include Godolphin's fellow newcomer Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}), who is kin to three black-type winners including G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Fillies' Mile placegetter Ihtimal (Ire) (Shamardal). Other notable runners include Juddmonte's Hyde Park (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who is out of...

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Champions Weekend Entries Unveiled

The entries have been released for the two Group 1 juvenile events on Irish Champions Weekend in September, namely the Moyglare Stud S. and the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. The Moyglare sponsored fillies race features some very interesting unraced juveniles, including their own Tocco D'Amore (Ire) (Raven's Pass), who cost the Maynooth-based stud €2 million when topping the Orby Yearling Sale at Goffs last September. Aidan O'Brien has 15 entries and, among the unraced ones of interest, are Butterflies (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a half-sister to Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat)...

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Funk Straight To Ascot

Ger Lyons scratched his exciting 2-year-old Psychedelic Funk (GB) (Choisir {Aus}) out of the Listed Coolmore War Command Rochstown S. at Naas last Sunday and will now point the colt directly to the G2 Coventry S. at Ascot. "I took a temperature, it was nothing serious, but enough to dissuade me from running ," reported Lyons. "There was everything to lose and nothing to gain--two weeks away is the most important date and that's what we'll keep him for." Psychedelic Funk carries the colours of one of Lyons's main owners,...

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Field Of 18 Go Forward For Derby

As expected John Gosden has added market leader Wings Of Desire (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) to this Saturday's G1 Investec Epsom Derby field. Lady Bamford's homebred is one of four supplementary entries for the race that also includes Cloth Of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Red Verdon (Lemon Drop Kid) and Humphrey Bogart (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) giving a  total of 18 potential starters . Richard Hannon, trainer of Lingfield's Listed Betfred Derby Trial S. winner Humphrey Bogart is looking forward to Saturday and commented, "He has surprised me all along this season....

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Longer Trip In Store For Marcel

Peter Chapple-Hyam's Marcel (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) will be upped in trip on his next start, though where and when is yet to be decided. The winner of last year's G1 Racing Post Trophy is on a short break following his disappointing comeback effort behind Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. "He's having a bit of time off to just try to freshen him up and we'll see where he goes from here," the trainer told At The Races. "We moved him out...

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Observations on the European Racing Scene for May 30

3.55 Leicester, Mdn, £9,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 11f 183yT RUSCOMBE (GB) (Dansili {GB}) debuts for Khalid Abdullah and Sir Michael Stoute, who had several big days with this filly's half-brother Sea Moon (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}) when he was the impressive winner of the 2011 G2 Great Voltigeur S. and the following year's G2 Hardwicke S. either side of placings in the G1 St Leger and GI Breeders' Cup Turf. The dam Eva Luna (Alleged) also bred the 2003 Leger hero Brian Boru (GB) (Sadler's Wells) and the talented fillies Kitty...

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