Europe

If a lot of people were in far too much of a hurry to anoint US Army Ranger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) as a champion in the making, then it is the colt himself who is now paying an undeserved price. Yes, the hype about a mere maiden winner was so premature as to be nearly distasteful. But much the same now applies to the resentment infecting much opinion of the colt's G1 Investec Derby prospects, following his struggle to master his stablemate Port Douglas (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G3...

Dual Group 1 winner Covert Love (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) will miss the early part of the season due to a hoof infection. Hugo Palmer was initially hoping the 4-year-old would start off at York this week but the setback has interrupted her training regime and it could now be Royal Ascot before last year's G1 Darley Irish Oaks and Prix de l'Opera Longines winner makes her return. "She is back cantering and she has put on an awful lot of weight," said Palmer. "The [G1] Prince of Wales's Stakes [June...

5.10 Leopardstown, Mdn, €12,000, 3yo, 12fT MOUNIRA (IRE) (Raven's Pass) is a half-sister to the 2013 G1 Sydney Cup winner Mourayan (Ire) (Alhaarth {Ire}) and the 2009 G1 Melbourne Cup third Mourilyan (Ire) (Desert Prince {Ire}) who debuts for His Highness The Aga Khan and Dermot Weld. Aidan O'Brien tries again with Cole Porter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Triermore Stud and Susan Magnier's son of the 2010 GI Frizette S. winner A Z Warrior (Bernardini) who was unable to break his maiden in three starts last term.

Sunday's G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown looks set up for Now Or Never (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}) to bolster her claims for the May 22 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh. Second in this track's seven-furlong 1,000 Guineas Trial Apr. 10, where the subsequent G1 1000 Guineas third Alice Springs (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and re-opposing Radiantly (GB) (Aussie Rules) were 2 3/4 lengths and three lengths away in third and fourth, respectively, the Michael O'Callaghan-trained filly has to cope with much livelier ground here. "All mine are...

After Golden Fleece had raised the bar by winning Leopardstown's G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S. in its former guise as the Nijinsky S. in 1982, the race went through a lull in the next decade, aside from the success of St Jovite in 1992 before Sinndar (Ire) lit it up again at the turn of the century. From 2001, the year that Galileo (Ire) came to the fore, Aidan O'Brien has made it his own with eight more triumphs to add to his prior two, and he will continue...

Sunday's G2 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud is basically a re-run of the 2015 season-ending G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, where Robin of Navan (Fr) (American Post {GB}) readily beat Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) by 2 1/2 lengths to cement his position as the leading staying juvenile. Trained with guile and skill by Harry Dunlop last term, the chestnut--who only raced once in his native country and spent the remainder of his campaign in France--also captured Deauville's Listed Criterium de FEE over a mile in August and the...

Last year's G1 Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling), pulled up in the stretch of Newmarket's G2 Jockey Club S. in his 4-year-old debut Apr. 30, was found to have sustained a stress fracture to his pelvis and will be sidelined until the autumn. "Following light exercise, Jack Hobbs appeared uncomfortable," said trainer John Gosden of the Godolphin colourbearer. "An ultrasonic scan has shown an undisplaced stress fracture of the near side wing of the ilium. Whilst it is unfortunate the horse has suffered an injury, there is no...

Fourth to the subsequent G3 Oh So Sharp S. winner First Victory (Ire) (Teofilo) over seven furlongs at Newmarket in September, Seventh Heaven returned to capture a mile maiden at Dundalk in authoritative fashion Apr. 18 before making his big jump in trip. Settled second behind Mountain Bell early, the bay was under the shove in early straight as Architecture moved more smoothly to tackle the long-time leader. Responding to Ryan Moore's urgings to gain a slight edge over Architecture, she gave extra when the crunch came and maintained the...

2nd-MLF, €25,000, Mdn, 5-7, unraced 2yo, 5fT, 1:00.33, gd. +AL JOHRAH (GB) (f, 2, Bated Breath {GB}--Bea Remembered {GB} {GSP-Ire, SP-Eng & Swe}, by Doyen {Ire}) missed a beat at the kick, but soon recovered to race in a leading wave of four through halfway in this newcomers' dash. Pushed along soon after gaining outright control inside the two pole, the 43-10 second choice quickened smartly for two cracks of the whip in the closing stages to win going away from Sindene (Fr) (Zafeen {Fr}) by 1 1/2 lengths. Al...

It is rare for a winner of this to go on to Epsom Derby glory, with the last two to do so being Kahyasi (Ire) in 1988 and High-Rise (Ire) in 1998, and it remains to be seen whether this year's protagonists are able to end that long wait. Godolphin's Winning Story took a decent 10-furlong maiden at Newmarket on debut Apr. 13, and Saeed bin Suroor is hoping for a bold show. "He did a really nice piece of work on Wednesday morning, which showed he is well at...

Mountain Bell created a big impression when winning a soft-ground 10-furlong maiden at Windsor by 10 lengths on her 3-year-old introduction Apr. 11, and hails from the Ralph Beckett stable responsible for three of the last nine winners, including the subsequent Epsom Oaks runner-up Secret Gesture (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and also the 2008 runner-up Look Here (GB) (Hernando {Fr}), who went one better at Epsom. "She should be suited by the step up to a mile and three furlongs," her trainer said. "I was delighted with her seasonal debut at...

3rd-ASC, £8,000, Mdn, 5-6, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT, 2:06.82, g/f. ABINGDON (f, 3, Street Cry {Ire}--Justlookdontouch {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), an encouraging fourth on her racecourse bow behind the subsequent Listed Cheshire Oaks third Diamonds Pour Moi (GB) (Pour Moi {Ire}) over a mile at Kempton in November, was alert from the stalls to gain a perfect tow in a share of third early. Tackling the 5-4 favourite Ajman Princess (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) with a half furlong remaining, the imposing homebred mastered that rival 50 yards from the post en route...