Europe

Successful in four of the last eight editions of the Listed Cheshire Oaks, a prep for the Epsom Oaks, Aidan O'Brien looks likely to garner another with Somehow, a daughter of the 2006 winner of that Classic as well as the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks, Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). She dealt with the subsequent winner Shamreen (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in decisive fashion over 10 furlongs on heavy ground at Leopardstown Apr. 6, and is set to start odds-on with the Chester faithful now fully expectant of a Ballydoyle whitewash of...

Lumiere (Ire) (Shamardal) and Buratino (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) are both set to return to sprinting at Royal Ascot after finishing off the board in the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 2000 Guineas, respectively, for Godolphin and trainer Mark Johnston. Last year's G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Lumiere was sent off second-choice for the 1000 Guineas, but faded early to finish last, and Godolphin Racing Manager and Chief Executive John Ferguson said, "We feel she should go back to where we know she has excelled, and that is over...

Vadamos (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), the eye-catching winner of the G2 Prix du Muguet at Saint-Cloud Sunday, will not race outside France this season, with trainer Andre Fabre noting the horse has underperformed both times he has traveled. Vadamos finished last of 13 in the G1 Champion S. in October, and beat one home in the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 26. "I haven't entered him for anything at Royal Ascot," said Fabre. "He will run next in the [G1] Prix d'Ispahan [at Chantilly May 24]. He's a very good horse,...

Last year's G3 Killavullan S. winner Blue De Vega (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), at one time under consideration for last Saturday's English 2000 Guineas, will instead target the Irish version May 21 after finishing second in Monday's Listed Tetrarch S. at The Curragh over seven furlongs in his seasonal reappearance. Blue De Vega is trained by Michael O'Callaghan for Qatar Racing and partners. "[Blue De Vega's run in the Tetrarch] was very promising. He needed it and it will put him spot on," said David Redvers, racing manager to...

Haras du Sabouas was the leading vendor at last year's Osarus Breeze-up Sale and Paul Basquin's operation duly retained its crown in 2016, with a pair of leading lights from an 11-strong draft topping the one-day auction at €60,000. One of France's young up-and-coming sires shared top billing with an old favourite, with the Wootton Bassett (GB) colt named Castle Dream (Fr) (lot 18) matching the price given for a daughter of Haras du Thenney veteran Orpen (lot 40). Christophe Ferland, who trains at La Teste de Buch racecourse where...

Paco Boy (Desert Style) was a £30,000 Doncaster (now Goffs UK) 2-year-old, bought by Peter and Ross Doyle for the Hannon training academy. He ran 24 times over four seasons, winning 11 times. His nine Black-Type wins included three Group 1 races and four Group 2 wins. His three Group 1 wins were: the 7-furlong Prix de la Foret as a 3-year-old, defeating Natagora; the Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot as a 4-year-old; and the Lockinge S. as a 5-year-old, the latter two races at one mile. He also...

Just two words--Galileo gold--were all that was needed to provide a near-perfect summary of the first Classic weekend of the European season (though they don't shine enough light on Paco Boy, sire of the equine Galileo Gold who triumphed in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas). It was Galileo who was responsible for Minding, Ballydoyle and Alice Springs, the three fillies who dominated the 16-runner G1 1000 Guineas, and he is also the sire of Galileo Gold's dam Galicuix. As if that weren't enough, Galileo's daughters produced at least four other...

Trainer Owen Burrows has wasted little time in showcasing his training talents, sending out G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas runner-up Massaat (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in his first few months with a license. The same horse could also provide the rookie trainer with his first G1 Investec Derby challenger next month. The June 4 showpiece is under strong consideration for the colt. "He was ridden this morning and he seems to have come out of the race fine," commented Burrows. "He will now have a quiet week before being built back up...

Aidan O'Brien is pondering his next move with Air Force Blue (War Front) following the colt's dismal effort in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas last Saturday. The colt showed none of his sparkle, eventually finishing 12th of the 13 finishers and O'Brien is hoping it was a one off occurrence with a Curragh run possibly next on the agenda. "Hopefully it won't happen again and the next decision we have to make is on where his next race will be," said O'Brien. "We will have an eye on the [G1]...

Osarus stages its breeze-up sale Tuesday , with around 100 2-year-olds--the highest number ever at this auction--joined by a section of horses in training for the first time. The company, in which Tattersalls has bought a major share, moved the breeze-up from Pornichet down to La Teste de Buch in Bordeaux last year and enjoyed improved figures all round, with turnover standing at €973,000 for the 44 horses sold at an average of €22,725. Haras du Mezeray's Myboycharlie (Ire) (Danetime {Ire}) has had a good season so far in France,...

Connections of Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}) have made a swift decision to bypass a trip to Royal Ascot with their thrilling sprinter. The 5-year-old showed he is one of the world's fastest horses with an amazing last-to-first win in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin on Sunday. It would have been a great spectacle to see him take on Europe's finest sprinters, but that will not be according to co-trainer Michael Hawkes. Hawkes commented, "As much as the carrot is big in England, the horse comes...

The first Classic of the British season was supposed to be blitzed by Air Force Blue (War Front) but in the end, sooner evoked the two Spitfires flown over the Rowley Mile at the start of the afternoon. Certainly it requires no great leap of the imagination to picture the young trainer of Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) as a Battle of Britain pilot. True, it was Frankie Dettori who did the actual steering on Hugo Palmer's own flying machine, the jockey extending his personal renaissance by artfully harnessing...