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Trainer Mark Johnston sent out his hopefuls for the G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas and G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas, Buratino (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and Lumiere (Ire) (Shamardal), respectively, to work before racing at Newmarket Thursday. Both horses worked with a stablemate. "That was perfect," Johnston said. "To be honest, all the work had been done before today and this was just the finishing touches. We just wanted to give them an outing to the track because if we are going to start them off at that level, they need...

2.55 Newbury, Mdn, £8,500, 3yo, f, 10f 6yT TAQAAREED (IRE) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) is a full-sister to the 2014 Epsom Oaks heroine Taghrooda (GB) who starts out for the same John Gosden stable. Owner-breeder Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum witnessed another of his Oaks winners, Eswarah (GB) (Unfuwain) in this 11 years ago, so the likelihood is that this chestnut is highly-regarded taking on experienced rivals, such as the Niarchos Family's Shall We (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), a Sir Michael Stoute-trained daughter of the 1999 GI E. P. Taylor...

Promising in two maiden starts at two, Linguistic ran second to Thursday's ultimately disappointing Craven S. runner Very Talented (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) over a mile at Doncaster in early September and was in that position again behind Tuesday's Listed Feilden S. runner-up Mustajeer (GB) (Medicean {GB}) over the same trip here a fortnight later. Tending to over-race early behind the leaders, the bay moved through to lead with a quarter mile remaining and despite running green was always doing too much for his rivals to contend with. "I thought...

RIDER ON THE STORM Hit by a raging thunderstorm, the latest renewal of Newmarket's G3 Novae Bloodstock Craven S. took on a freakish air beforehand but there was no arguing with the sheer authority of the winner Stormy Antarctic (GB) (Stormy Atlantic) who made light of the ever-worsening conditions under a supremely confident George Baker. Sent off the 9-2 second favourite, last year's G1 Criterium International runner-up was anchored in rear early despite the relative crawl and as the 4-6 favourite Foundation (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) floundered when asked for his...

2nd-NEW, £7,000, Mdn, 4-14, 2yo, f, 5fT, 1:02.24, g/s. +FIERY CHARACTER (IRE) (f, 2, Dragon Pulse {Ire}--Intricate Dance, by Aptitude), ignored at 33-1, immediately scoffed at those odds with a sharp start and always held a slight edge over Camargue (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in front. Seeing off the attentions of that relative of Dubai Millennium (GB) inside the final furlong, the €18,000 GOFSPT yearling drew away to win by two lengths from Perfect Madge (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who took the runner's-up spot from Camargue by a head. Fiery Character,...

The Aga Khan's Vazirabad (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}), the winner of six straight races including the G2 Dubai Gold Cup Mar. 26, is among 26 entries for the G1 Investec Coronation Cup on Derby Day at Epsom June 4. The grey would be seeking his second Group 1 in the Coronation, having taken Saint-Cloud's Prix Royal-Oak in October. Vazirabad would be trying 12 furlongs for the first time, and has raced over at least 13.5 furlongs in seven of his eight starts. "Vazirabad has come back from Dubai okay," said trainer...

Adrian Keatley is a name that is cropping up a lot in Ireland these days, and if this year's early season flat results are any indication, it is name that we will be hearing a lot more of. The Kildare native achieved an early career milestone when saddling Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) to win the G3 Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial S. last Sunday, the first group win of his nascent training operation. All the more noteworthy was that the win was achieved not with a sale topping blueblood,...

A colt by The Factor (lot 106) realized the highest price of the second and final session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale Wednesday when bringing 350,000gns from agent Jamie McCalmont, who was acting on behalf of a Coolmore/Stonestreet Stables partnership. McCalmont noted the grey–who is a half to two winners and was a $100,000 buy at Keeneland September last year–would return to the U.S. to be trained.

1.10 Fontainebleau, Cond, €29,000, 3yo, f, 8fT GIRL FRIDAY (FR) (Pivotal {GB}) makes a low-key return to action following her debut win over six furlongs at Deauville in October for Haras de Saint Pair and Andre Fabre. The first foal out of the 2011 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up and G1 Prix de Diane third Glorious Sight (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}), who sold for €1.7 million at Arqana's Arc Sale four years ago, the bay encounters seven rivals but none with her potential. 2.45 Newmarket, Mdn, £7,000, 2yo, f 5fT...

6th-MLF, €25,000, Mdn, 4-13, 3yo, f, 9fT, 2:03.76, hy. WAR FLAG (f, 3, War Front--Black Speck, by Arch), runner-up on debut over 7 1/2 furlongs on Deauville's Polytrack Mar. 4, was sent straight to the lead. Always comfortable in that position, the 2-1 favourite was gradually stoked up by Christophe Soumillon down the middle of the home straight and was never in any danger en route to a cosy length success from Sweet Charity (Fr) (Myboycharlie {Ire}). The winner is a full-sister to Lines of Battle, Champion Stayer & G1SW-HK,...

There is a distinct feel of "while the cat's away" about Thursday's G3 Novae Bloodstock Insurance Craven S. at Newmarket, with Air Force Blue (War Front) going through the motions in private in Co. Tipperary. In Foundation (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), however, the renowned Guineas trial at least has a significant player to boast of. Successful on this type of surface in the Listed Ascendant S. at Haydock and G2 Royal Lodge S. here in September, Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's chestnut was very unlucky not to play more of a hand in...

Mahsoob gained recognition early last season as the colt who managed to overcome two high draws in competitive 10-furlong handicaps at Newbury and York and there was talk of King Georges after the highly-regarded homebred had kept his unbeaten record intact in Royal Ascot's Listed Wolferton H. over the same trip in June. That mission was abandoned when he finished sixth in the G2 Princess of Wales's S. trying a mile and a half at the July meeting here and the sense of anti-climax only grew with a substandard fifth...