Europe

Cheryl Burton and Julian Lefevre have made it all look so easy. Retire a filly, decide to become breeders, and head to the Cheltenham Festival for a Grade 1 with the mare's very first foal. Whatever happens with future generations, Jax Junior, the seven-year-old son of Jack Hobbs who runs in the Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy, has already given his owner-breeders the thrill of a lifetime. Fourteen runs, six wins, including the G2 Pendil Novices' Chase, and another four placed efforts speak to the level of consistency shown by the...

Alongside the Godolphin duo of Nation's Hope (Ghaiyyath) and Palladas (Lope De Vega), The Last Dance (Iffraaj) recently made an impressive debut at Chantilly to become the third European-trained three-year-old to be named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' since our Winter Watch run began back in November. It looked a strong race in which The Last Dance debuted on March 3, facing eight other newcomers over 9.5f of the Chantilly all-weather. They included the Wertheimer homebred Maine (Night Of Thunder), a sibling to two winners of the G1...

The Haras de Castillon-based stallions Marhaba Ya Sanafi and Tribalist have both had their first mares scanned in foal. Among the mares confirmed in foal to Tribalist is the unraced Grand Blonde (Almanzor), a half-sister to the Poule d'Essai des Poulains second Texas (Wootton Bassett), along with the multiple stakes-placed Atlantica (Mastercraftsman). Tribalist, who counted the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp among his 10 career victories, stands for a fee of €6,000 in 2026. Meanwhile, Love Song, a daughter of Lope De Vega from the immediate family of Group...

Sunday, Chantilly, post time: 16:07, PRIX MONTENICA-Listed, €50,300, 3yo, 6 1/2f (AWT) Field: Shaatir (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Bourgoin (Fr) (Ardad {Ire}), Dandy Style (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), Mr Wonka (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}), Kailani (Fr) (Goken {Fr}), Zuender (Ger) (Amaron {GB}), Rencontre Sportive (Fr) (Seabhac), My Calyx Cen (Ire) (Calyx {GB}), Break Dance (Fr) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Showna (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), Thora (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), No Tune (GB) (No Nay Never), Ananke (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}). TDN Verdict: This sees the reintroduction of No Tune, who was unbeaten...

Connections of some of the leading European-trained Dubai World Cup entries are said to be taking a watching brief on the conflict in the Middle East before firming up running plans for the fixture that boasts over $30 million in prize-money on Saturday, March 28. On Wednesday, it was confirmed that Shadai Race Horse Company's Masquerade Ball and Jantar Mantar would not travel from Japan to Meydan for their intended starts in the Dubai Sheema Classic and Dubai Turf. However, leading Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien and the Aga Khan Stud's...

Amateur National Hunt jockey Sam Lee has died at the age of 27. Lee was a prominent figure on the point-to-point circuit and rode four winners under Rules during his career. A joint-statement from the Injured Jockeys Fund and Point-To-Point Authority read, "The point-to-point world is devastated to hear of the sudden death of Sam Lee on Friday, March 6. Our deepest sympathies go out to Sam's family and his many friends. "Sam, 27, was a hugely popular figure on the point-to-point scene and his tragic death is a huge...

The Acheson family has bought Abbeville Stud in Kilnagornan, County Kildare from Eimear Mulhern, The Irish Field reported on Friday. Mulhern, the breeder of high-profile names such as Approve and Gutaifan, told The Irish Field, "I mentioned to Andrew Nolan of Goffs Property to keep me in mind if he had any clients interested in a property like Abbeville. Quite soon afterwards I had a couple of enquiries and the deal was done. "I've been running the stud since I was 25 and I just wanted to wind it down...

Nominations for this year's TBA Stud Employee Award are now open. Sponsored by New England Stud, the annual award is presented at the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Flat Breeders' Awards Evening, which will take place on Wednesday, July 8 at Chippenham Park. The award winner will be selected from six shortlisted candidates and invited to attend the TBA Flat Breeders Awards Evening. They will also take home a £2,000 cash prize and a perpetual trophy in the form of a Charlie Langton bronze, while the remaining shortlisted nominees will receive £250...

The ITBA Next Generation has announced the introduction of the ITBA Next Generation Breeders' Grant, sponsored by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the Irish EBF. The grant will be awarded annually, and with immediate effect in 2026, to young breeders in recognition of the achievements of horses they have bred. In year one, it will be awarded to two young breeders - one in the Flat racing category and one in the National Hunt racing category. The inaugural recipients of the ITBA Next Generation Breeders' Grant are Joann Lyons and...

The G1 Prix Jacques le Marois winner Diego Velazquez has had his first mares scanned in foal, including Avolta (Mastercraftsman), a winning half-sister to the G2 Prix Dollar scorer Jayarebe (Zoffany). Another mare confirmed in foal to the son of Frankel is Mystical Air (Kingman), a half-sister to the G3 Zukunfts-Rennen winner Carolina Reaper (Too Darn Hot). "Diego Velazquez ticks all the boxes for breeders and that has been reflected in the support he has received," said Anna Kerr, CEO of the National Stud. "His top-class first book features numerous...

The Irish National Stud has reported interest among breeders in newbie stallion Arizona Blaze to be "very strong" and revealed that Amo Racing, whose colours the horse carried to Group 1 glory, will be sending up to 45 mares to the young stallion in his debut season.  A tough and classy sprinter, Arizona Blaze landed the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh last season. That was the sixth win of his glittering career that saw him amass close to €1m in prize-money.  All six of those wins were...

This time next week, County Waterford native Paul Cunningham will know whether he's the proud breeder of a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner. If he is, then National Hunt racing's blue riband will have delivered another rags-to-riches story to rival classics of the genre given to us in years past. Okay, so The Jukebox Man isn't trained by a dairy farmer a la 1990 winner Norton's Coin, nor will bookmakers be offering odds of 100/1 when the eight-year-old faces the starter at Prestbury Park. Equally, Ben Pauling, the trainer of The...