Europe

Cheltenham hopeful Glance At Midnight sold for £245,000 to top the GoffsGo February Sale when selling to Ryan Mahon on behalf of Dan Skelton on Thursday. The son of Passing Glance (lot 3) holds entries in both the G1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the G1 Turners Novices' Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival. A winner of a bumper and a maiden hurdle, Glance At Midnight was last seen running second in the Listed Sidney Banks Hurdle at Huntingdon. Said Mahon of his purchase, "He's a nice horse with...

Widden Stud announced on Thursday the death of Bel Esprit, the retired sire of the global phenomenon that was Black Caviar. He was 26. "Bel Esprit has left a real legacy that will extend well beyond his passing and it has been a privilege to have him in our care," said Widden Stud's Adam Henry. The son of Royal Academy won his first five starts, culminating with victory in the 2002 G1 Blue Diamond. He followed that up with a sixth-place finish in the G1 Golden Slipper, before returning as...

Recent winner Dante Nonantais will continue his career Down Under after the leading Australian ownership group OTI Racing went to €180,000 to secure the Florian Bellemere-trained son of Hunter's Light on the second and final day of the Arqana Mixed February Sale on Wednesday.  The three-year-old gelding was the most expensive of the 170 horses sold at a clearance rate of 78% on the day. Meanwhile, the clearance rate for the entire sale stood at 70%, for an average price of €13,709 and total turnover of €3,299,750. A wide diversity...

Stayer Northwest Passage topped the Tattersalls Online February Sale at 31,000gns to Ivan Furtado. Sold as lot 29, the grey son of Ulysses was offered by Crimbourne Bloodstock and sports one win from seven starts. From the family of multiple Group 1-winning sire Tamayuz, the four-year-old gelding has competed on turf, all-weather and hurdles. Crimbourne Bloodstock's Charlie Parker said, "We were very happy with today. We have been very lucky with Tattersalls Online, much luckier than we have been in the ring! I just thought he might stand out on...

Friday, Meydan, UAE, post time: 18:50, UAE OAKS SPONSORED BY DEEPAL-G3, AED800,000, 3yo, f, 1900m Field: Labwah (Charlatan), Tjareed (Yaupon), Dozalla (Upstart), Yuno (Rock Your World), Pretty And Famous (Known Agenda), Auntie Fair (Uncle Chuck), Dialed To Dubai (Dialed In). Friday, Meydan, UAE, post time: 20:35, BALANCHINE SPONSORED BY AL TAYER MOTORS-G2, AED850,000, 4yo/up, SH 3yo, f/m, 1800mT Field: Dubai Beach (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Dubai Treasure (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), Fairy Glen (Fr) (Farhh {GB}), Capitana Bling (Ire) (Invincible Army {Ire}), Riyabovka (Fr) (Caullery), Blue Nazare (Ire) (Dubawi...

Can you see her still, in your mind's eye, that dark bay filly with a gait so ungainly as to almost belie her brilliance? Almost. But make no mistake, Attraction was brilliant, with a steeliness to match. The Irn Bru of racehorses: made in Scotland from girders. "People label horses as tough and talk about horses like Double Trigger being tough. Well, he wasn't particularly tough. I've encountered three horses in my career, I would say, that were exceptionally tough and they were all mares." So says Mark Johnston, the...

Charles Briere's Fairway Consignment was responsible for two of the top three lots during Tuesday's opening session of the Arqana February Mixed Sale, including the Listed-winning hurdler Elektrix (Gemix), who was knocked down to Hubert Barbe of Horse Racing Advisory - bidding on behalf of Haras de Couëly - for €80,000. Offered as lot 113, Elektrix enjoyed her career highlight when winning the Listed Prix Gaston Branere at Auteuil in April last year. The five-year-old is out of another talented hurdler in the G3 Prix Pierre de Lassus winner and...

Connor King, who was twice crowned champion apprentice jockey on the Flat in Ireland, will bid to become the youngest ever trainer to win the Grand National when sending Oscars Brother (Malinas) to Aintree later this spring.  The 27-year-old handler - who only has two horses at his County Tipperary stable - has admitted he is "trying not to think too much" about the prospect of Oscars Brother being a serious Grand National contender. The handicapper has given Oscars Brother a 155 rating - a weight of 10st 13lb -...

Zarak, who has quickly established himself as one of the leading Flat stallions in France, has been temporarily sidelined from covering duties due to injury, with the Aga Khan Studs reporting that the son of Dubawi "will require several weeks to recuperate". "Leading sire Zarak will unfortunately miss the start of the 2026 covering season following an accident in his stable," read a statement issued by the Aga Khan Studs. "He will require several weeks to recuperate, and his condition will be reassessed in two months' time." Based at Haras...

The European Pattern Committee (EPC) has approved the upgrade of two Group 3 races to Group 2 status for 2026, including the Prix Paul de Moussac at ParisLongchamp (1400m, 3yo, early-June). Won last year by the subsequent Group 1 winner Maranoa Charlie, the race is intended to act as the main stepping stone to the G1 Prix Jean Prat over the same distance approximately one month later. Meanwhile, Germany successfully applied to upgrade the Bavarian Classic at Munich (2000m, 3yo, early-May) to Group 2 status. The Bavarian Classic has a...

Sam Sheppard CBE, former chief executive of both the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) and the European Breeders' Fund (EBF), died on Friday evening at his home in Suffolk. He was 84. His tenure at the TBA ran from 1973 to 1989 and during that time Sheppard was instrumental in setting up the EBF along with the late Peter Willett and Bob McCreery. He remained at the helm of the EBF, which is still going strong more than 40 years later, until his retirement at the end of 2012. By that...

This column is not really supposed to start until the Flat turf season gets underway but we saw the sunshine in Newmarket on Monday morning for pretty much the first time this year so we're jumping the gun a little. After all, there was plenty of top-class Flat action on offer over the weekend in the Middle East and beyond, and following some frenetic race reporting on the spot in Riyadh, here are a few thoughts and breeding angles with the benefit of some time for reflection. Deep influence  With...