Europe

Treo Eile has announced a new partnership with Horse Sport Ireland for the upcoming breeding season, launching a pilot initiative designed to safeguard Thoroughbred mares by creating further opportunities beyond their racing and breeding careers. The Treo Eile Thoroughbred Broodmare Scheme is designed to provide an additional pathway for registered Thoroughbred broodmares, supporting their transition into sport horse breeding. Dr Sonja Egan, Head of Breeding, Innovation and Development at Horse Sport Ireland, said, "We are delighted to support Treo Eile's pilot scheme, which aims to encourage the use of quality...

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) is embarking on a pre-market consultation (PMC), aimed at engaging international developers, investors and operators, in order to explore the next phase in the evolution of the Leopardstown Campus. This PMC follows a series of stakeholder briefings held in January, bringing together representatives from across the racing industry, local community, business and public sectors to share information, gather insight and begin an open dialogue on the future evolution of the Leopardstown Campus. According to HRI, the engagement phase of the Leopardstown Campus Masterplan revealed a "growing...

My Fortune (Appel Au Maitre) was crowned Denmark's Horse of the Year at Saturday's Hestesportens Galla in Aarhus as Stutteri Hjortebo dominated proceedings. The Jutland stud, which was named Breeder of the Year, bred all three of the gala's equine winners, namely Two-Year-Old of the Year Cosmopolitan (Make Believe), Three-Year-Old of the Year No Surrender (Giant Sandman) and the aforementioned My Fortune, who also took the title for Older Horse of the Year. Elsewhere, Bent Olsen, who trains No Surrender, was named Trainer of the Year, while Nicolaj Stott saw...

Following a busy weekend of racing in the Middle East between Doha and Riyadh, Emma Berry will be bringing her popular Seven Days column back from its winter hibernation for a one-off edition this week, providing a helpful summary for those lucky few whose Valentine's Day obligations took them away from the racing on Saturday in favour of a cinema trip to see Wuthering Heights. Really, only me? Anyway, you can rest assured that Margot Robbie hasn't prevented your Winter Watch columnist from keeping an eagle eye on the all-weather...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Members of the Heffernan family and their extended clan make it all look so easy. Turn up to a major race day somewhere in the world and leave with a big trophy and a bag of swag. OK, so it doesn't always go that smoothly but after last year's audacious Breeders' Cup Turf win for Ethical Diamond, the HOS Syndicate has done it again in the G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap, worth a cool $2.5m. Joseph O'Brien had two runners in the race but it was...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- On a day when America, Britain, Ireland, Saudi Arabia and Japan were all represented in the winner's circle at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, perhaps the most astonishing performance came from the Karl Burke-trained Royal Champion. The son of Shamardal appears still to be improving at the age of eight and bounced into his biggest success yet in the G1 Howden Neom Turf Cup off the back of a similarly impressive win in the G2 Bahrain International Trophy. His jockey Oisin Murphy had got his eye in with...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- If there is one thing better than winning a major international race with a homebred, it is when that horse just happens to be by an under-the-radar sire who carried those same colours. So is the story of Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's journey from Arkansas to Saudi Arabia to take the G2 1351 Turf Sprint with their pride and joy Reef Runner. The five-year-old gelding is a son of GI King's Bishop Stakes winner The Big Beast, who stands in Florida for the princely sum of...

Star Of Wonder (Uncle Mo) has been scratched from the G1 Saudi Cup on the advice of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) stewards on Saturday morning. Racing for King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Sons, the five-year-old entire was administered a topical substance to all four limbs on raceday in contravention of Article 134(10)(4) of the Rules of Racing. Trained by Saad Aljenade, Star of Wonder was third in the GIII Pimlico Special Stakes last year. Sold for $325,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale, he...

Elie Hennau has left his role as managing director of France Galop with immediate effect, according to reports published in Jour de Galop and Paris-Turf. France Galop president Guillaume de Saint-Seine confirmed the news to staff on Friday afernoon. He said, "Elie Hennau is stepping down from his position as managing director. We would like to thank him for his work and commitment to the industry over the past two years. We wish him every success in his future endeavours."  Hennau, a former amateur rider with a business background in...

Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia, post time: 20:40, SAUDI CUP-G1, $20,000,000, NH/SH4yo/up, 1800m Field: Banishing (Ghostzapper), Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), Haqeet (Arrogate), Luxor Cafe (American Pharoah), Mhally (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev), Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach), Nysos (Nyquist), Rattle N Roll (Connect), Star Of Wonder (Uncle Mo), Sunrise Zipangu (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Thundersquall (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance), Ameerat Alzamaan (GB) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}). TDN Analysis: Forever Young will be a prohibitive favourite to become the first to go back-to-back in the world's richest race....

Multiple group winner Sevenna's Knight (Camelot) topped the inaugural AKTEM February Online Sale when selling for €305,000 to the Sevenna's Knight Syndicate. Consigned by trainer Andre Fabre as lot 3B, the six-year-old entire won the G2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier as well as two other group stakes. He also placed in the 2024/2025 editions of the Prix Royal-Oak and was runner-up in last year's Vicomtesse Vigier after it was promoted to Group 1 level. Guy Petit struck for Grade 2-winning jumper Amour Du Mathan (Saint Des Saints) (lot 9), shelling out...

Faustyna (Kodi Bear) (lot 105), who won a Dundalk maiden on Wednesday, is one of 10 wildcards added to the Tattersalls Online February Sale set for February 17-18 next week. A half-sister to four winners, Faustyna is joined by fellow Dundalk winner Friendly Invoice (Invincible Army) (lot 104). From the family of The Grey Gatsby and already the dam of four winners is M'as Tu Vu (Falco) (lot 107). A half-sister to two stakes winners is Blueaway (Blue Point) (lot 106), who is also a half to the dam of...