Above The Curve

Charlie Appleby says Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) will line out in Friday's $1m Bahrain International Trophy with a favourite's chance but admitted that stall 12 could make things tricky for the dual Group 1 winner as Godolphin ready a five-strong team for the Group 2 contest. Last seen winning the G1 Canadian International in October, Nations Pride will be joined by stablemate Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), with William Buick opting to ride the former in his bid to win the race for a first time. Appleby said, "Nations...

French Classic winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) is one of three Group 1 winners set to contest the Bahrain International Trophy along with Above The Curve (American Pharoah) and Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). This year's race, which takes place on Friday, November 17, has been upgraded to Group 2 status for the first time and has enhanced prize-money of $1 million. Fourteen runners will go to post, including two trained locally in Bahrain.  Among the international travellers from five different countries is Shadwell's Israr (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}),...

Reinvigorated by her career-best win in the G1 Prix Rothschild at the start of this August Festival, Baron Edouard De Rothschild's Mqse De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}--Penne {Fr}, by Sevres Rose {Ire}) produced a dramatic late surge to deny Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) for a notable Deauville double in Sunday's G1 Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet. Switched off in last by Alexis Pouchin, the Andre Fabre-trained 7-2 second favourite handed the 6-5 market-leader first run in early straight but had the material to get to her and have her...

One of only two French-trained juveniles in Sunday's G1 Sumbe Prix Morny at Deauville, Infinity Nine Horses' TDN Rising Star Ramatuelle (Justify) will need to draw on a significant amount of her abundant talent to maintain her sequence in one of the best renewals of the six-furlong feature in recent years. Out on her own at the end of Chantilly's G3 Prix du Bois and G2 Prix Robert Papin, the Christopher Head trainee now has to stand up to a collective of the best sprinting colts from Britain and Ireland...

Shadwell's Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}--Hadaatha {Ire}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) caused an upset when usurping Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the dying strides of Newcastle's G3 Hoppings S. when last seen and repeated the dose with a game performance for a career high in a stellar renewal of Thursday's G1 Qatar Nassau S. at Goodwood. This year's G2 Dahlia S. runner-up and Listed Rothesay S. victrix was let go at generous odds of 9-1 and broke smartly from the outside stall to find a smooth rhythm in a...

Joseph O'Brien is plotting a raid on Deauville with top performers Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Above The Curve (American Pharoah) after their respective performances at the Curragh on Irish Derby weekend.  Al Riffa, winner of the Vincent O'Brien National S. as a two-year-old, made a belated start to his campaign when second in a Group 3 while Above The Curve finished a creditable third in the Pretty Polly S. O'Brien has nominated the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville in August for the colt next.  "He got...

Connections of Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}--Nigh {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) had an anxious wait to learn whether their star mare would keep Saturday's G1 Yulong Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh, but ultimately the inquiry accepted that Becky Hillen's uber-bargain 5,000gns Tatts December Yearling purchase was clear best despite causing significant interference. So impressive on her favoured rain-deadened ground in last month's G2 Dahlia S. at Newmarket, the George Boughey-trained 5-year-old who had also captured the G3 Prix Fille de l'Air in the autumn was confidently-supported into 6-4...

Very few elite contests are won in the style that Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) displayed in last month's G2 Dahlia S., but Becky Hillen's star mare has to do it again at the next level in Saturday's G1 Yulong Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh. Granted more ease in the ground, trainer George Boughey is intent on pitching her against the best of the Irish in the 10-furlong test. "I've never seen her look so well and she's been training super, so it's all systems go as long...

Friday sees an above-average renewal of Newcastle's G3 Hoppings Fillies' S. as Imad Al Sagar's G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Nassau S. heroine Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) looks to start her 2023 campaign in earnest on the Tapeta. Disappointing when too fresh in the G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud last month, the Gosdens have opted to go back to basics with one of the cream of last year's TDN Rising Stars. This is no foregone conclusion with Shadwell's G2 Dahlia S. runner-up and Listed Rothesay S. winner Al Husn...

Last term's G1 Prix Saint-Alary and G2 Blandford S. heroine Above The Curve (American Pharoah--Fabulous {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) encountered stellar opposition in Sunday's G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud and halted a three-race losing streak with a pillar-to-post victory in the 10 1/2-furlong contest. Coolmore and Westerberg's 'TDN Rising Star' was undone by Saint-Alary runner-up Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and the reopposing Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) when third in October's G1 Prix de l'Opera before running seventh in both November's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare...

High-quality racing across Ireland, France and Germany awaits the racing fraternity on Monday, with The Curragh's G2 Coolmore Stud Sottsass Irish EBF Mooresbridge S. seeing the return to the fray of Ballydoyle's key older campaigner Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). Plagued by muscular issues last term, the 2021 G1 Futurity Trophy winner still managed to upstage Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) in Leopardstown's G1 Irish Champion S. on one of his better days in September and connections will be hoping that a clear run can see him...

Group 1 winner Above The Curve (American Pharoah--Fabulous {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) made it back-to-back scores with a gritty effort in the G2 Moyglare 'Jewels' Blandford S. at the Curragh on Sunday. The Joseph O'Brien-trained 'TDN Rising Star' had won the G1 St Mark's Basilica Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary at ParisLongchamp on May 29 in her previous start. Caught out wide without cover in midpack early as 70-1 longshot Emphatic Answer (Ire) (No Nay Never) led the way, Above The Curve improved under her own power to fourth with seven furlongs...