Al Qareem (Ire)

There wasn't a great deal left for Aidan O'Brien to achieve at Chester's marquee May Festival, but Thursday saw him register another historic feat as he completed an unprecedented clean sweep of the opening two day's black-type events. Already responsible for the winners of the G3 Chester Vase, Listed Cheshire Oaks and Listed Dee Stakes, all ridden by Ryan Moore, he was able to fulfil the quota with Illinois in the G3 Ormonde Stakes. Sent off the 6-5 favourite having his first start of the season under a five-pound penalty,...

ParisLongchamp stages its penultimate autumnal farewell on Sunday, with the G1 Prix Royal-Oak the last pattern race to be staged at the prestigious Bois de Boulogne venue which draws its curtains on Thursday. There is no stand-out this year and the main protagonists are a notch or two below the likes of Vazirabad (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}), Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire} or even the sadly-lost 2021 hero Scope (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), but there is Bertrand Milliere's popular Iresine (Fr) by Vazirabad's sire whose three runs here include wins in last year's...

ParisLongchamp's mammoth Arc weekend opened with the G2 Qatar Prix Chaudenay, which went the way of Karl Burke trainee Al Qareem (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}--Moqla {GB}, by Teofilo {Ire}) after a thrilling finale to the 15-furlong contest. The 3-year-old gelding, who had snagged handicaps at Nottingham and York earlier this term, was last seen finishing seventh in Goodwood's G3 Gordon S. and went postward as an 11-2 chance. Tracking the leader in second until taking over at the entrance to the straight, he was scrubbed along when tackled approaching the quarter-mile...