Alparslan

It seems a mere blink of an eye ago, but the inaugural Goffs London Sale took place in June 2014 in groundbreaking fashion. War Horse made an appearance, and was for a few brief moments ridden by Johnny Murtagh, while the first foal by Frankel to appear in any sale ring was, understandably, a show-stopper which made the national and television news. The auction has evolved over that time when it comes to the business of horse-trading but what has not changed is that its cocktail party feel offers, for...

Two wild-card entries have been added to Monday's Goffs London Sale, including G3 Greenham Stakes winner Alparslan (Dandy Man). Trained by Karl Burke, Alparslan beat subsequent German 2,000 Guineas winner Title Role, as well as Albert Einstein and Group 1 winner Zavateri when making his seasonal debut in the Greenham at Newbury. He was subsequently fifth, beaten just 1 3/4 lengths by the runner-up, in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.  Twice a winner at two, Alparslan holds entries in both the G1 Commonwealth Cup and G3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot...

The thrilling, fleeting moments of watching a horse win can be enough to sustain a breeder throughout tougher or more mundane times. And so it was when TDN got on the blower to Mark Dreeling that we found him mucking out while still able to exude excitement in the yarn of how he and his wife Barbara Fonzo came to breed Saturday's G3 Greenham Stakes winner Alparslan. "I'm well back down to earth," he says, pitchfork in one hand, phone presumably wedged between ear and shoulder on the other side....

Whether the Classic picture is any clearer this week than last is debatable but what the last seven days have brought us is some truly impressive performances to savour. And it is hard to pick just one, though it has to be said that Portcullis's Wood Ditton run was visually the most spectacular for all that you could see the colt learning with every stride he took, from being left at the start, to bounding through then clear of his rivals.  His maiden success for the King and Queen played...

The first two from last month's G1 National Stakes at the Curragh, Zavateri (Without Parole) and Gstaad (Starspangledbanner), feature among 14 confirmations for Saturday's G1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes, along with Distant Storm, one of three potential runners for Charlie Appleby as he seeks a fourth win in the race since 2019. Last seen winning the G3 Tattersalls Stakes over Saturday's course and distance, Distant Storm heads the betting for the Dewhurst at a general 2/1, although his trainer will be keeping an eye on the weather in the coming days,...