Asadna

Asadna (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), one of the big talking horses this season, has been switched from George Boughey to Alice Haynes by Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah after the colt's ninth-placed effort in the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot.  Much of the hype surrounding the colt stemmed from a scintillating 12-length victory on debut at Ripon. It was on the strength of that performance that Asadna was sent off just 7-2 for the Coventry but he failed to land a glove on River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and was...

It never ceases to amaze how much debate the two-year-old races at Royal Ascot generate each year. A quick scan on racing Twitter over the past few days confirmed as much.  For all the fascinating puzzles that the royal meeting will serve up this week, including whether Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) can cope with Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the St James's Palace, what will reign supreme in the Prince Of Wales's or if any of the Australian sprinters can land a blow in the King's Stand S., it's the...

NEWMARKET, UK--George Boughey is aiming to build on his two winners at Royal Ascot last year by taking a team of around 20 to next week's meeting, led by the G2 Coventry S. favourite Asadna (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah's colt, who earned a TDN Rising Star with his 12-length win at Ripon on his sole start, will be ridden by William Buick, who partnered him in a gallop on Tuesday morning. Buick will also ride Soprano (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in the G3 Albany S.  "The two-year-olds will...

Aughamore Stud's Michael Gleeson has said that producing Asadna (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), arguably the most impressive two-year-old winner there has been so far this season and a genuine Royal Ascot contender, eclipses anything the family-run farm has achieved in the sales ring.  Gleeson runs one of the shrewdest breeding and pinhooking operations in Ireland along with his brother Laurence. The Westmeath men have made a habit of producing a number of big results at the sales in recent years and are now savouring what looks a real Coventry S. contender...