Coolmore

Champion Westerner has died at Castlehyde Stud in Ireland, Coolmore announced on Friday. The bay was just a few days shy of his 26th birthday. "Westerner was always a pleasure to deal with and was an old favourite of the breeders too," said Castlehyde's Cathal Murphy. "He got you a lovely sort of horse with a good attitude that jumped well. He has been a wonderful servant for us over the years producing so many top-class horses and will be greatly missed by all the team here in Castlehyde." Bred...

Wootton Bassett has surpassed Redoute's Choice and Extreme Choice as the most expensive stallion to ever stand in Australia, after Coolmore announced on Thursday that his 2025 fee has been set at A$385,000 (inc GST). A published fee of A$330,000 (inc GST) was the previous record, first set by Redoute's Choice when he stood at Arrowfield Stud in 2007 and 2008. Earlier this year, Newgate Farm announced that Extreme Choice would match that fee in 2025, a significant increase on the A$275,000 (inc GST) he stood for in 2024. Wootton...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Mount Kilimanjaro (Siyouni) needed every yard of Thursday's Listed Boodles Raindance Dee Stakes and continued the Ballydoyle maestro's dominance of this year's Chester Cup meeting with a seventh win in eight renewals, and a record-breaking 12th overall, in the extended 10-furlong contest. Last year's Criterium d'Automne winner and G1 Criterium International runner-up broke well and settled in fifth passing the judge first time, but slipped to sixth at halfway. Coming under pressure with a quarter-mile remaining, the even-money favourite was under a full Ryan Moore pump thereafter...

Twain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) is a doubtful runner in Saturday's Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket due to an unsatisfactory scope, Coolmore revealed on Tuesday. "Following his work this morning, Twain (Wootton Bassett) didn't scope 100% so is unlikely to run in the 2,000 Guineas @NewmarketRace and may now be aimed at the Irish 2,000 Guineas instead," read a statement posted to X by Coolmore (@coolmorestud). "Expanded (Wootton Bassett) is likely to be @Ballydoyle's only runner in the 2,000 Guineas on Saturday." Unbeaten in two starts as a juvenile, including...

Naas's opening six-furlong fillies' maiden on Monday has a rich recent history and there was a lot to suggest that Ballydoyle's Simply Astounding (Wootton Bassett {GB}) can add another chapter. The fourth foal out of the high-achiever Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the 11-8 favourite was out smartly and able to keep close tabs on the leading pair with Ryan Moore enjoying a straightforward trip. In front two out, the homebred drew away along with the well-regarded Cape Sounion (Ire) (No Nay Never) to beat that Donnacha O'Brien-trained rival by 1...

While visually making heavy weather of bringing up a third renewal of Navan's Listed Bar One Racing Vintage Crop Stakes on Saturday, Ballydoyle's stayer supreme Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is back and at this point still in command of this sphere. Those unaccustomed to the way the 7-year-old operates would have found themselves underwhelmed at the way he took a relative age to subdue the drastically overmatched Poetic Sound (Ire) (Poet's Word {Ire}) in this 14-furlong warm-up for the season's Cup races, with even takers of the cramped 1-7 on...

Navan's Saturday card featured a trio of black-type contests, but early focus centred on the €18,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for juveniles, in which Coolmore and Westerberg's Charles Darwin (Ire) (No Nay Never), a full-brother to dual Group 1 winner Blackbeard (Ire), illuminated proceedings with a spectacular 5 1/2-length triumph. Aidan O'Brien had annexed three consecutive renewals of the near-six furlong contest, including with subsequent G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Camille Pissarro (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) last year, and his 8-11 pick was away sharply to gain immediate control...

Launching his 2025 campaign in Saturday's Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Committed Stakes at Navan, Ballydoyle's G1 Prix Morny hero Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never) delivered the ideal start with the yard enjoying a one-two. Exuberant for Ryan Moore as his talented stablemate Ides Of March (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) went forward, Peter Brant's accomplished colour-bearer managed to get past in the final yards for a half-length success with Moyglare's filly Sparkling Sea (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) joining in to be a head further behind. "We thought both horses were just...

Ballydoyle's standard had been hoisted just once in Sandown's G3 bet365 Classic Trial during the Aidan O'Brien era and last term's G3 Tyros Stakes runner-up Swagman (Ger) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) doubled that tally with a determined effort in this year's renewal of the 10-furlong feature. Let go at generous odds of 9-2, the €170,000 BBAG September graduate was the only one of five contenders without a ticket to Epsom's Blue Riband and, coming back off a 274-day sabbatical, stalked the leading duo in third for the most part. Easing outside...

A colt from the second crop of Tiz the Law (hip 1094) set a new high-water mark during Friday's final session of OBS April, selling for $1,500,000 to the partnership of Spendthrift, St. Elias and West Point. Consigned by S G V Thoroughbreds (Steven Venosa), the colt is out of a half-sister to Canadian champion female sprinter River Maid (Where's My Ring) who herself produced GI Central Bank Ashland runner up Cocktail Moments (Uncle Mo). The Louisiana-bred worked an eighth in :10.

Group 1 winner Switzerland (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) will stand at Coolmore Australia for A$60,500 (inc. GST) in his first season, Coolmore announced on Wednesday. Bred by Arrowfield Group, the colt was an A$1.5 million Inglis Ester yearling and would go on to take the G2 Todman Stakes. At three, he added the G2 Roman Consul Stakes and the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, the same double completed by successful stallion Zoustar (Aus). Rated 125 by Timeform for his effort in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, Switzerland also eclipsed a 20-year-old record with...

Alain and Gerard Wertheimer's hitherto unraced No Tune (GB) (No Nay Never), a homebred half-sister to GI United Nations Handicap hero Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}), made a winning debut in Monday's €30,000 Prix Epinard at Chantilly. Taking control approaching the final furlong, the 27-10 favourite was ridden clear in the closing stages to register an impressive 3 1/2-length success from Hold My Hand (Fr) (Threat {Ire}).   🇫🇷 Prix Epinard @fgchantilly Chantilly - Classe 3 - 2 ans - 1000m - Bon Souple (3.3) - 8 Pts - 30 000...