Coolmore

Coolmore has purchased champion racehorse and sire Wootton Bassett (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}-Balladonia {GB}, by Primo Dominie {GB}) to join its stallion roster. The 12-year-old has stood at Haras d'Etreham in Normandy since retiring to stud in 2012. Bred by Laundry Cottage Stud, Wootton Bassett was a £46,000 yearling purchase by Bobby O'Ryan from the St Leger Sale in 2009. Trained by Richard Fahey, he went unbeaten through his first four starts in the UK before capping his 2-year-old campaign with a victory in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and thus...

Fresh off of a powerhouse victory by his Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law (Constitution) in Saturday's GI Runhappy Travers S., Jack Knowlton joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning to talk about the imposing GI Kentucky Derby favorite. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Knowlton also discussed the deal struck with Coolmore to stand Tiz the Law at Ashford Stud, how much it meant to be in attendance for the Barclay Tagg trainee's Travers victory and whether or not this renewed...

Two days after the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) announced that it was withholding payment of the winner's share of the purse for the $20-million Saudi Cup won by Maximum Security (New Year's Day), the colt's owners issued a statement which called the Saudi's actions something that was unprecedented in the annals of racing. The statement was signed by Gary West and Coolmore. Just nine days after Maximum Security won the Saudi Cup, his trainer Jason Servis was indicted on federal charges involving horse doping. The Servis indictment led...

1.30 Gowran Park, Mdn, €15,500, 2yo, 8fT Aidan O'Brien trainee HARVARD (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}), who is kin to MGISW GI Breeders' Cup Mile and G1 Queen Anne S. heroine Tepin (Bernstein) and MGSW GI Wood Memorial and GI Forego S. third Vyjack (Into Mischief), shaped with a deal of promise when a close-up fourth tackling seven furlongs at Leopardstown on debut last month and gets a second chance to shed maiden status upped in trip for this one. His opposition features Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's hitherto unraced Wuqood...

Sunday's seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at The Curragh looked as if it could be storing something exciting beforehand and so it proved as Anne Marie O'Brien's Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) exploded onto the scene to earn TDN Rising Star status. Keen early tracking the leading trio, the 10-1 shot who had won a Dundalk barrier trial July 29 travelled with supreme ease once Declan McDonogh had got a grip on him. Given the command approaching the final furlong, the homebred split rivals and surged to the front...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a newcomer for the Coolmore/Moyglare Stud partnership. 2.00 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, 7fT TIGNANELLO (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) represents a partnership between his breeder Moyglare Stud Farm--whose silks he sports--and Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor and debuts for the Ballydoyle stable. Out of the 2013 GI Del...

7th-Del Mar, $57,000, Msw, 8-2, 2yo, f, 5f, :59.98, ft. ROLL UP MO MONEY (f, 2, Uncle Mo--Twixy Roll {MSW, $277,172}, by Roll Hennessy Roll) came from off the pace to graduate in her career unveiling at Del Mar Sunday. Overlooked at 15-1, the Jeff Mullins trainee was hustled out from her wide berth and settled in a stalking position as first Hi Con (Nyquist) and then Bonus Fever (Runhappy) set early fractions of :22.48 and :46.83 while favorite Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) lingered near the back. At the throat...

There are good reasons for smaller trainers, owners and breeders to do their equine shopping at the drafts of the major breeding operations at horses-in-training and breeding stock sales. If buying a filly or young broodmare there is the potential for updates from well-managed families, members of which likely remain in their breeders' broodmare bands. For the colts and geldings there is always the hope that a slower-maturing individual may well just have been deemed surplus to requirements and can go on to be a star in another stable over...

He's like the clean-cut, wide-eyed rookie sent into the lines, trying to read the expressions of the relieved troops. What might the likes of Charlatan (Speightstown) and Nadal (Blame) tell this star cadet, as they hand over the trenches, to steel him for the challenges ahead? Cezanne (Curlin) probably thinks they could do with a shave, and shouldn't be smoking on duty. But then he will notice the medals on their chests, and start to ask himself whether he too will step up; whether he will live up to everything...

The advent of Twitter over the last decade or so has made racing results quickly accessible to fans and observers anywhere in the world, so much so that it seems that a greater number of people in the U.S. are more familiar with European racing than ever before. Back when I was a kid, we'd have to wait for the Blood-Horse magazine to arrive in the mail to scan the 10-day old European results in the agate type in the back pages. Now, we get a video of a race...

Fresh from an impressive tally in Royal Ascot's Listed Chesham S., Coolmore's Battleground (War Front) emulated last year's winner of that contest--Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal)--by doubling up in Tuesday's G2 Veuve Clicquot Vintage S. at Goodwood. Employing patient tactics trapped three wide in sixth after a level break in the seven-furlong contest, the 13-8 favourite made smooth headway on the bridle in the straight to challenge at the quarter-mile marker and he was driven out once seizing control soon after to deny G2 Superlative S. runner-up Devious Company (Ire) (Fast Company...

With racemares like Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), there is a sense of point-and-shoot and Wayne Lordan had little trouble in steering her to a sixth top-level success in Sunday's G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh. Sent to the front almost from the outset, the 2-9 favourite merely had to repeat her effort when winning the course-and-distance G1 Pretty Polly S. June 28 and she gave generously to issue another beating to over-matched rivals. Kicking off the home turn, she stayed on strongly as expected as stablemate Sir Dragonet (Ire)...