Coolmore

It already feels like the main part of the European season is more than just a week old and the unrelenting catch-up moves to Leopardstown on Tuesday where the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial takes centre stage. Aidan O'Brien has won 12 of these and saddles half of the field with Seamus Heffernan on the Laurie Macri colourbearer Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Impressive at the end of a mile maiden staged on soft-to-heavy ground on the opening day of the Irish flat turf season at Naas Mar. 23, the...

Juddmonte's undefeated G1SW Siskin (First Defence) tops 15 contenders for Friday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh at the latest entry stage. Ger Lyons's charge won each of his four starts last term, culminating in the G1 Phoenix S., but was withdrawn at the start on his intended finale in the G1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket after proving unruly in the stalls. Aidan O'Brien has seven colts in the mix at this stage, headed by Armory (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who won the G2 Futurity S. and G3...

Irish racing returned with a bang as Susan Magnier's More Beautiful (War Front), a half-sister to MG1SW sire Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact), powered into the ranks of TDN Rising Stars with an impressive 3 1/2-length debut victory in Monday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden over five furlongs at Naas. The 11-4 favourite made a fast getaway and was in the vanguard throughout. Cruising into an outright lead passing the quarter-mile marker, she quickened in style approaching the final furlong and lengthened clear under mild coaxing in the closing...

Italian reinsman Frankie Dettori has picked up a Classic ride and will be aboard one of four possible Coolmore G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas contenders on June 6th for Aidan O'Brien at Newmarket, Racing Post reported on Monday. G2 Coventry S. winner Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) is second favourite among the 15 entries as of Monday, while O'Brien also has GSW & G1SP Wichita (Ire) (No Nay Never), New World Tapestry (War Front), and G2 Royal Lodge S. victor Royal Dornoch (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) entered at this stage. The Rosegreen...

Second to Pao Alto (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) in ParisLongchamp's G3 Prix la Force over nine furlongs May 14, 'TDN Rising Star' Ocean Atlantique (American Pharoah) made light work of Sunday's Listed Prix de Suresnes at Deauville to set up a potential Classic tilt. As he had been when dominating a Saint-Cloud mile maiden in October, Coolmore's 1-5 favourite was sent to the front from the break by Pierre-Charles Boudot and after setting his own terms kicked early in the straight to settle the outcome. At the line, the bay had...

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 Wertheimer-bred sibling to a Group 1 winner. 11.25 La Teste de Buch, Mdn, €13,000, unraced 3yo, 10 1/2fT Alain and Gerard Wertheimer's homebred STAMINA (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is out of G2 Prix de Sandringham third Stormina (Gulch) and thus a half-sister to G1 Prix...

There are so many overtones from the land of the Czars in the pedigree of brilliant South Australian Derby winner Russian Camelot (Ire), by the hot Coolmore stallion Camelot. His dam is Lady Babooshka (Russian for grandmother), his granddam is Balalaika (the Russian triangular string instrument), his 2-year-old full-sister is named Russian Camilla. Insightful and fitting name for this blessed youth of a horse. Saturday, Morphettville, South Australia, Australia SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DERBY-G1, A$400,000, SAJC, 5-09, 3yo, Open Set Weight, 2500mT, 2:42.04, sf. 1--RUSSIAN CAMELOT (IRE) , 56.5, c, 3, Camelot...

Even Richard Wagner would have struggled to make anything of this particular "ring cycle". In four starts, Eight Rings (Empire Maker) has so far abruptly alternated the full works--strings, horns, kettle drums--with a timid clink of the triangle. As such, he certainly can't afford to break the cycle when surfacing for the first time since his Breeders' Cup bust in the Bachelor S. at Oaklawn Saturday. Dropping in grade and distance, in fact, he needs to produce the dominant sophomore performance of a day that also features a new stakes...

G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy and G1 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}-Cabaret {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) and Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}-Helleborine {GB}, by Observatory), winner of the G2 Coventry S. at two and the G3 Pavilion S. at three, will shuttle to Coolmore Australia later this year. Both are currently standing their first seasons at Coolmore's Irish headquarters for €22,500. "We are delighted to welcome two very exciting new sires in Calyx and Magna Grecia to Coolmore Australia," said Coolmore Australia's Nominations and Sales Manager Colm Santry....

In times of incredible uncertainty, the arrival of new foals allows breeders the excuse to steal a few moments to hope and dream. This can be especially true when the first crop of new sires arrive on the scene, and one of the most anticipated stallions with first foals this year is the unbeaten American Triple Crown winner Justify, who has already had plenty of quality first-crop representatives pop up across the Northern Hemisphere. Justify was raced by a powerhouse partnership including China Horse Club, and it was that group's...

Even if most racing is delayed, we're all hoping it will get underway sometime this spring or early summer, if for no other reason than so we can all find out the answer to our annual favorite question. We surveyed some top judges on who their leading first-crop sire is, and to give us some under-the-radar picks as well. I want to disclose my opinion by saying that most of it is based on the two-year-olds I have seen this past week at the OBS sale. Most of my clients...

Zoffany (Ire) will shuttle from his base at Coolmore in Ireland to Haras Firmamento in Argentina later this year, Racing Post reports. The 12-year-old Zoffany has sired 32 stakes winners, including Group 1 winners Ventura Storm (Ire) and Albigna (Ire). The latter won last year's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac. Among the stallions Zoffany will stand alongside at Firmamento are Hit It A Bomb (War Front), who was also trained by Aidan O'Brien and who won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. He is based at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky.