Darley

Last term's G1 Sun Chariot Stakes runner-up Blue Bolt (Blue Point), a rare Juddmonte purchase, is back on the path into elite-level company after breaking Andrew Balding's duck at this year's Royal Ascot meeting with a dominant performance in the latter stages of Wednesday's G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes. "This has been the plan since she ran so well in the Sun Chariot at the end of last year," said Balding. "Barring her first start at Southwell, she has never run a bad race and we've had this in our...

Charlie Appleby trainee Inner City Blues (Blue Point), who was Godolphin's sole purchase during this year's breeze-up season, was making his third pass through a sales ring when becoming the €900,000 top-priced colt at last month's Arqana Breeze-Up sale, having previously sold for €180,000 as a Goffs November foal and 375,000gns as a Tattersalls Book 1 yearling. The grandson of G3 Prix Eclipse victrix Souvenir Delondres (Siyouni) was all at sea during the initial stages of Saturday's Tomahawk Restaurants Supporting Macmillan EBF Maiden at York, but delivered a knockout blow...

Britain had not had a prior runner in the first two editions of Monday's €200,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Gowran Classic, which is part of the Smullen Series, and Richard Hannon trainee Bunyola Bay (Ghaiyyath) broke new ground to become the first and took a €100,000 prize back across the Irish Sea after making virtually all in the 9 1/2-furlong feature. "He's relatively inexperienced and it was his first time going around a bend today, but it was impressive and he had to be," said rider Sean Levey. "We've always...

Dalham Hall Stud resident Perfect Power (Ardad) became the latest freshman sire off the mark when his Alessandro Botti-trained son Rouhi made a winning debut in Sunday's Prix d'Orgemont at Chantilly. The 11-1 chance was awkwardly into stride and occupied a position in rear through halfway. Shaken up with 350 metres remaining, he went third entering the final furlong and swooped late to deny Calyx Express (Calyx) by a short-neck in the shadow of the post. Rouhi is the first of three foals out of a full-sister to the dual...

Cheveley Park Stud's five-year-old distaffer Estrange (Night Of Thunder) suffered a pair of Group 1 reversals after annexing last term's G3 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes and G2 Lancashire Oaks, and she regained the winning habit with a decisive victory in this year's rescheduled renewal of the former contest at Carlisle. "She is hardly blowing and doesn't even look like she has had a run really," Chris Richardson said of last year's G1 Yorkshire Oaks and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares runner-up. "She has done it very nicely and she...

Godolphin's 2024 G1 2000 Guineas hero and multiple elite-level winner Notable Speech (Dubawi) was sent postward as the heavily-supported 2-1 favourite for Saturday's G1 Boyle Sports Lockinge Stakes at Newbury and the TDN Rising Star unleashed an explosive display to outclass nine rivals in the one-mile feature. "It was a great training performance by Charlie [Appleby] and to bring him back in this form is a credit to everyone at home," beamed William Buick. "It was all falling apart in front of me, but he was explosive and is an...

Shadwell's Elmonjed (Blue Point) bounced back off an unplaced effort at Newmarket's Craven meet and completed an afternoon double for William Haggas with a career high in Wednesday's G2 Go Local Stores Minster Stakes, formerly known as the Duke Of York Stakes, at York. "He really loves this track and I think the draw helped today," commented Haggas. "He's a really tough horse, he's gone from handicaps and won the Listed in September. We kept him in training to win this race as we thought we may as well have...

The Tom Dascombe-trained debutant Crown Of Ivy (Naval Crown) belied his inexperience and surged clear of five rivals at the end of a six-furlong novices' heat at Doncaster on Saturday evening and, in so doing, became the first winner for his Kildangan Stud-based freshman sire. Racing on the front end throughout, the heavily-supported 9-4 favourite was shaken up when threatened with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining and found additional gears in the closing stages to easily overpower the  more experienced Rocket Boots (Too Darn Hot) by an impressive 2 1/2 lengths....

Forz Europe's 1.1-million guineas Tattersalls October Book 1 graduate Superior Choice (Dubawi) returned off a debut fourth over one mile at Newmarket in October with an encouraging seasonal return in Saturday's Madri Excepcional Maiden Stakes at Leicester. The John and Thady Gosden trainee employed patient tactics and settled fourth of the six runners for most of the 10-furlong contest. Inching closer in the straight, the 10-3 third choice launched his bid inside the final quarter-mile and quickened impressively in the closing stages to easily outpoint Heyzoom (Dubawi) by two lengths....

1st-AQU, $80k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 1:10p.m. ET Hailing from a branch of the female line which yielded 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' MGISW Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), Okefenokee (Maxfield) will be unveiled in the Aqueduct opener for trainer Tom Morley. Sharing a name with an ecologically rich swampland that spans Georgia and Florida, as well as being a beloved stomping ground for a certain Adams family, the $375,000 Keeneland September purchase enters this debut with a healthy worktab over the training track at Belmont Park. In...

Godolphin's G1 Jebel Hatta hero Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) was like greased lightning exiting the stalls in Friday's G2 Bet365 Mile and, having stolen a march on his five rivals, made all to defeat G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace Stakes winner Field Of Gold (Kingman) by a mightily impressive three lengths in a stellar renewal of the Sandown feature. "William [Buick] and I were chatting away yesterday and there wasn't a pace angle declared, so we said let him do what his father did and jump and...

Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Roger Varian trainee Saddadd (Pinatubo), who hit the board in September's Listed Foundation Stakes at Goodwood when last seen, found the necessary gears to claim a career high in Friday's G3 bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown. "He's an absolute darling of a horse and has the most delightful attitude," claimed trainer Roger Varian. "He won here like a really good horse last September and I think he was just over the top in a very strong Listed at Goodwood. I liked the way he put...