Derby Italiano

Forty-five years on from the success of the Ian Balding-trained Glint Of Gold in the Paul Mellon silks forever synonymous with Mill Reef, Andrew Balding emulated his late father at Milan's San Siro Racetrack on Tuesday as the blue-blooded Venetian Prince (St Mark's Basilica) emerged victorious in a pulsating finish to the G2 143rd Derby Italiano. German challenger Salitos (In Swoop) and last month's G3 Premio Parioli (Italian 2,000 Guineas) hero Grand Son Of Dark (Dark Angel), bidding to keep the prize on home soil, looked to have the race...

Now that the abnormally dry Spring has given way to an ongoing wet spell, Sunday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh looks poised for John Oxley's Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) to re-impose herself on a division she had largely mastered by the end of 2020. Labelled a 'TDN Rising Star' on her impressive debut at Bellewstown in July, she remained unbeaten on ground softer than good thereafter, adding this track's G2 Debutante S. and Newmarket's G1 Fillies' Mile to her tally. Second to Shale (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})...