Doncaster

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. Thursday's Observations features a daughter of American champion Stellar Wind (Curlin). 14.35 Doncaster, Mdn, £6,800, 2yo, 6f 2yT John Deer's homebred RUSSET GOLD (GB) (Al Kazeem {GB}) is a Roger Varian-trained full-brother Listed Denford S. winner Saint Lawrence (Ire). The April-foaled chestnut, also a half-brother to dual group-winning GI...

Racing Staff Week, that was started by Racing Welfare on June 25, celebrates the contribution of everyone working in the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industry. The feature events of the week are charity races slated for Friday, July 1 at Doncaster and Newton Abbot. Supported by Betfair, both events will have 12 members of stable staff taking part each and raising funds for Racing Welfare.

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. Sunday's Observations features a half-brother to Group 1 winner Ultra (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}). 2.12 Doncaster, £7,800, Mdn, 2yo, 7f 6yT MODERN DANCER (GB) (Kingman {GB}) is a notable Godolphin debutante, being a half-brother to the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere-winning sire Ultra (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) from the late Gerald Leigh's...

The Goffs UK Spring Store Sale at Doncaster came to a close on Tuesday, and figures were the second highest achieved in the sale's history. Of the five lots that made six-figure sums over the two-day stand, three of them went through the ring during the second session, led by a gelded son of Gris de Gris (Ire) as lot 301. Henriette Knight paid £155,000 for the bay from the Brown Island Stables draft, who is from the same family as the listed hurdler Queen des Places (Fr) (Sabrehill), who...

Rathbarry Stud's first-season sire James Garfield (Ire) (by Exceed and Excel {Aus}) has his first winner after the filly Lady Bullet (Ire) captured Doncaster's British European Breeders' Fund EBF Maiden S. on Saturday evening. Sent off the 11-4 joint-second favourite for the five-furlong contest, the Alice Haynes-trained bay was professional throughout under Kieran O'Neill and stayed on to gain the advantage inside the final 100 yards en route to a half-length verdict over New Definition (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). The dam, who was runner-up in the G3 Prix d'Arenberg, is...

   Thursday saw the final fields take shape for Saturday's flat turf season prologues at Doncaster and The Curragh and with them the sensation of new winds careening the established order. While the hardened tifosi look to the established pillar of the Town Moore fixture, the Lincoln Handicap, the breeding merchants will pivot towards the arrival of untested and unproven stock in the card's "Brocklesby" and in the Co. Kildare venue's opening maiden. These two juvenile medleys contain the first runners for some of Europe's most enticing first-season sires, with...

For many years it was a tradition that the British Flat racing season would start on the Carholme at Lincoln towards the end of March and then finish at Manchester (and at Lingfield, which raced on the same afternoon) in November. Lincoln and Manchester have both now been lost in the mists of time, each having closed its doors in the 1960s. Happily, the season's first big race (the Lincolnshire H., as it became known in 1860, having previously been known as the Lincoln Spring H.) and its last big...

The single-session Goffs UK Autumn Sale catalogue is now online. A total of 223 lots, consisting of yearlings, horses-in-training and pointers, have been entered for the Oct. 21 sale at Doncaster, which begins at 10 a.m. There have been several celebrated graduates of the sale including Group 1 winner Dream of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead), dual group winners Zain Claudette (Fr) (No Nay Never) and The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire})) and G2 Mill Reef S. winner Wings of War (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Among the 52 yearlings...

Saturday's G2 Beresford S. hero Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) is under consideration for the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster on Oct. 23. A winner on debut at Killarney for Westerberg, Mrs. J. Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith on July 14, the bay also holds an entry in the Oct. 9 G1 Darley Dewhurst S. at Newmarket. O'Brien said, "He's a lovely horse and was showing loads before he went to Killarney. He came forward every week after that, and it was a lovely second stage for him. "The...

One single racing day in England--Thursday, Sept. 9-was rich in suggestive racehorse names. Two winners in Doncaster within two hours of each other-juvenile colt Harrow (Ire) (El Kabeir--School Run {Ire} by Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and 5-year-old gelding Harrovian (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}--Alma Mater {GB} by Sadler's Wells)--manifested ingenious connections (via their dams' names) to the famous public school founded in 1572 and attended by young Winston Churchill. Singular coincidence. With Epsom winner Nuvolari (GB) (c, 2, by Time Test {GB}--Luang Prabang {Ire} by Invincible Spirit {Ire}) we are in another territory....

Considered by some an antiquity against racing's commercial backdrop, Doncaster's G1 Cazoo St Leger is nevertheless kept close to the hearts of all enthusiasts and in Godolphin's Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) it had a winner on Saturday that stands tall among some of its very best. Having scythed through the tasks of the G1 Irish Derby and G1 Grand Prix de Paris earlier this summer, the powerhouse chestnut looked to have outstanding claims for this and he duly delivered as the G1 Epsom Derby form came to the fore....

With the Gosdens and Frankie in such hot form and given the silks he carries, there was understandably a keen focus on The Queen's G3 Solario S. winner Reach For the Moon (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in Saturday's G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster. Patriots and Frankie followers were in for a late shock, however, as Teme Valley and Ballylinch Stud's highly-regarded Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) ripped up the script to subdue the royal runner in the final strides and prevail by a head. Last seen finishing runner-up...