Havana Grey (GB)

Marking her return to action on Sunday with a hard-fought win in Naas's G3 Goffs Lacken Stakes, Havana Anna (Havana Grey) booked her ticket to Royal Ascot. While the even-money favourite Charles Darwin (No Nay Never) proved a major disappointment fading out of contention to be last of the eight runners, the Donnacha O'Brien-trained Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up took full advantage to edge a four-way go. In the firing line from the outset under Gavin Ryan, the 9-4 second favourite who had won both her starts here at two held...

According to betting forecasts, Saturday's G3 Dubai Duty Free Fred Darling Stakes was at the mercy of Shadwell's G2 Rockfel Stakes fifth Touleen (Lope De Vega), but the Owen Burrows trainee had to give best to Opulence Thoroughbreds' Rockfel ninth Sukanya (Havana Grey), who produced a late surge to register a 16-1 surprise. The winner does not hold an entry for Newmarket's G1 1000 Guineas, but remains engaged in the Irish equivalent. "She's a very good filly and had a very high level of class last year," insisted Channon. "My...

Coming off an authoritative Cork maiden success, Bond Thoroughbred's Black Caviar Gold (Havana Grey) carried that momentum into Sunday's G3 Weld Park Stakes at The Curragh. Sent off the 4-1 joint-second favourite for the seven-furlong feature for two-year-old fillies, the Paddy Twomey-trained grey arrived under Billy Lee to overpower her peers a furlong from home and register a 2 3/4-length success from Pivotal Attack (Pinatubo). "I loved the way she put the race to bed well at Cork the last day and had come forward," Twomey said. "She was very...

In a day good for the runners who made the pace, Johnny's Red Storm (Twirling Candy) made every pole a winning one and took home the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint Stakes Sunday afternoon. The George Weaver charge came into this race off a sterling debut Aug. 3 at Saratoga, where he similarly took a field of auction-price restricted maidens gate-to-wire by four lengths. Training well in New York since then and shipped down for the race, the betting public liked him to the tune of 8-5 odds, and he was...

Palace Pier has got off to a highly encouraging start at stud and his daughter Royal Fixation took it to the next level on Thursday when winning York's G2 Lowther Stakes. Runner-up in the G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket's July Festival, Opulence Thoroughbreds' 5-2 joint-favourite had to come from off the pace under William Buick to get the other joint market-leader America Queen (Havana Grey) but was in command from the furlong pole en route to a length success. "She's very straightforward and did well in the circumstances at Newmarket, where we...

Jaber Abdullah's America Queen (Havana Grey), a €180,000 graduate of May's Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up sale, made a start on recouping that investment with an impressive debut performance in Thursday's Selecta Systems EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes over six furlongs at Haydock. The Richard Hughes trainee, who was originally knocked down for €48,000 as Goffs November foal, went postward as the 11-8 favourite and tracked the leaders from a midfield berth through the early fractions. Making smooth headway from halfway to assume control passing the quarter-mile marker, she quickened clear and was...

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Reciprocated (Havana Grey), a 210,000gns Tattersalls December foal turned 450,000gns Book 1 yearling, backed up a debut victory at Nottingham earlier this month and made all to register a decisive four-length victory for the Karl Burke stable in Wednesday's Tattersalls £40,000 EBF Novice Stakes at Carlisle. 2nd-Carlisle, £40,000, Nov, 6-25, 2yo, 5f 182yT, 1:15.85, sf. RECIPROCATED (GB) (c, 2, Havana Grey {GB}--Radio Gaga {GB} {SW & GSP-Eng}, by Multiplex {GB}), a June 4 debut winner going just over six furlongs at Nottingham last time, broke...

Jake Ballis didn't know quite what to expect when he sent Crimson Advocate (Nyquist) to the 2023 Royal Ascot meet, where she won the GII Queen Mary Stakes. He says now it was one of the most exciting days of his life, and he has vowed to get back there every day since. Ballis, who heads the Black Type Racing partnership, couldn't find a runner in 2024 that he thought could win at one of the most competitive meets in the world. But he never stopped looking. "It was probably...

More records were sent tumbling at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale on Wednesday when Amo Racing out-muscled Godolphin at 1.75 million gns for a Havana Grey (GB) colt that was consigned by Malcolm Bastard.  Part of the allure of the Havana Grey colt came from the fact that he was consigned by a man who seldom has a horse feature among the top 15 or 20 per cent on the timing sheets at the breeze-up sales.  So, when Bastard, who ought to consider changing his first name to Jammy, sent...

Legendary handler Willie Browne lit the touch paper for a barnstorming Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale by netting a cool 1.4 million gns from Godolphin for an Acclamation (GB) colt that he sourced for just €70,000 the previous autumn. That sale was the headline act on a day where 15 horses sold for 200,000gns or more and all of the key figures were dramatically up on last year's corresponding day of trade. Arguably the most encouraging metric to jump was the clearance rate, up 18% on last year to 84%. The...

A 206-strong catalogue for the Goffs Breeze-Up Sale at Doncaster on April 23 and 24 was revealed on Tuesday. Its graduates have supplied 10 wins at Royal Ascot in the last nine years, led by multiple Group 1 winner Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), and other group winners to have emanated from the sale include G2 Flying Childers Stakes winner Aesterius (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), G2 Mill Reef Stakes hero Powerful Glory (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), G2 Richmond Stakes scorer Black Forza (Complexity) and Electrolyte (Ire) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}), who landed the...

Six-time winner Alfa Kellenic (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) starred for Craig Lidster in 2024 when he enjoyed the best year of his training career to date, but it's all change ahead of the start of the new Flat season on turf. The Rotherham-born trainer will be operating with a reduced string in 2025, having recently moved across North Yorkshire from Easingwold to Malton. Tell us a bit about your background and the path you took to becoming a trainer. I'm from a small town in Rotherham and I had no...