John and Thady Gosden
14.00 Sandown, Nov, £10,000, 2yo, f, 8fT George Strawbridge's homebred 2-year-old filly NATASHA (GB) (Frankel {GB}) stepped up from an Aug. 2 debut second tackling one mile at Kempton to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status with a five-length Aug. 20 win back over that course and distance in her only other start. The John and Thady Gosden trainee faces five rivals in this turf introduction, headed by Woodford Thoroughbreds' 400,000gns Tattersalls December foal River of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who is a Ralph Beckett-trained half-sister to stakes-winning G2...
George Strawbridge's 325,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 acquisition Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was the stylish winner of Deauville's G3 Prix Minerve last month and simply outclassed overmatched rivals with a seven-length rout in Thursday's G2 Hippo Pro3 Park Hill Fillies' S. over the full G1 St Leger trip. The upwardly mobile sophomore had encountered the reopposing Golden Pass (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) when a 3/4-of-a-length runner-up to that rival in July's Listed Aphrodite Fillies' S. at Newmarket in her penultimate start and exacted revenge in style. The well-backed 15-8...
Cheveley Park Stud's hitherto undefeated 2-year-old filly Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) lit up Sandown with an impressive 3 1/2-length tally in going seven furlongs in July's Listed Star S. and took her record to a perfect three-for-three with another taking display upped to one mile for Thursday's G2 Cazoo Park Hill S. at Doncaster. The homebred bay had previously overcome a slow start to open her account with a 1 1/2-length score in a June 26 seven-furlong maiden at Newmarket and remains on course to return there for the Oct....
Doncaster's St Leger festival had begun in the wrong way for Shadwell as the 2-year-old Jadhlaan (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) had suffered a fatal injury in the opening race, injuring Jim Crowley in the process, but there was some consolation half an hour later as the homebred Israr (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) earned TDN Rising Star status on debut. Sent off at 8-1 for the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden S. over a mile, the John and Thady Gosden-trained son of the operation's G1 Epsom Oaks and G1 King George VI...
Progressive colt Reach For The Moon (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is a likely starter in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster on Sept. 11. The John and Thady Gosden-trained colt, who carries The Queen's silks, was a last out winner of the G3 Betway Solario S. at Sandown on Aug. 21. "Reach For The Moon is in really good form," said The Queen's Racing Manager John Warren after Reach For The Moon's stablemate Saga (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) won at Ascot on Friday. "He had a good blow yesterday...
The Queen has a serious Classic candidate for 2022 judged on the manner of the win of her homebred Reach For the Moon (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in Saturday's G3 Betway Solario S. at Sandown. Runner-up to TDN Rising Star Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the Listed Chesham S. over this seven-furlong trip June 19, the bay had since beaten the subsequent York nursery winner Harrow (Ire) (El Kabeir) by four lengths in a Newbury novice July 16 and it was all about him as he started as...
Green when runner-up in her Aug. 2 unveiling tackling one mile at Kempton, George Strawbridge's homebred 2-year-old filly Natasha (GB) (Frankel {GB}), a half-sister to Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), returned to the scene of that defeat to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status with an imperious performance in Friday's Try Our New Price Boosts At Unibet Fillies' Novice S. over the same one-mile strip. Sent forward to gain an early lead after breaking fourth from the outside gate, the 8-11 favourite was untroubled on the front end throughout and powered...
With the drying ground ruling out the G1 Goodwood Cup hero Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}), Friday's G2 Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup at York was teed up perfectly for Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) to register an inspiring third success in this marathon. Open to questioning following his fourth in the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot June 17, Bjorn Nielsen's staying star was settled in second early by Frankie Dettori as The Grand Visir (GB) (Frankel {GB}) set off in isolation. Joined by Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}) approaching...
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 half-sister to a champion and young sire. 1.30 Kempton, Novice, £6,500, 2yo, f, 8f (AWT) NATASHA (GB) (Frankel {GB}) bids to go one better than her debut when runner-up to her owner-breeder George Strawbridge's Speak (GB) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) over this course and distance...
Gaining the British group 1 his record demanded in devastating style on Wednesday, Prince Faisal's Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) proved a class apart in one of the finest performances witnessed in the history of York's Juddmonte International. Third to the race's absentee St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) on his European return in Sandown's G1 Eclipse July 3, the high-level worldwide campaigner had moved forward considerably in the subsequent three-week period to be runner-up in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot. This represented a...
Coming into Sunday's G1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois short of his peak having suffered a blood disorder last month, Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) nevertheless had sufficient ammunition to deny Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) and gain membership to an elite club on the honor roll of the feature of Deauville's month-long festival. Meeting the younger generation for the first time, the four-times group 1 winner was the subject of the most interest among the Normandy crowd and started at 7-10 drawn away from the...
Hampered in the straight when 12th contesting Chantilly's June 6 G1 Prix du Jockey Club last time, Anthony Oppenheimer's homebred 3-year-old colt Megallan (GB) (Kingman {GB}) gained some measure of recompense with a career-high win dropping down to a mile for Thursday's G3 D & N Construction Sovereign S. at Salisbury. The April-foaled bay had earlier secured a stakes breakthrough when successful in Newcastle's Apr. 2 Listed Burradon S. and followed up with a May 13 G2 Dante S. second at York in his penultimate start. He tracked the tempo...