Lope de Vega (Ire)

The catalogue for the Goffs November Foal Sale, which has 998 lots, was released on Friday. Recent past graduates include the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas/G1 St James's Palace Stakes hero Field Of Gold (Kingman), G1 Phoenix Stakes winner Power Blue (Space Blues) and G1 Prix du Cadran winner Caballo De Mar (Phoenix Of Spain). Some of the choicest lots on offer include: lot 553, a son of Gleneagles who is a half-brother to G2 Gimcrack Stakes hero Lifeplan (Kodi Bear); a State Of Rest half-brother (lot 565) to G2 Prix...

Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable and Wachtel Stable's Rhetorical (Not This Time) provided his all-conquering sire with his second winner of Keeneland's GI Coolmore Turf Mile in the space of three years, striking from close range to earn an all-expenses-paid trip to Del Mar for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile exactly four weeks down the road. Not This Time's Eclipse Award-winning son Up to the Mark won this event in 2023 ahead of a very good runner-up effort in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. Only once-beaten in five career starts coming...

Just as ParisLongchamp became enveloped in gloom, one of its beloved sons Andre Fabre produced some illumination with the reinvigorated First Look in the G2 Qatar Prix Dollar. Providing his sire Lope De Vega with a quickfire double after the exploits of Consent minutes earlier, Wathnan Racing's 2024 Prix du Jockey Club runner-up built on recent momentum to deny the Prix Niel runner-up Bay City Roller (New Bay) by 1 1/4 lengths under Mickael Barzalona. In the recent past, this 10-furlong contest has been used as a stepping stone to Ascot's...

Relishing the testing ground at ParisLongchamp on Saturday, Denford Stud's three-year-old Consent (Lope De Vega) dominated the G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu to announce her arrival. Patiently campaigned by Sir Mark Prescott, the 12-1 shot who had been second to Santorini Star (Golden Horn) in Doncaster's Park Hill last month kept that compatriot company on the lead before brushing her aside approaching the final quarter mile. "She's improved all year and that was an easy a watch as it gets," assistant trainer William Butler said of the Luke Morris-ridden 4...

William Buick had missed out on a future Classic prospect at Newmarket on Saturday, but his Newbury visit ultimately paid off as Words Of Truth (Lope De Vega) captured Saturday's feature G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes run in honour of Geoff Lewis. Coming off wins at Ascot and Newmarket, Godolphin's 7-2 shot looked well-beaten heading to the final furlong as the impressive debut winner Into The Sky (Starman) cut loose but stayed on best to collar that rival close home and prevail by a length. "He's gone from...

Owen Burrows trainee and G1 Fillies' Mile entry Touleen (Lope De Vega) caught the eye when making a winning debut tackling seven furlongs at Newbury last month and, racing under a seven-pound penalty, delivered a stunning performance to collect a TDN Rising Star rosette in Tuesday's Gascare Services EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes over the same trip at Leicester. "She's got a great mind on her, which is a big plus, she did everything right at Newbury and she's done everything right again today," commented Burrows. "William [Buick] was very impressed...

Francis Graffard has had his horses on song from early spring, and anyone who felt that the trainer surely could not maintain such a good run of form is now being proved wrong. He is so far clear of Andre Fabre in the French trainers' table that a first champion title for Graffard is starting to look a mere formality.  As if to underline his dominance, the trainer secured two more Group 1 victories on Sunday. Goliath struck in the Grosser Preis von Baden - a first top-level win for...

Sunday's G2 Qatar Prix Niel looked the least-convincing on paper of all the Arc "trials" on the ParisLongchamp card and, while the times backed up that impression, few would count the improving Andre Fabre colt Cualificar (Lope De Vega) out for next month's feature. Up to a mile and a half for the first time, Godolphin's Prix du Jockey Club runner-up had to do it all late on as he was freed from the pack to master his peers but had the answers for William Buick to enter the fray...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Fille d'Oro at Saratoga. Wootton Bassett Filly Paints The Spa Gold Gregory Hoffman's Fille d'Oro (Wootton Bassett) dashed home a debut winner at Saratoga on August 23 (video). Bred by Ecurie des Charmes and Haras d'Etreham, the filly was picked up for €330,000 at the Arqana August Yearling Sale by Clay Scherer and is trained by Brad Cox. The third foal out of...

So impressive in the Greenham this spring, Juddmonte's Jonquil (Lope De Vega) has had to wait to add to his tally but proved as game as he is talented on Sunday to land Goodwood's G2 Celebration Mile. Sent off the 3-1 second favourite, the Andrew Balding-trained homebred relative of Frankel who had been runner-up in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains before two unplaced efforts over shorter stayed on under Colin Keane to reel in the Group 3-winning three-year-old filly Saqqara Sands (Oasis Dream) late on and record a neck success....

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a son of a Belmont Oaks heroine. 1.42 Curragh, Debutantes, 2yo, 7fT CIRCLE OF LIFE (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a notable newcomer for Ballydoyle in the maiden the stable won with Officer and Continuous in the last three years. Out of the Belmont Oaks winner Athena,...

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of El Cordobes at Saratoga. El Cordobes Breaks Through At The Spa Godolphin's El Cordobes (Frankel) broke through at the highest level in the August 9 GI Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga for Charlie Appleby (video). He is a winner of the G2 Princess of Wales's Stakes in England. Bred by Bjorn Nielsen, he was originally picked up for 2 million gns out of the...