Mark Dobbin

The 35th running of the GII Jessamine Stakes--a 'Win and You're In' race for the GI John Deere Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar--was the graded coming out party for Imaginationthelady (Not This Time--Romanticism, by War Front) who punched her ticket to the seaside oval at the end of the month and the filly also led a Not This Time Trifecta for her sire at Keeneland on Friday. A $300,000 Keeneland September buy, the juvenile broke her maiden by 1 1/2 lengths at first asking over the Kentucky...

5th-Kentucky Downs, $180,800, Msw, 9-4, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:34.74, fm, 1 1/2 lengths. IMAGINATIONTHELADY (f, 2, Not This Time--Romanticism, by War Front) was the most well-regarded first-time starter in the field, going off as the 3-1 second choice behind 2-1 favorite and second-time starter Market Chill (Not This Time). Forwardly placed from her outside gate under Flavien Prat, she pressed the tempo wide of Paris Twilight (City of Light) past the half-mile pole in :46.44. Once given her head with less than a quarter to run, Imaginationthelady spurted clear with...

Mark Dobbin, the owner of high-class performers such as Ladies Church (GB) (Churchill {Ire}) and American Sonja (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), is set to significantly increase his involvement in the sport by investing €10 million in a redeveloped stud farm in County Kildare, the Irish Independent reported on Wednesday. Dobbin and his wife, Kerry native Sonja Dobbin, are said to have submitted a business plan to Kildare County Council which states that the owners have paid out €3.5 million for the 110-acre Friarstown Stables and intend to spend another €7.5 million...

   There have been a lot of football analogies in racing this week. Most have centered around a hypothetical situation whereby the Kevin De Bruynes or the Erling Haalands of this world were leaving the Premier League for sunnier-and more lucrative pay packets-in foreign leagues.     For all the Manchester City fans out there, you can relax, as the analogy was simply fictional. However, there is nothing fictional about the mass exodus of talent facing British and Irish racing.    Ger Lyons is better qualified than most to speak about...

Mark Dobbin's 3-year-old filly Ladies Church (GB) (Churchill {Ire}--Rioticism {Fr}, by Rio De La Plata) saluted in last term's Listed Marwell S. and hit the board in three subsequent black-type starts. She went postward for Saturday's five-furlong G3 Barberstown Castle Sapphire S. at the Curragh as a 12-1 chance coming back off a close-up 10th in Royal Ascot's June 17 Palace of Holyroodhouse H. and secured a last-gasp win for a career high. Comfortable in mid division through halfway, the eventual winner had eased into contention when shaken up approaching...

Mark Dobbin's Ladies Church (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) registered a June 9 debut fourth at Cork, behind the reopposing Impeachd Alexander (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), and followed up a June 30 breakthrough score over five furlongs at Tipperary with an impressive display tackling the same trip in Wednesday's Listed Arqana Irish EBF Marwell S. at Naas, becoming the first stakes winner for her freshman sire (by Galileo {Ire}). The 3-1 second favourite was restrained to race in an overall third as British raider Sophie's Star (GB) (Cotai Glory {GB}) blazed a solo...