Mark Dreeling

The thrilling, fleeting moments of watching a horse win can be enough to sustain a breeder throughout tougher or more mundane times. And so it was when TDN got on the blower to Mark Dreeling that we found him mucking out while still able to exude excitement in the yarn of how he and his wife Barbara Fonzo came to breed Saturday's G3 Greenham Stakes winner Alparslan. "I'm well back down to earth," he says, pitchfork in one hand, phone presumably wedged between ear and shoulder on the other side....

NEWMARKET, UK--With an outstanding day of action anticipated at Newmarket on Saturday, an Exceed And Excel (Aus) half-sister to one of the potential stars of the day, Zain Claudette (Ire) (No Nay Never), added further lustre to the family when topping the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale at £200,000. Zain Claudette has been a break-out performer for trainer Ismael Mohammed this season, progressing from winning a Newmarket maiden to the G3 Princess Margaret S. and then G2 Lowther S. Come the weekend, she may well have taken the next step...