Michael Tabor

Coolmore's Aidan O'Brien-trained G1 Phoenix Stakes fourth Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett) was a five-race maiden heading into Saturday's G2 Betfred Champagne Stakes and made all for a breakthrough success in the seven-furlong contest at Doncaster, becoming the first to achieve the feat since Bog Trotter in 1990. "You'd have to be very happy with him and he'll stay further, too," commented Coolmore representative Kevin Buckley. "He'd had a couple of nice runs recently and he did it nicely today. It looked like a very decent race and Sean [Levey] gave...

6th-Goodwood, £75,000, Mdn, 8-2, 2yo, c/g, 7fT, 1:26.63, g/s. ISAAC NEWTON (IRE) (c, 2, Camelot {GB}--Etive {SW-Ger & MSP-Fr, $126,693}, by Elusive Quality), a nose shy of stablemate New Zealand (Frankel) when a July 19 debut runner-up over this trip at the Curragh last time, raced in a midfield seventh through halfway here. Urged closer with three furlongs remaining, the 8-13 favourite went third approaching the final furlong and was driven out to prevail by a neck from Evanesco (Too Darn Hot). "He had a very good run the first...

Coolmore's True Love (No Nay Never) shed maiden status in last month's G2 Queen Mary Stakes and overpowered three colts to become the first filly since Eva Luna in 1994 to annex Saturday's G2 GAIN Railway Stakes at the Curragh. "She's fast so we weren't sure she'd get six [furlongs], I suppose we were finding out a little bit about her really, and we couldn't be happier with her," commented O'Brien. "She was a Queen Mary winner so it was very hard for Ryan [Moore] not to ride her." Looking...

Aidan O'Brien had annexed six of the last 10 renewals of the Curragh's Juddmonte Chaldean Irish EBF Maiden, including with The Lion In Winter last year, and added another to his resume when the once-raced New Zealand (Frankel) led home a stable trifecta in this year's edition. "He's a lovely big horse, but he hasn't a clue what he's doing yet," said O'Brien. "He's massive, with the power and the size of him, and we'll go gentle and let him come on. He learned a lot from the first day,...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel), a G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes entry and son of dual Grade I winner Newspaperofrecord, went into every notebook when encountering the TDN Rising Star display of Dorset (Wootton Bassett) at the Curragh last month and duly delivered a breakthrough success in Monday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Killarney. "He was very babyish at the Curragh, and again today where he jumped out and led, and Wayne [Lordan] said he was looking at the cars on the inside," said Ballydoyle's Chris Armstrong. "It...

One of the most iconic personalities in horse racing and a man that helped transform the face of the industry over the past half a century, D. Wayne Lukas passed away at his home in Louisville Saturday night from complications from a severe infection. He was 89. Lukas is survived by wife Laurie, grandchildren Brady Wayne Lukas (Dani) and Kelly Roy (David) and great grandchildren Johnny Roy, Thomas Roy, Walker Wayne Lukas and Quinn Palmer Lukas. A statement from Lukas's family released Sunday, read, "It is with heavy hearts that...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Lambourn (Australia) was afforded the freedom of Epsom when making all for a wide-margin triumph in the G1 Derby and, prevented from enjoying a moment's relief in Sunday's Irish equivalent at the Curragh, was all heart in becoming the 20th horse to complete the Classic double. He found plenty, and then some, under Ryan Moore's forceful urgings inside final half-mile to provide the Ballydoyle maestro with a record-extending 17th, and third straight, success in the race. "He's a very straightforward horse that gets the trip well," said...

Coolmore's twice-raced maiden True Love (No Nay Never) went down fighting when runner-up to G2 Coventry-winning stablemate Gstaad in the second of two starts last month and, hammered down to clear favourite for Wednesday's G2 Queen Mary Stakes, duly delivered a first renewal for Aidan O'Brien. She also restored family honour in the five-furlong dash and eclipsed her sister Truly Enchanting's 13th last year. The race was marred by the fatal injury to the Richard Hannon-trained Harry's Girl (Harry's Angel). True Love broke swiftly from stall 25 of 25 and...

Aidan O'Brien has targetted the Curragh's G3 GAIN Marble Hill Stakes as a tried-and-trusted stepping stone to next month's G2 Coventry Stakes and put forward his strongest contender, TDN Rising Star Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett), who overcame traffic problems with a set of impressive gears in the six-furlong contest. The January-foaled Coolmore homebred went postward as the prohibitively priced 4-11 favourite and raced a shade keenly in a handy fifth through the early stages. Tanking forward into third passing halfway, he was forced to switch around the unyielding leading duo...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Gstaad (Starspangledbanner), a 450,000gns Tattersalls December foal and half-brother to G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park Stakes hero Vandeek (Havana Grey), made a winning debut in Saturday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Navan. The 7-1 chance produced a determined effort to deny stablemate True Love (No Nay Never) by 3/4-of-a-length nearing the line in the six-furlong contest.   NOT the finishing order the market expected 450,000gns Starspangledbanner colt , a half-brother to Vandeek, makes a winning start to his career by getting up late on...

Just minutes after stablemate Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett) secured G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains glory in France, Aidan O'Brien nominee and TDN Rising Star Delacroix (Dubawi) laid his Classic credentials on the line in Leopardstown's G3 Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial Stakes and passed with flying colours, registering a 2 3/4-length triumph in the 10-furlong test. Last seen annexing March's G3 Ballysax Stakes over the Foxrock venue's same mile-and-a-quarter strip, the 1-3 favourite accepted a tow from stablemate Rock Of Cashel (Wootton Bassett) and raced second after breaking on the...

Representatives of Wootton Bassett's first Coolmore crop continued their plunder of elite-level contests with last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Henri Matisse doubling his tally at the top table and registering a narrow victory, in track-record time, from Juddmonte's TDN Rising Star Jonquil (Lope De Vega) in Sunday's G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp. The 12-5 favourite was positioned many lengths off the tempo as a group of five stole a march on the remainder of the field through halfway. Bustled along to reduce arrears upon...