Nations Pride (Ire)

If last week's Saudi Cup card in Riyadh was dominated by Japanese-trained runners, then Super Saturday at Meydan was the day that Charlie Appleby and Godolphin served notice to the world that this is a team which will take some stopping in the weeks and months to come. At a meeting which is ostensibly made up of trials for Dubai World Cup night in five weeks' time, it was two winners with Classic pretensions back in Europe who arguably created the biggest impression, certainly so in the case of Ruling...

Meydan's nine-race Super Saturday card features eight Thoroughbred contests, with several of them offering automatic entry into the big day in April. The G2 Al Maktoum Classic is one such race, with last year's G1 Al Maktoum Challenge hero Kabirkhan (California Chrome) signed on. Trained by Doug Watson and the very image of his dual American Horse of the Year sire, the 5-year-old entire was only eighth to Laurel River (Into Mischief) in the G1 Dubai World Cup last March, and returned to action with a seventh-place finish defending his...

The English polymath John Ruskin, who was always hard at work scribbling a well-timed observation for some future generation to co-opt, said when it came to the weather, "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." Well, bully for you Mr. Ruskin! Send him a going stick and put him to work on the nearest turf course. Some might care to offer quite a different observation after recent events. What...

Morning line 5-2 favorite Locked (Gun Runner) drew post 11 for Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup during Sunday's draw at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Todd Pletcher on behalf of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm, the winner of last month's GI Cigar Mile has a single horse to his outside, that being the sole filly in the field, GI Alabama heroine Power Squeeze (Union Rags), who was given a 30-1 chance on the morning line. "He's a horse that we always felt would be better going longer, so we're looking...

Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who claimed the G2 Bahrain International Trophy a year ago for breeder Sir Alex Ferguson, Ged Mason and Peter Done, returns to Bahrain to defend his title on Friday. Worth $1 million, the 2000-metre race has attracted a contentious field of 12 from all corners of the globe. A winner of the G3 Strensall Stakes last year prior to his Bahrain heroics defeating among others the Coolmore partners' multiple group winner Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}), the 7-year-old gelding went on to take the G2...

Fresh from Friday's double with a pair of exciting two-year-old fillies, Charlie Appleby returned to the Rowley Mile bright and early on Saturday morning to oversee racecourse gallops for some of the biggest names at Moulton Paddocks, including the 2,000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes winner Notable Speech (Ire) who could yet stay in training as a four-year-old according to his trainer. Breeders' Cup Mile contender Notable Speech finished his exercise nicely clear of his galloping companion, Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), in the hands of regular work rider Paul Eddery,...

Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who won the 2023 G2 Bahrain International Trophy, will attempt to add the 2024 edition to his haul as the first dual winner of the $1-million race, as the entry list was released on Thursday. The Richard Fahey trainee, who is owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, Ged Mason and Peter Done, will face rivals from seven countries outside the Kingdom of Bahrain. Fahey said of his G2 Neom Turf Cup hero who has been off the course since a run in Dubai at the end...

   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 Gypsy Woman at Del Mar this past weekend.   Cotai Glory Filly Comes Good In California Fresh off siring a 'TDN Rising Star' on Sunday, Cotai Glory (GB) is also the sire of Del Mar allowance heroine Gypsy Woman (Ire), who won over a mile later that day for trainer Mark Glatt (video). Raced by Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners and Rancho Temescal, LLC,...

French Classic winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) heads a total of 60 entries for the $1-million Bahrain International Trophy, which has this year been upgraded to Group 2 status and is set to be run on Friday, November 17. The list of international challengers features horses from eight countries, including France, Germany, Britain and Ireland, with 38 group winners among them. Other notable entries include Godolphin's dual Group/Grade 1 winner Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Horizon Doré (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}), recent winner of the G2 Prix Dollar, G2...

Godolphin has enjoyed a favourable record with globetrotters contesting Munich's G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis - Bayerisches Zuchtrennen, with recent editions falling the way of Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}). Team Blue, who also annexed 2001's running with Kutub (Ire) (In The Wings {GB}), another globetrotter, struck gold once more with Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}--Important Time {Ire}, by Oasis Dream {GB}), who downed this term's G1 Deutsches Derby hero Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {GB}) in Sunday's latest renewal of the 10-furlong feature. Last term's...

Deauville's month-long racing fest is back upon us on Sunday, with the G1 Prix Rothschild the key event on a talent-packed card. British and Irish interests always excel at this meeting, so the first port of call must be the reinvented miler Rogue Millennium (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) who was able to transfer the scintillating speed she had shown over middle distances of late to this trip in Royal Ascot's G2 Duke of Cambridge S. The pride and joy of Tom Clover's stable may have found an ideal opportunity to garner...

Reappearing for the first time since his fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, last year's GI Saratoga Derby Invitational and GIII Jockey Club Derby Invitational winner Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) got his 2023 campaign off to a flyer with a comfortable success in Friday's G3 Dubai Millennium S. at Meydan. The pick of William Buick of the Charlie Appleby duo and marginally the second favourite at 11-8 behind stablemate Ottoman Fleet (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), the homebred travelled notably strongly behind the leading pair throughout the early...