Newmarket

Newmarket's G1 Royal Bahrain Sun Chariot S. can throw up a surprise from time to time and Saturday's renewal was responsible for one of the biggest of that kind as Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's 16-1 shot Fonteyn (GB) (Farhh {GB}) denied TDN Rising Star Laurel (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in a 3-year-old domination. Reserved early off the strong pace by Neil Callan, the Kevin Ryan-trained homebred whose previous best success had come in the Listed Michael Seely Memorial Fillies' S. at York May 13 enjoyed a run up the stand's...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed 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 several well-pedigreed runners in the Godolphin blue. 1.55 Killarney, Mdn, €15,000, 2yo, 8f 30yT THE PRAIRIE (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is the eighth foal out of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Again (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and therefore a full-brother to the dual group 1-placed Delphinia...

There are undoubtedly many good reasons to have a rounded life with interests beyond the breeding, training, buying and selling of a supreme equine athlete who can run faster than his contemporaries. Those of us whose waking hours are mostly consumed by one or more of these bloodstock industry pursuits can rightly be accused of not getting out more, particularly at this time of year. But when the daily non-racing headlines revolve around the British economy in freefall, hurricanes and floods decimating parts of the world, and President Putin looming...

Confirming the form of the G1 Prix Morny on Saturday, Ballydoyle's Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never) dominated Newmarket's G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. as The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) delivered a one-two for the stable. Not content with a haul that already included the G3 Marble Hill and G2 Prix Robert Papin as well as the Deauville juvenile feature, the 10-3 joint-second favourite tracked the fast pace set by the Morny runner-up Persian Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and was coaxed to that rival approaching the furlong pole with Ryan...

Just minutes after the fellow Listed Chesham S. flop Crypto Force (GB) (Time Test {GB}) had caused an upset in the G2 Beresford S., King Power's The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) did the same in Newmarket's G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. , a "Win And You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland in November. Only ninth in that June 18 Royal Ascot contest, the Andrew Balding-trained 440,000gns Book 1 graduate had come back to break his maiden in a Goodwood maiden also over seven furlongs July...

Newmarket's three-day Cambridgeshire meeting's titular event, the annual nine-furlong cavalry charge boasting a purse of £200,000, is overshadowed by two Group 1 championships on a bumper Saturday of juvenile action at Headquarters and beyond. First of the elite-level heats is the six-furlong G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S., with ante-post markets pointing to an effective match between Coolmore and Westerberg's Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Rockcliffe Stud's homebred Trillium (GB) (No Nay Never). In reality, it is an open edition which also features G2 Lowther S. victrix Swingalong (GB) (Showcasing...

After Thursday's appetiser, Newmarket's Cambridgeshire meeting steps up on Friday with the five pattern races including the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Rockfel S. for the 2-year-old Classic aspirants, a "Win And You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland in November. Currently favourite for the seven-furlong contest is Isa Salman and Abdulla Al Khalifa's impressive July Course winner Commissioning (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who looks to provide John and Thady Gosden with a first group success for their team of 2-year-olds in 2022. There are a clutch...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a half-brother to Sacred (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}). 1.15 Newmarket, Mdn, £10,000, 2yo, c/g, 8fT A DUBLIN LAD (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) is slated to be the first favourite of Newmarket's three-day Cambridgeshire meeting which plays host to some exciting juveniles and is one from John...

The Racehorse: Past & Future, the first major exhibition by painter Anne Ward, will run at Newmarket's National Horseracing Museum from Sept. 17-Feb. 19. Showcasing 10 retired racehorses and 10 unnamed foals, some of the paintings are of such stars as Sire De Grugy (Fr), Big Buck's (Fr), Ouija Board (GB), Prince Of Arran (GB), and Oasis Dream (GB). "Deciding upon a final list of retired racehorses was a gradual process, but I wanted to achieve a balance across several factors--code of racing, gender, distance specialism, plus a variety of...

Newmarket's three-day Cambridgeshire festival features 10 black-type heats, reaching the high plateau of Saturday's G1 Cheveley Park S. and G1 Middle Park S., and opens Thursday with the four-runner G3 Tattersalls S.--also known as the Somerville Tattersall S.--the highlight of day one. Sir Michael Stoute has not won this contest since 1994, when Annus Mirabilis (Fr) (Warning {GB}) joined the race's honour roll, and the veteran trainer relies on Juddmonte's homebred Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Mirror Lake {GB}, by Dubai Destination), who has been rerouted from last week's cancelled Listed Flying...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed 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 daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Dank (GB) (Dansili {GB}). 1.58 Chantilly, Cond, €27,000, 2yo, c/g, 9fT SILAWI (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a son of the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Silasol (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}), who was...

James Delahooke died Wednesday, and I lost a very special friend. I had the great pleasure of working together with him, especially over the last 15-plus years. Tuesday, we spoke about our Keeneland filly short list, of Chris McGrath's great profile of Bobby Flay's equine program to which he had been a major contributor, and meeting in Lexington on Friday for dinner. Life can pivot from normal to abnormal with a phone call, but our initial meeting is a great reminder of the special goodness that can also randomly present...