Newmarket

Godolphin ran one-two in the seven-furlong Newmarket opener just not with the horse the market expected, as Pacific Avenue (Dubawi) stole a march on his Charlie Appleby stablemate and 'TDN Rising Star' Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot) to earn a 'Rising Star' badge of his own. Godolphin's Ancient Truth (Dubawi) won the 2024 edition of this race prior to taking the G2 Superlative Stakes and running third in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes. The son of G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine and fellow 'Rising Star' Lumiere (Shamardal) settled in a tugging...

Charlie Fellowes could be forgiven for any lingering frustration over the events at Longchamp just over a fortnight ago. After all, there he was, poised to receive the trophy for winning his first Classic. Shes Perfect was in the winner's circle after the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and the photos had been taken with her throng of happy owners. Then came the dreaded verdict.  By now, the records show that after a stewards' enquiry and subsequent unsuccessful appeal, the hampered Zarigana was the winner of the race. Who knows what...

Everyone and their dog knew about Godolphin's newcomer Treanmor at Newmarket on Sunday and the €2million Goffs Orby Book 1 topper disappointed nobody as he became Frankel's 43rd TDN Rising Star. Sent off the 30-100 favourite for the opening six-furlong novice, the Charlie Appleby-trained son of Invincible Spirit's Listed scorer and dual Group 3-placed Loch Lein travelled with ease behind the pace before being launched by William Buick two out. Surging to the front and into the clear, he had four lengths to spare over fellow newcomer Vlad by A'Ali...

4th-Newmarket, £40,000, Novice, 5-17, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:12.82, g/f. DANCE TO THE MUSIC (GB) (f, 2, Dubawi {Ire}--Miss Lucifer {Fr} {GSW-Eng, $193,403}, by Noverre), a full-sister to the yard's triple top-level-winning Breeders' Cup Mile hero Space Blues, raced close to the early pace. Green running into the dip, the 2-1 second favourite battled gamely to overhaul Eskimo Pie in the final yards to earn a length verdict over that daughter of Kodi Bear. Miss Lucifer, who captured the G2 Challenge Stakes, produced as her first foal Elusive Quality's G2 Al...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred 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 half-sister to Darley stallio Space Blues. 2.50 Newmarket, Novice, £40,000, 2yo, f, 6fT DANCE TO THE MUSIC (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a significant newcomer for Charlie Appleby as the 11th foal out of the G2 Challenge Stakes winner Miss Lucifer, whose gift to Godolphin was...

NEWMARKET, UK -- "Awesome, awesome, awesome," chanted William Buick after galloping off across Newmarket Heath with Desert Flower, beyond the winning post, into history. When Good Cheer slipped through the slop at Churchill Downs on Friday evening, few could have predicted how many more cheers were to come for the global Godolphin team, in the Kentucky gloom and the chilly Suffolk sunshine.  A Classic double double, the breadth of which has surely not been seen before, despite the extraordinary achievements of some of Godolphin's regular rivals among the vast owner-breeder...

Completing an unprecedented Classic quadruple on the first weekend in May, Desert Flower left Team Godolphin in dreamland with her G1 1,000 Guineas triumph on Sunday. Keeping it simple on the even-money favourite, William Buick was always in control of the main group racing far side away from the three fillies sticking near the stands. It was from that trio that the unbeaten TDN Rising Star's main threat emerged in Siyouni's Flight, but Desert Flower was in no mood to spoil the transatlantic party for the Boys In Blue and...

Godolphin's weekend of all weekends also had a key support act on Sunday as Cinderella's Dream added more glitter dust to proceedings in Newmarket's G2 Betfred Dahlia Stakes. With all the momentum, the operation had the 11-8 favourite for this nine-furlong test by one of their key sires of recent times and on her first British start since last year's 1,000 Guineas she provided the latest reminder of just what a force Shamardal has been. Switched off in a detached last with William Buick oozing confidence throughout, the homebred sliced...

Sent off the 6-4 favourite for Sunday's Listed Betfred Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket, Shadwell's Falakeyah showed why with a comprehensive success in this Oaks pointer. Labelled a TDN Rising Star after her Wolverhampton debut win in November, the Owen Burrows-trained daughter of New Bay was allowed to bowl along in front from the outset by Jim Crowley. Killing any sign of a contest by the time she entered the dip, the relative of Baaeed and Hukum stayed on well enough to hold the Gosdens' daughter of Night Of Thunder,...

Flying the flag for Justify in Saturday's G1 Betfred 2,000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket, Ruling Court proved William Buick's judgement to be spot-on as he provided Charlie Appleby with a third renewal in four years. Selected by Godolphin's number one over the 2-year-old champion Shadow Of Light, the 9-2 second favourite travelled notably strongly held up towards the stand's side and when delivered to overhaul his stablemate inside the final furlong gave generously to see out the mile the better of the pair. It was the 15-8 favourite Field Of...

It was the perceived wisdom of 2024 that the 2-year-old fillies were a level above the colts and as Newmarket's two mile Classics loom this weekend, we get a first measurement of whether that has carried over. On the face of it, the line-ups for the Betfred-sponsored 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas suggest that the fillies' monument is the one most anticipated among Suffolk's hardcore. There's a good old Godolphin-Ballydoyle stand-off between two unbeaten peer leaders and TDN Rising Stars in Desert Flower and Lake Victoria to come on Sunday and while it...

Impressive enough in his two starts to prompt much thought about a crack at the 2,000 Guineas, Juddmonte's Cosmic Year instead went to Newmarket for a gentler education on Friday and duly stayed on track in the Listed King Charles II Stakes. As he had at Sandown in September and at Kempton on his return in April, the Harry Charlton-trained son of Kingman and Passage Of Time travelled with purpose throughout the deep seven-furlong test. When asked by Ryan Moore, the 6-4 favourite settled the contest with a bit in...