QEII

Fourth most recently in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 11, Fionn (Twirling Candy) turned on the tables on that race's runner up, Laurelin (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) to win Saturday's GIII Jockey Club Oaks at Aqueduct. It's been a year of incredible form for the Brad Cox trainee as the 3-year-old filly has won five of seven starts including her first Grade I success in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational at Saratoga in July. In fact, that fourth in the QEII as the favorite marked...

Invincible Spirit's Marvelman has been sold to Bond Thoroughbred Limited, the organisation's Charlie Bond revealed. The 3-year-old G2 Park Stakes hero is likely to be supplemented to the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on British Champions Day, October 18 at a cost of £70,000. Trained by Andrew Balding, the colt was winning his first stakes race at Doncaster last weekend and was previously owned by Mr and Mrs Rex Gorell. Bred by Gigginstown House Stud, Marvelman sold for 140,000gns out of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale to Balding from the...

Multiple Group 1 winner Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will run in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day, owner Blue Diamond Stud announced via X (Twitter) on Wednesday evening. "Confirmed: Nashwa will run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday," Imad Al Sagar's operation tweeted. Al Sagar's homebred won both the G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Nassau S. as a 3-year-old for John and Thady Gosden. She added her third Group 1 in the Falmouth S. this July, and has...

The partnership framework between the Australian Turf Club (ATC) and QIPCO British Champions Day has been extended, and as part of this initiative, the respective trophies commemorating the late Queen Elizabeth II will be displayed internationally. Every April, the ATC stages the A$5-million G1 Queen Elizabeth S. at Royal Randwick, while in October, Ascot Racecourse runs the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on QIPCO British Champions Day. The latter is set for Saturday, Oct. 21. The Randwick trophy will be part of the Hall of Fame exhibition in the main...

In this continuing series, we examine the past winners of significant filly/mare races by the lasting influence they've had on the breed. Up today is Keeneland's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S., a race with a short history but a lengthy reach. Much has been written in the past few weeks about the christening of the "QEII" and its beginning to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Central Kentucky--and Keeneland--in 1984. As such, there have only been 38 runnings and a good third or so of the...

Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. hero The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has emerged from his QIPCO British Champions Day test in good order and will not start again this year. Besides the QEII, the 5-year-old gelding also landed the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein on Arc Weekend this term, his second edition of the race. "He's back in his box and very happy--he came out of the race well," said trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. "The QEII was the plan since the race last year. Obviously we had to miss a big...