Rob Hornby
Justifying his G1 Futurity Trophy entry at Bath on Tuesday, Juddmonte's Item (Frankel) went through the gears to go two-for-two for the Andrew Balding stable ahead of next month's feature. Sent off the 4-6 favourite for the mile novice, the homebred who had scored at Kempton on debut earlier this month made all to readily record a 3 1/2-length success from the other previous winner Blue Courvoisier (Sea The Stars). "This isn't an easy course for a big horse like that, but the key was to educate him today and he felt...
Newmarket's mile maiden on Friday evening's card holds a special place as the race that hosted the debut of Frankel (GB), not to mention Motivator (GB) and others who went on to make their mark in the big league, and this year it was the turn of Julian Richmond-Watson to enjoy the spoils courtesy of his newcomer Anniversary (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}--Lixirova {Fr}, by Slickly {Fr}). Racing prominently from the outset under Rob Hornby, the 16-1 shot gained the edge approaching the furlong marker and stayed on strongly to...
Due to having failed to weigh in after finishing third in a race at Nottingham, Rob Hornby has been suspended seven days from June 16-22, and will miss the Royal Ascot meeting. The incident occurred on Sunday, June 2 in a Class 5 handicap at Nottingham with the rider aboard Surrey Belle (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), who past the post in third as a joint favourite. However, since Hornby did not weigh in, his mount was later disqualified with the stewards' report reading, "The clerk of the scales objected to...
Jockey Jim Crowley has been banned for 20 days and fined £10,000 for his winning ride aboard Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in Saturday's G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot. Both he and Rob Hornby, who was aboard runner-up Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), were referred to the British Horseracing Authority's Whip Review Committee following the tight finish with only Crowley receiving a ban. On Monday the whip rules were tweaked once more by the BHA following a six-month review period and under the new regulations...
Newmarket's Weatherbys British EBF Maiden S. is one of those key races that can uncover a class act and Friday's renewal of the seven-furlong July Festival test may have witnessed another as Arabic Legend (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}--Sheikha Reika {Fr}, by Shamardal) earned a TDN Rising Star tag. Withdrawn from his intended start at Doncaster last month after becoming upset in the stalls, the second foal out of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's GI E.P.Taylor S. heroine was always travelling strongly on the wing with Rob Hornby trying to contain him...
Juddmonte's G1 Irish Derby hero Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}--Mirabilis, by Lear Fan) failed to contend with subsequent G1 Coral-Eclipse runner-up Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in last month's G1 Coronation Cup, but regained the winning thread in emphatic style with a record-breaking performance in Saturday's G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Westover raced in a handy third behind Ralph Beckett-trained chaperone Malabu Drive (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who was usurped for the lead by last term's G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern victor Tunnes (Ger) (Guiliani {Ire}), and eased into second...
Highclere Stud's Land Force (Ire) (by No Nay Never) was the latest first-season sire to get off the mark on Friday as The King and Queen's Serried Ranks (GB) scored on debut in Nottingham's five-furlong Watch On Racing TV Maiden S. Tracking the early pace under Rob Hornby, the Ralph Beckett-trained 7-2 shot mastered the 4-6 favourite Desert Master (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}) approaching the furlong pole before staying on strongly to beat that rival by 3 3/4 lengths. "He'll be better over six--he's a laid-back horse and he needed...
Julian Richmond-Watson and Ralph Beckett tasted Classic success in 2008 with G1 Oaks heroine Look Here (GB) (Hernando {Ger}) and they are once again eyeing a moment in the spotlight after Remarquee (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Regardez {GB}, by Champs Elysees {GB}), who is from the family of Look Here, downed 11 rivals with something to spare in Saturday's G3 Dubai Duty Free S. (Fred Darling S.) at Newbury. Positioned under cover and racing a shade enthusiastically in mid division through the initial fractions of this straight seven-furlong test, the Sept. 29...
Initiating a treble for the talent-rich Ralph Beckett juvenile team at Salisbury on Thursday, Juddmonte's Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}) sparkled on debut to earn TDN Rising Star status in the card's opener. Sent off a 9-1 shot for division one of the Byerley Stud British EBF Novice S. over a mile, the daughter of the operation's G1 Matron S. heroine Emulous (GB) (Dansili {GB}) was keen early for Rob Hornby buried mid-pack. At work with over two furlongs remaining, the homebred had to go to the far rail for a...
Juddmonte's 2-year-old filly Juliet Sierra (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}--Kilo Alpha {GB}, by King's Best) bettered a July 22 debut second going six furlongs at Newmarket with a breakthrough score over much the same trip at Nottingham last month and continued her rapid rise with a career high on stakes bow in Thursday's G3 Ire-Incentive It Pays To Buy Irish Dick Poole Fillies' S. at Salisbury. Finding a smooth rhythm behind the leaders in fifth after an alert getaway, the 9-2 favourite tanked forward to launch her challenge passing the quarter-mile...
It was a weekend in which the Scat Daddy sire-line shone through, at Newmarket and in Deauville, with Group 1 victories for his grand-daughters Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Tenebrism (Caravaggio). No Nay Never now has five crops of racing age and has twice supplied the winner of the July Cup: first Ten Sovereigns, who is now his stud-mate at Coolmore, and now Jeff Smith's Alcohol Free, whose transformation from miler to sprinter has added an interesting element to what is unfurling into an extraordinarily good season. The...
She wasn't supposed to like fast ground, but Jeff Smith's G1 Coronation S. and G1 Sussex S. heroine Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) skipped the light fantastic on Newmarket's balmy July Course to stamp her class on Saturday's feature G1 Darley July Cup. Back to this six-furlong trip for the first time since winning the G1 Cheveley Park S. as a juvenile when under three-lengths ninth in Royal Ascot's G1 Platinum Jubilee S., the 14-1 shot was drawn in the right place with that race's winner Naval Crown (GB)...