Royal Ascot
Star Bloodstock, the consignment that unearthed talents like Malavath (Ire), A'Ali (Ire) and more, is set to wind down its breeze-up operation and concentrate entirely on producing future top-notchers on the racetrack instead. The shift in focus has reaped immediate rewards with the aptly-named Make Haste (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), a leading Royal Ascot contender after posting a stunning debut success at Naas for trainer and breeze-up consignor Diego Dias, being snapped up by Gainesway and LNJ Foxwoods. Bought by Byron Rogers, Star Bloodstock and Dias at the Tattersalls Book...
Joseph O'Brien has laid out an adventure in America for juvenile Group 1-winner Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), the target being the GI Manhattan S. in New York on June 8, in a path eventually routing to the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. After having his sophomore season disrupted by injury, Al Riffa resurfaced in the G1 Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp and was only beaten by three-quarters of a length in a wild scramble on the wire. O'Brien admits his charge's size is something of a concern, and...
Passenger (Ulysses {Ire}) will look to provide trainer Sir Michael Stoute with a fifth success in the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot next month following his triumphant return to action at Chester. Sparingly raced as a three-year-old when his standout performances included an unlucky-in-running third in the G2 Dante S. at York and a narrow victory in the G3 Winter Hill S. at Windsor, Passenger looked an improved model when returning from nearly nine months off with a smooth win in the G3 Huxley S. on the...
Connections of last year's G1 Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}) expect to have a clearer idea later this week as to whether he will be able to defend his crown after he suffered a setback in training. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Courage Mon Ami graduated from handicaps with a decisive success at Royal Ascot in 2023, beating Coltrane (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) by three quarters of a length to gain his fourth win from as many starts. Beaten twice subsequently last season in the G1...
Roger Varian has confirmed that Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) will be given the chance to join the select band of fillies to claim the 1,000 Guineas and Coronation S. when she heads to Royal Ascot for her next start. The daughter of Kingman provided the Carlburg Stables handler with his first triumph in the fillies' Classic when coming home strongly in the hands of Silvestre de Sousa earlier this month and Varian has been delighted with how she has responded since her big-race triumph at Newmarket. With no rush to...
Royal Ascot-bound Cowardofthecounty (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) has been snapped up by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables and other American-based partners. Cowardofthecounty made a scintillating start to his career when scoring on debut for Joseph O'Brien over 6f at the Curragh. The form has since been franked with the runner-up, the Aidan O'Brien-rained Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never), landing the First Flier S. over 5f at the Curragh in similarly impressive fashion. Cowardofthecounty is prominent in the betting for the Coventry S. at odds of 5-1 and, according to O'Brien, the...
So what happens when you keep pursuing the dream, keep persevering, only to find that it's taken you right to the cliff's edge? At some point you quit, right? Not if you're Ramon "R.J." Rangel, you don't. He was still working with yearlings at Dixiana when he leased his first 10 acres. His wife at the time had quit her own job at Dixiana to care for their little farm and he would come back in the afternoons to put in a second shift on the heavier work. Gradually they...
Earning a $25,000 stipend and an automatic berth into one of the juvenile stakes during next month's Royal Meeting at Ascot, it was longshot Gabaldon (Gone Astray) who snagged the voucher in the final race Saturday at Gulfstream Park--the Royal Palm Juvenile S. Overlooked at odds of 16-1 for this debut, the Jose D'Angelo trainee flashed his speed from the bell as he moved to the rail to take on Governor Sam (Improbable) up the backstretch. The juveniles distanced themselves from the rest of the field around the far turn...
A rocket ship late in the lane, aptly-named Bullet (War Front--Marlinspike, by Tapit) flew home to win the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies S. and earned a trip to Royal Ascot in the process. Debuting for Mark Casse and D J Stable and off a step slow, the grey sat off the speed in seventh as 44-1 longshot You Need Me (St. Patrick's Day) rolled through :22.01 and :44.84 splits. Four wide passing the five-sixteenths, she swung even farther out coming for home and uncorked a rally which sailed her in...
If you consider yourself a baseball fan and are of a certain vintage, the term Iron Horse will conjure up thoughts of one of the most legendary baseball players to ever grace the diamond: The Iron Horse himself, Lou Gehrig. Jonathan Eig, author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, described the term Iron Horse as "a type of courage to persevere and to keep yourself going and to never give up." Harlan Malter, Founder and Managing Partner of Ironhorse Racing Stable is a self-proclaimed sports fanatic...
Unbeaten colt Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) continues to progress in his preparation for the G2 Sandy Lane S. at Haydock on May 25. The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained colt's long-term goal is Royal Ascot's G1 Commonwealth Cup S. next month. A winner of all four of his starts including the early August G2 Richmond S., G1 Prix Morny later that month, and the G1 Middle Park S. in September, the colt is pleasing his connections. "He's coming along nicely now, so we're hoping we'll be all systems go at...