Sheikh Fahad

Fully 10,000 miles from their birthplace at Tweenhills Farm and Stud, Qatar Racing homebreds Buckaroo, Middle Earth and Valiant King now face the most important two-mile test of their lives on Tuesday, with a place in history assured should one of them reach its end as a Melbourne Cup winner. From the lush paddocks of Tweenhills to the manicured turf of Flemington, it's been quite the journey, both literally and figuratively. Between them the trio amassed 27 starts in Europe - Buckaroo and Valiant King with Joseph O'Brien, Middle Earth...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale had its first million-dollar yearling when the two-day auction was just 13 hips old Monday evening and bidding stayed strong throughout the session, with the very last horse through the ring bringing $1 million. In all, nine yearlings reached seven figures Monday, led by a colt by Gun Runner, bred by Bobby Flay and consigned by Stone Farm, who sold for $2.7 million to Winchell Thoroughbreds. Twelve hit the million-dollar mark during the entire 2024 auction....

The Justify half-brother (hip 29) to GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel (Mizzen Mast) set a new high-water mark Monday when selling at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale for $1,400,000 to Sheikh Fahad. Out of Zeezee Zoomzoom, the colt was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm and is also a half to MSW/GSP Witty (Great Notion).

Qatar Racing has removed its six horses from Andrew Balding's Kingsclere yard. The news was confirmed by the trainer's wife, Anna Lisa, speaking at Newcastle on Friday. Anna Lisa said, "Andrew and Sheikh Fahad just had differences and we just decided that it was probably best to go our separate ways." Balding's association with Sheikh Fahad's operation has been particularly fruitful. Since Qatar Racing was established in 2012, Balding has been training for the operation which has resulted in a quartet of Group 1 winners:  2000 Guineas winner and Group...

Social media followers of Qatar Racing will be able to enter a new naming competition for three of Kameko's first juveniles that was launched last Sunday. The competition runs until midnight on Sunday, Mar. 24 and winners will be announced the week beginning Apr. 1. Horses available for naming that will run in the claret and gold silks of Sheikh Fahad al Thani are: a filly out of Group 1 winner Con Te Partiro (GB) (Time Test {GB}) who is trained by John and Thady Gosden a filly out of...

In the final Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred/The Racing Biz poll of 2022, GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint heroine Caravel (Mizzen Mast) was named 2022's top Midlantic-bred. The honor marks the fifth straight year the Top Midlantic-bred was also a Breeders' Cup winner. In addition to her Breeders' Cup triumph, the Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Zeezee Zoomzoom (Congrats) racked up a record of 8-5-0-0 for earnings of $930,983, which included wins in the GIII Franklin County S. and GIII Intercontinental S. She is the sixth Pennsylvania-bred to win a Breeders' Cup race, joining Go...

   Peter Molony is best known for being the man who bought the reigning Champion Hurdler Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) on behalf of his client Kenny Alexander. He also works for Sheikh Fahad's Qatar Racing operation, is an agent for Goffs and has had a multitude of top horses through his hands at Rathmore Stud. That may be why the Limerick native signs off on his Twitter bio with the word 'busy'!    Son of the legendary Martin Molony, widely regarded as the best dual-purpose jockey of all time, Peter...

David Redvers, racing manager for Qatar Racing, has put forward Wednesday's Kensington Palace S. favourite Haziya (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}) as being Sheikh Fahad's best chance of having a winner at Royal Ascot, but revealed the week will be defined by how G1 French 1000 Guineas heroine Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) performs in the G1 Coronation S. on Friday. Mangoustine carried former NBA star Tony Parker's black and white silks to victory in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at ParisLongchamp last month and Redvers, who bought the filly...

Cieren Fallon, who has been Qatar Racing's number two rider to Oisin Murphy since August of 2020, has been promoted to the number one role with Murphy this week sidelined by the British Horseracing Authority for 14 months. Murphy, who handed in his license in December to focus on his rehabilitation, admitted to five charges related to alcohol overages and attempting to mislead the BHA about travels and circumvent quarantine in September of 2020. Fallon, the son of six-time champion jockey Kieren Fallon, won his first Royal Ascot contest last...

Qatar Racing's Mise En Scene (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) will make her next start in the GI Breeder' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar. Trained by James Ferguson, who won his first Group 1 race as a trainer with El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on Saturday, the filly broke her maiden at Haydock on July 2 and captured the G3 Prestige S. at Goodwood in just her second start on Aug. 28. She was fourth in the G1 Fillies' Mile most recently on Oct....

The British jockeys' championship came right down to the wire in a tight race between Oisin Murphy and William Buick in recent weeks, but despite Buick's victory aboard Creative Force on Champions Day, Murphy prevailed by two victories to earn his third consecutive champion jockey title. "I'm over the moon and thrilled to get it across the line," Murphy said. "Thank you to my family and everyone--I've got a massive support group. The last week I've had a lot of people on my side. Frankie Dettori has been there every...

Qatar Racing has launched a competition to name six of the operation's 2-year-olds of 2021. Previously featured in the Follow The Foals series, which was created by Ascot and Official Partner QIPCO, the progress of the sextet has been charted since birth. The group includes a son of Frankel (GB) out of QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares S. Victrix Simple Verse (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}). The winners of the social media competition will be selected by Qatar Racing's founder Sheikh Fahad and David Redvers, racing manager of Qatar...