Talk Of New York

Whatever the week ahead at Royal Ascot brings, there is one certainty and that is Aidan O'Brien stretching what's possible even further from the centre. Let's get this out of the way first; the current master of Ballydoyle will undeniably form his own one-man club at some point over the next five days with his 100th Royal winner. It is a club so exclusive that it will likely see no other member for decades, with the County Wexford-born nonpareil still a relative youth in the training ranks. Ironically, his shortest-priced...

2.25 Newmarket, Cond, 3yo, 7fT TALK OF NEW YORK (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) returns to Europe with high expectations judged by his current position as second favourite for the 2,000 Guineas despite having won a Kempton maiden and finished third in the Jumeirah 2,000 Guineas. Charlie Appleby puts a hood on the keen traveller and saddles a possible pacemaker in the Woodcote winner Maximized (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}), so it is fair to say that it is time for the son of the high-class Usherette (Shamardal) to show why he has...

Breeders' Cup hero Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) is as short as 8-1 in the betting, as the entries for the G1 Betfred 2000 Guineas and G1 Betfred 1000 Guineas were released on Tuesday. There are 52 colts entered and 57 fillies at this entry stage. Sharing those odds with George Boughey's G2 Royal Lodge Stakes hero Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder), the G2 Coventry Stakes winner is one of nine in the race for Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners. Also narrowly second in a trio of Group 1 races last year--the...