Tom Marquand

Capping a golden mid-Sunday-afternoon hour that Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy will forever cherish, Sky Majesty (Blue Point) followed the exploits of their star juvenile Venetian Sun at Deauville with her own power play in Sunday's G3 Tally-Ho Stud Irish EBF Ballyogan Stakes at Naas. Last year's G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and G3 Firth of Clyde winner, who had prepped with a course-and-distance win in last month's Listed Yeomanstown Stud Irish EBF Stakes, showed how much she had improved in the interim tackling a deeper contest. Always travelling easily under...

So obviously a Stakes horse operating in handicaps, More Thunder (Night Of Thunder) shed his thinly-veiled disguise once and for all on Saturday to dominate Newbury's G2 Hungerford Stakes. Narrowly denied in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot before narrowly on top in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket's July Festival, the 6-4 favourite had ideal fast fractions to run at throughout the seven-furlong feature and delivered his customary powerful finale to beat the penalised Lennox winner Witness Stand (Expert Eye) by 2 1/4 lengths. "He's fulfilling all that we expected and...

Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's autumn dreams stayed alive against suitably dramatic Sussex skies on Thursday with the progressive Merchant (Teofilo) fighting his way through the G3 HKJC World Pool Gordon Stakes. Held up by Tom Marquand after the day's first flag start, the 6-5 favourite had to work to get by Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko) but may have had the most aptitude of the pair late on to prevail by a nose, with a gap of seven lengths back to the solid yardstick Windlord (Dubawi) in third. "It was tough and the...

Making a welcome return to action having undergone a wind prodecure in February, RP Racing's G3 Molecomb Stakes victor Big Mojo (Ire) (Mohaather {GB}) allayed any concerns regarding his wellbeing with a rousing half-length victory in Wednesday's G3 eventmasters.co.uk Commonwealth Cup Trial at Ascot. The Mick Appleby trainee, starting at odds of 4-1, was under a firm hold from the outset and occupied a position in mid division through halfway in the six-furlong dash. Easing closer inside the final quarter-mile, he joined the front rank of four on the far...

Jockey Tom Marquand will reunite with William Haggas's Group 2 winner Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never) in the G1 FWD Champions Mile in Hong Kong on April 27. A winner of the A$10 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill in November, the 4-year-old son of No Nay Never won the G2 Gimcrack Stakea at York as a juvenile, and placed second in both the G1 Commonwealth Cup and the G3 Hackwood Stakes in June and July, all with Marquand in the irons. Cieren Fallon was aboard for the Golden Eagle...

Donnacha O'Brien is looking forward to taking on the boys with Porta Fortuna (Ire) when she bids for her fourth top-level victory of the campaign in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar on Saturday, November 2. The daughter of Caravaggio has been on a roll since returning to action this season with a narrow defeat to Elmalka (GB) in the 1,000 Guineas, subsequently reeling off a Group 1 hat-trick in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket and Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. All roads now lead...

Capping her career in style, Brightwalton Bloodstock's Makarova (GB) (Acclamation {GB}--Vesnina {GB}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) signed off with a gallant success in Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines. Having shown how much she relishes a slow surface when taking the G3 Sandown Sprint Stakes in July, the Ed Walker-trained 5-year-old from an esteemed Cheveley Park family had put up an ideal prep when third behind Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) in last month's G1 Flying Five at The Curragh but still traded at an inflated and overly-generous...

'If Carslberg did weekends' was the caption on Tom Marquand's social media post beneath a photograph of the jockey with his wife, Hollie Doyle, after she had won her second Group 1 of the year aboard Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}). Marquand had himself lifted both of Leopardstown's Group 1 races the previous day with two of the best three-year-olds currently in training, Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio). Their mantelpiece may soon need reinforcement.  There are few sports in which men and women take each...

Tom Marquand had a tactical dilemma from the outside stall in Saturday's G1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, but what could have been a disaster was quickly turned around as the rider excelled in steering Isa Salman Al Khalifa's Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--La Pomme D'Amour (GB) (Peintre Celebre) to glory in the feature. Sent forward from the compromising draw to keep Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) hemmed in to his inner, the 7-4 favourite had first run on last year's winner and swooped to the...

Proving herself the complete racing machine on Saturday, Medallion Racing, Steve Weston, Barry Fowler and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio--Too Precious {Ire}, by Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) added Leopardstown's G1 Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron Stakes to her already enviable top-level tally with the minimum of fuss. Coming of age this summer with wins in the G1 Coronation Stakes and G1 Falmouth Stakes, the pride and joy of Donnacha O'Brien's stable who had also captured last year's G1 Cheveley Park Stakes was a touch free and fresh in the...

Setting the form standard in Saturday's G3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton, having finished third in York's G3 Gimcrack Stakes, Adrian Keatley's Symbol Of Strength (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}--Symbol Of Love {GB}, by Shamardal) mastered the challenge to continue his upward trajectory on the Polytrack. Settled in mid-division early by Tom Marquand, the 5-2 favourite was delivered to overwhelm Jouncy (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) inside the last 100 yards en route to a half-length verdict over that rival, with Brian (Ire) (Shaman {Ire}) another head back in third. "I think he hated...

Rockcliffe Stud's Listed Empress Stakes victrix Celandine (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Pepita {Ire}, by Sir Prancealot {Ire}), who collected minor prizes in last month's G2 Prix Robert Papin and G3 Molecomb Stakes, regained the winning thread with a pillar-to-post victory in Thursday's G2 Sky Bet Lowther Stakes at York. The 13-2 chance broke sharply and seized an immediate lead in this six-furlong 2-year-old contest. Holding a slender advantage throughout, she came under pressure soon after passing the quarter-mile marker and was ridden out inside the final furlong to hold the late charge...