Venetian Sun (Ire)

Friday's G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot will witness a clash of the Guineas heroines as G1 Irish 1000 Guineas victrix Precise (Starspangledbanner) and G1 1000 Guineas winner True Love (No Nay Never) meet for a third time. Ryan Moore will partner the Precise, while Wayne Lordan will be aboard True Love. Nine-strong opposition to the Aidan O'Brien stablemates includes the Donnacha O'Brien-trained GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Balantina (Ten Sovereigns). Earlier on the card, 22 speedsters will go forward for the G1 Commonwealth Cup with Ballydoyle supplying...

Significantly delayed by the discovery of a drainage hole in the home straight, Haydock's G2 Sandy Lane Stakes eventually played out with a compensatory dazzling performance from the high-class Venetian Sun (Starman). Reverting to six furlongs after failed efforts over further in the Moyglare and the 1,000 Guineas, Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Prix Morny heroine went through this contest as if operating on a different level and only needed encouraging late on to dismiss Division (Kingman) by three lengths. Spicy Marg (Starspangledbanner) was another 1 1/2 lengths away in...

Ballydoyle's Precise (Starspangledbanner) will face 18 peers in Sunday's G1 Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, with Ryan Moore set to partner the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies' Mile winner for the first time. She is drawn two for the mile Classic, with one of her chief rivals Venetian Sun (Starman) next door in stall one furthest away from the stands' rail. Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Prix Morny winner is one of two in the race for Karl Burke, with her regular rider Clifford Lee maintaining the partnership. Burke's other runner...

As it had 12 months ago, The Curragh's G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes went to Ballydoyle but not to their first string as Precise (Starspangledbanner) emulated Lake Victoria to emerge best of the stable trio under Ronan Whelan. Like Bedtime Story last year, the even-money favourite Composing (Wootton Bassett) cut out the running but faded late, leaving it to Precise and Beautify (Wootton Bassett) to fight out the finish with the former the stronger by 3/4 of a length. "I didn't jump as cleanly as I would have liked, but she...

The Curragh's Group 1 bonanza on day two of Irish Champions Weekend has attracted an aggregate 38 declarations after final fields for the track's four elite-level contests were confirmed Friday morning. Illinois (Galileo), with Christophe Soumillon booked to ride, is one of two Aidan O'Brien entries, the other being Queenstown (Galileo), and heads a field of nine in the G1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger. The undefeated G2 King Edward VII Stakes victor Amiloc (Postponed) is one of three overseas nominees. Ballydoyle has three of the six runners, headed...

Lining up in a stellar renewal of Deauville's G1 Sumbe Prix Morny as the sole filly, Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Venetian Sun (Starman) did what she has been doing so well to her own sex in 2025 and got the job done. Tracking the strong pace travelling kindly under Clifford Lee, the 29-10 second favourite edged ahead passing the furlong pole and after outstaying Wise Approach (Mehmas) found the line a short neck ahead of the 11-10 favourite Gstaad (Starspangledbanner). "She does everything so relaxed and has a temperament...

Royal Ascot heroine Venetian Sun (Starman) had history on her side entering Friday's G2 bet365 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes, with four of the last 10 winners backing up a G3 Albany Stakes triumph, and she added her name to that roll of honour with a narrow victory in the six-furlong dash at Newmarket. "The race panned out perfectly and she lengthened correctly on the rising ground," said winning rider Clifford Lee. "But she hit the front too soon, she thought he race was finished and started to cruise," he added....

Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's once-raced Carlisle maiden winner Venetian Sun (Starman) fulfilled the role of spoiler with aplomb and the Karl Burke trainee prevented a Ballydoyle clean sweep of Royal Ascot's juvenile pattern races with a dominant victory in Friday's G3 Albany Stakes. The 240,000gns Book 1 graduate, drawn in the supposedly unfavourable stall one on the track's far side, raced on the wing in midfield through halfway in this straight six-furlong contest. Coming under pressure to reduce arrears approaching the quarter-mile pole, the well-backed 7-1 chance made continued...

Friday's Royal Ascot confirmations have been made and the clash between the Aga Khan Studs star Zarigana (Siyouni) and Shadwell's exciting Falakeyah (New Bay) in the G1 Coronation Stakes is the highlight of the card. The former, who was awarded the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches last month, will attempt to establish herself at the top of the fillies' pecking order in this mile category with fellow TDN Rising Star Falakeyah dangerously unexposed coming back in trip after her scintillating win in Newmarket's Listed Pretty Polly Stakes. Others of note...