Whirl
The Coolmore partners' Minnie Hauk (Frankel) is under consideration for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf in November, Aidan O'Brien has revealed. The winner of the G1 Oaks, G1 Irish Oaks, G1 Yorkshire Oaks and second in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the bay was just touched off in that ParisLongchamp cornerstone. "Minnie is very good, everything seems well with her and it's possible she could be trained for the Breeders' Cup Turf," O'Brien told the PA news agency. "It would be good to see her in that, it's...
The boy-made-good story of Wootton Bassett is as time-honoured as life itself. To a degree, it is a rags-to-riches tale, particularly when it comes to the phenomenal trajectory of his stallion career. And it is a story which is ending far too soon. The 17-year-old stallion died on Tuesday at Coolmore Australia in the Hunter Valley after developing acute pneumonia from a bout of choke, a condition in which food blocks the oesophagus, often leading to complications. His passing comes at a time when Wootton Bassett was in his pomp;...
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a Wootton Bassett daughter of Qemah. 4.10 Doncaster, Mdn, 2yo, f, 7f 6yT WID (IRE) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) debuts for Al Shaqab Racing in this race won 12 months ago by the sire's Whirl and is a homebred daughter of the Coronation Stakes and Prix Rothschild...
One of two British-trained horses in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks after declarations on Friday, Estrange (Night Of Thunder) and her team are hopeful that some rain will increase her chances in the August 21 showpiece. A homebred for Cheveley Park Stud and trained by David O'Meara, the grey has won four of her five starts, with a victory in the G2 Lancashire Oaks last out at Haydock in July on her resume. "It depends which forecast you look at, and I am probably guilty of looking at the one I...
Delacroix (Dubawi) and Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), first and second, respectively, in last month's G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, headline nine confirmations for Wednesday's G1 Juddmonte International at York. The Aidan O'Brien-trained Delacroix is one of three possible runners from Ballydoyle, along with dual Derby hero Lambourn (Australia) - who also holds an entry in the G2 Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes earlier on the card - and high-class filly Whirl (Wootton Bassett), the winner of the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes and G1 Nassau Stakes. Meanwhile, G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes...
The Coolmore partners' G1 Goodwood Cup hero Scandinavia anchors 11 Ballydoyle nominees for the G1 Betfred St Leger at Doncaster in September. There are 26 horses entered overall in the oldest British Classic, which will be held on September 13. By Justify, the Aidan O'Brien trainee ran fifth to Paddy Twomey's Carmers in the G2 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot, but rebounded to claim the G3 Bahrain Trophy Stakes at Newmarket with Richard Hannon's Nightime Dancer (Ghaiyyath) second, prior to his Goodwood heroics. Lambourn (Australia), a winner of the G1...
Thursday, Goodwood, post time: 15:05, QATAR NASSAU STAKES-G1, £600,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 9f 197yT Field: Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion), See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Bedtime Story (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Cercene (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Whirl (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). TDN Verdict: Three-year-olds have generally dominated of late and after the performance of Kalpana at Ascot on Saturday it is hard to make a solid case against Whirl continuing that trend. The way she put away the Juddmonte filly in the Pretty Polly suggests she has improved since the...
A pair of Group 1 contests to be staged during next week's Qatar Goodwood Festival will earn their winners automatic berths into races on the 2026 Pegasus World Cup Day program at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24. The Visit Qatar Sussex stakes over a mile on July 30 will serve as a qualifier for the $1-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf, while the Visit Qatar Nassau Stakes going 10 panels on July 31 will earn the winner a spot in the field for the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly &...
French ace Calandagan (Gleneagles), G1 Coronation Cup winner Jan Brueghel (Galileo), globetrotter Rebel's Romance (Dubawi) and star filly Kalpana (Study Of Man) headline the confirmations for Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Worth a record £1.5m in 2025, the King George is Britain's richest all-aged contest and the most valuable race ever run at Ascot. Francis-Henri Graffard is chasing back-to-back victories following Goliath's surprise win in 2024. This year the trainer will be represented by Calandagan, who gained a deserved Group 1 success in the...
A rematch between Minnie Hauk (Frankel) and Whirl (Wootton Bassett) in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh is unlikely, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien, who was responsible for six of the nine fillies left in the Classic on Tuesday. Just a neck separated the two stablemates when they met in the Oaks at Epsom, with Minnie Hauk edging ahead in the final strides to get the better of the gutsy Whirl, who has since gained a first Group 1 success of her own when seeing off her elders...
On the day that Kevin Prendergast was remembered at the Curragh in the naming of the International Stakes, and a day after Peter Easterby was laid to rest, another great of the training ranks was lost with the passing of Barry Hills. Then came the news from America that D Wayne Lukas had too departed. To read the tributes paid to these men, who did so much to enrich the colour of this storied sport, is something of a treat in itself - their parting gift, if you like -...
THE CURRAGH, Ireland -- The sun came out as he came in. Lambourn, a dual Derby winner, just like his sire before him, and his grandsire before that. He had to work for it, mind. This was no procession as at Epsom. This time his lead was contested much of the way by Sir Dinadan until Serious Contender looked just that. Turning in, with Ryan Moore already having to coax a little, Lambourn looked far from certain to claim his second Classic. These races are never easily won though, and...