White Birch Farm

Guided on the lawn by former Eclipse Outstanding Jockey Jose Ortiz, May Day Ready (Tapit--Nemoralia, by More Than Ready) pulled the proverbial wool over the eyes of her competitors by absconding with every pole to take the GII Lake Placid Stakes at the Spa on Saturday. May Day Ready made the local course her own over a year ago when she broke her maiden by a nose at first asking. The bay shipped to Kentucky Downs and won the Juvenile Fillies Stakes in early September, then netted the GII Jessamine...

In a continued flurry of high-priced activity in the ring at Arqana, the third seven-figure yearling of the morning session was knocked down at €1.2 million to MV Magnier and White Birch Farm. The colt by Camelot (lot 191) is out of the winning Lope De Vega mare Peinture Secret and was consigned by Haras de la Perelle as lot 191. His dam is a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Pensee Du Jour, who is also by Camelot, and to Group 3 winner Canvassed. The third dam Peinture Bleue...

Colts continued to rule the night as a son of the late Uncle Mo (hip 101) out of the Tapit mare Full Tap brought $1,000,000 from the partnership of M V Magnier and White Birch Farm. Consigned by Anderson Farms, Agent, the colt is a half to GSP Cafe Society (Empire Maker) along with two additional winners.

Aidan O'Brien had annexed six of the last 10 renewals of the Curragh's Juddmonte Chaldean Irish EBF Maiden, including with The Lion In Winter last year, and added another to his resume when the once-raced New Zealand (Frankel) led home a stable trifecta in this year's edition. "He's a lovely big horse, but he hasn't a clue what he's doing yet," said O'Brien. "He's massive, with the power and the size of him, and we'll go gentle and let him come on. He learned a lot from the first day,...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel), a G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes entry and son of dual Grade I winner Newspaperofrecord, went into every notebook when encountering the TDN Rising Star display of Dorset (Wootton Bassett) at the Curragh last month and duly delivered a breakthrough success in Monday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Killarney. "He was very babyish at the Curragh, and again today where he jumped out and led, and Wayne [Lordan] said he was looking at the cars on the inside," said Ballydoyle's Chris Armstrong. "It...

Francis-Henri Graffard looked set to have the one-two-three in Sunday's G1 Prix de Diane Longines heading to the closing stages, but while that didn't transpire France's pre-eminent trainer of 2025 was ultimately in the right place as Gezora (Almanzor) brought it home. Continuing the timeless love affair between American interests and French racing, the daughter of the 2006 Diane runner-up Germance proved strongest in the Chantilly Classic to complete the Saint-Alary-Diane double for Peter Brant's White Birch Farm. Sent off at 11-2 having upped her game last month at ParisLongchamp...

Tuesday's Prix Chapeau Rouge at Saint-Cloud played host to the frontrunning TDN Rising Star performance of Andre Fabre trainee Alcantor (New Bay) back in 2023 and this year's renewal witnessed another pillar-to-post Rising Star display by a Fabre nominee, Segall (Sottsass), who put his rivals to the sword in the seven-furlong contest. He follows Ultrafragola and Safia in becoming his sire's third Rising Star. Former Coolmore resident Sottsass now stands at Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan. The 13-5 favourite was swiftly into stride from the inside stall and seized an...

Bringing yet more success to the Francis-Henri Graffard stable in 2025, White Birch Farm's Gezora emulated the 2006 Prix Saint-Alary success of her dam Germance at ParisLongchamp on Sunday. Sent off at 6-1 for the former Group 1 contest, now a level below carrying the sponsors' "Auguste Rodin Coolmore" title, last year's G3 Prix des Reservoirs winner was anchored behind the leading pair early by Mickael Barzalona. Showing the sharpest acceleration of the quartet in the straight, the daughter of Almanzor who had been third behind Mandanaba and Flaming Stone...

With just two overmatched rivals in opposition, Aidan O'Brien trainee Giselle's superior form and class told as the daughter of Frankel overcame Lingfield's Epsom-style intricacies, delivering a facile nine-length success in the track's William Hill-sponsored Listed Oaks Trial on Saturday. Last term's G3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes third and 3-10 pick was a shade keen racing third in a first-time hood through the initial stages of this seasonal debut. Negotiating the downhill section and taking closer order in the home straight, she seized control approaching the quarter-mile marker and bounded clear...

Earlier this week, Peter Brant shared mating plans his top American mares and a select few European mares with the TDN. But with the number of mares he's sending to European stallions, we thought it merited a part two. Here, Brant shares insights on more of top mares. FIFTY FIVE, 11, Get Stormy-Soave, by Brahms; MORANDA (FR), 17, Indian Rocket (GB)-Spain, by Bering (GB) (dam of GIISW Speak of the Devil), QUIDURA (GB), 12, Dubawi (Ire)-Quetena (Ger), by Acatenango (Ger) (the GII Ballston Spa winner and GISP); THAIS (FR), 11,...

Alex Elliott was in action for G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte heroine Classic Flower (GB) (Calyx {GB}) (lot 191) at €1,800,000 to take the lead at Arqana. The chestnut, consigned by Haras de Beaumont, was purchased on behalf of MV Magnier and White Birch Farm. From the same family as multiple stakes winner and multiple group-placed Bahia Breeze (GB) (Mister Baileys {GB}), Classic Flower changed hands for 45,000gns as a Tattersalls December foal in 2021 when purchased by Arthur Hoyeau. She was bred by Petches Farm, Ltd.   A new top...

Group winner Gezora (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}) has been acquired privately by Peter Brant's White Birch Farm, Jour de Galop reported on Friday. The G3 Prix des Reservoirs winner holds Classic aspirations and she will now be trained by Francis-Henri Graffard. Bred by SARL de Chambure/Haras d'Etreham, the bay made four starts for Etreham and trainer Nicolas le Roch. Fourth when unveiled at Dieppe in July, she graduated by a length there a month later. A narrow second in the G3 Prix de Conde at Chantilly in September, the daughter of...