Wootton Bassett (GB)

Hisaaki Saito's hitherto unbeaten 2-year-old colt Topgear (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) continued on a roll and took his tally to a perfect three from three with a hard-fought victory in Friday's G3 Prix Eclipse at Chantilly. The April-foaled dark bay went postward as the crowd's 8-5 choice returning off wins in competitive heats at Deauville last month and was under a firm hold behind the leaders in fourth through the early fractions of this six-furlong dash. Powering forward to join German raider Best Flying (Fr) (Pedro the Great) soon after...

Fresh from winning the opening Listed Ingabelle S. on Saturday, Ger Lyons and Colin Keane combined to enjoy the perfect start to Leopardstown's Irish Champions Day when following up in the G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. with Atomic Jones (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Owned by Sean Jones, David Spratt and Lynne Lyons, the bay who had won on his sole start in a seven-furlong maiden at The Curragh June 27 was restrained early from his low draw to race with two behind. Switched outside with three furlongs remaining, the 10-1...

Trading as the largely unconsidered 25-1 outsider-of-five for Wednesday's G3 Tattersalls Acomb S. at York, Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) turned that logic on its head with a command performance from the front. Coming off an impressive five-length success over this seven-furlong trip in an Epsom novice July 29, the bay was on his mettle at the break and a sharp getaway yielded immediate control. Unflustered on the lead down the centre of the track in the straight, he bore all the hallmarks of a typical...

DEAUVILLE, France--Gestut Ammerland, the famed German nursery of such luminaries of the turf as Lope De Vega (Ire) and Hurricane Run (Ire), stole the limelight during the concluding session of Arqana's August Sale with a New Bay (GB) granddaughter of the homebred Deutsches Derby winner and Arc-placed Borgia (Ger) (Acatenango {Ger}). John and Thady Gosden had already left Deauville earlier in the day following Sunday's success of stable star Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois for the second year running. But, through Arqana's Freddy...

Breeders' Cup heroine Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will line up in Sunday's G1 Prix Jean Romanet according to trainer James Fanshawe. The bay claimed last year's edition by a neck, before a third-place run in the G1 Prix de l'Opera at ParisLongchamp in October. Back on top in Keeneland's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November, Audarya ran second after a stirring stretch battle to Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot in June. She most recently ran below par...

DEAUVILLE, France--The second and final session of the select part of the Arqana August Sale lit up in ebullient fashion with two seven-figure yearlings, including the €2.4-million sale topper by Dubawi, a half-sister to Group 2 winner Babylone (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Charlie Gordon-Watson made a significant impact on the day's action when acting for an unnamed client and signed for the filly (lot 108) out of Typique (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) shortly after bidding €525,000 for lot 99, a filly by Frankel (GB). The sale leader was consigned by Haras...

The Arqana August Yearling Sale features a catalogue of 355 blue-blooded colts and fillies as it returns to its regular slot in the calendar from Aug. 14-16 in Deauville. The first two days will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the final day, Monday, will start at 1 p.m. The sale has produced many stakes winners over the years including G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), and fellow Group 1 winners Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}),...

Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), who won two races at the highest level, has been pronounced in foal to Coolmore's Wootton Bassett (GB), trainer Mitsuru Hashida has told the Japanese press. The Toji Morita-owned 7-year-old, a half-sister to Japanese listed-placed Odysseus (Jpn) (Falbrav {Ire}), won the G1 Shuka Sho in 2017, as well as the G1 Nassau S. at Goodwood in 2019. She was also runner-up in the 2018 G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup and third in both the G1 Dubai Turf and G1 QIPCO Champion S. while earning north of...

Monday's G1 Saxon Warrior Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary had a wide-open feel beforehand and that was reflected in the finish with less than a length separating the first four home in the ParisLongchamp feature. In the event, it was Gerard Augustin-Normand's Incarville (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) who prevailed in a three-way photo with Cirona (GB) (Maxios {GB}) and Es La Vida (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) as TDN Rising Star Sibila Spain (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) was a close-up fourth and possibly unlucky. Runner-up in the 10 1/2-furlong G3 Prix Cleopatre at Saint-Cloud...

The catalogue is now online for the 2021 JRHA Select Sale, which features four yearlings from the last crop of Deep Impact (Jpn) who died in July of 2019. Held at the Northern Horse Park near New Chitose Airport, the yearling session has 248 lots set to go through the ring on July 12, while there are 241 weanlings slated to sell on July 13. Kicking off the yearling portion of the sale is a Deep Impact colt who will be offered as lot 1 and is out of the...

Michael Pescod's Chindit (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) arguably set the standard in Sunday's G3 Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham S. at Newbury and while he had to work he was able to prevail in a tight finale to the seven-furlong Guineas trial. Successful in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster in September before finishing ninth in the G1 Dewhurst S. on a soft surface at Newmarket in October, the 7-4 favourite was on contrasting ground here and may have been feeling it racing in mid-division early under Pat...

Breeders and buyers anticipating the upcoming first 2-year-olds by Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in Europe were provided a boost in recent weeks at the sales in Australia and New Zealand, where the triple Group 1 winner's first Southern Hemisphere yearlings were warmly received. After his three yearlings sold at Magic Millions averaged A$506,666 with a top price of A$800,000, Almanzor went on to be leading first-season sire at Karaka Book 1 with 43 sold for an average of NZ$190,698. Almanzor, who is based at his birthplace Haras d'Etreham in...