Wootton Bassett (GB)

Such is the record of The Curragh's Barronstown Stud Maiden, it is a given that Aidan O'Brien reserves one of his best for the seven-furlong contest and Dorset lived up to the billing to become Wootton Bassett's latest TDN Rising Star. "He's a lovely straighforward horse who will get further," commented O'Brien, who had won this race with City Of Troy, Rip Van Winkle, Gleneagles, Roderic O'Connor, Duke Of Marmalade, Horatio Nelson and Australia. "Ryan gave him an uncomplicated ride and he's a good mover who could go for any of those races--the...

2nd-Curragh, €20,000, Mdn, 6-27, 2yo, 7fT, 1:26.43, gd. COMPOSING (IRE) (f, 2, Wootton Bassett {GB}--Epona Plays {Ire} {MGSW-Ire, $208,285}, by Australia {GB}), the subject of support into 3-1 second favouritism, was up in the front line from the outset in this maiden won 12 months ago by stablemate Lake Victoria. Pressed by Cape Sounion (No Nay Never) inside the final two furlongs, the first foal out of the Group 2-winning dam stayed on to score by 3/4 of a length. "She's a filly that will get further, she's uncomplicated," Aidan...

Coolmore's Derby hero Lambourn (Australia) will renew rivalry with Epsom second and third, Lazy Griff (Protectionist) and Tennessee Stud (Wootton Bassett), and heads a field of 10 declared runners for Sunday's €1.25-million G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. He is one of five contenders set to represent Aidan O'Brien and has been allocated stall five. Lazy Griff is alongside in four while Tennessee Stud is on the wing in stall 10. The Ralph Beckett-conditioned G2 Dante Stakes winner Pride Of Arras (New Bay) is the only other Epsom runner backing...

Providing owner-breeder Fiona Carmichael with the ultimate thrill on Wednesday, Carmers put another feather in Wootton Bassett's cap by breaking the 14-furlong track record in Royal Ascot's G2 Queen's Vase. Becoming the first to dip under three minutes here, the unbeaten Paddy Twomey-trained Listed Yeats Stakes winner recorded a 3/4-of-a-length success from Furthur (Waldgeist), with a head back to Rahiebb (Frankel) in third. "I knew he would stay and I knew turning in that Billy looked comfortable," Twomey said after greeting his breakthrough first Royal Ascot winner. "When the bell...

Fast but not quite fast enough for six furlongs, Maranoa Charlie (Wootton Bassett) was back in his comfort zone on Sunday and back in the winner's enclosure at the end of ParisLongchamp's G3 Prix Paul de Moussac. Let loose from the outset of the seven-furlong G1 Prix Jean Prat prep by Aurelien Lemaitre, the 19-10 favourite who was fourth in Chantilly's G3 Prix Texanita speed test last month relished the opportunity to dominate from an early point. Chased to the line by the Wertheimers' Silius (Dubawi) as he had been...

Marc Chan's homebred G2 Golden Fleece Stakes winner Green Impact (Wootton Bassett), who defeated G1 Derby favourite Delacroix twice last year, went postward for Thursday evening's Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Glencairn Stakes at Leopardstown returning off a G1 2000 Guineas sixth and bounced back in style to claim a second black-type success in the nine-furlong contest. The 11-8 favourite asserted for an early advantage and set an even tempo through halfway. Holding sway throughout, he was driven to subdue TDN Rising Star Azada (Siyouni) approaching the final furlong and...

A seemingly wide-open renewal of Chantilly's G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club ultimately produced the most straightforward outcome as Ballydoyle's Camille Pissarro prevailed as the 12-5 favourite. Drawn against the rail, one of the stable's abundance of Wootton Bassett colts only had to follow the pace aided by the yard's Trinity College taking the shortest route. Ryan Moore's only complication came in the closing stages as he needed to thread the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner through a gap no more than a horse's width but he had all the...

Declarations for Sunday's €1.5m G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club were confirmed Thursday morning and G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains third Camille Pissarro (Wootton Bassett) will head a field of 18 for the 10 1/2-furlong Chantilly Classic. Last term's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero has been allocated stall one and is joined by Aidan O'Brien-trained stablemate and fellow TDN Rising Star Trinity College (Dubawi), who is drawn in stall three. O'Brien's lone victory in the race was provided by St Mark's Basilica (Siyouni), who departed from stall two en route...

Aidan O'Brien has targetted the Curragh's G3 GAIN Marble Hill Stakes as a tried-and-trusted stepping stone to next month's G2 Coventry Stakes and put forward his strongest contender, TDN Rising Star Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett), who overcame traffic problems with a set of impressive gears in the six-furlong contest. The January-foaled Coolmore homebred went postward as the prohibitively priced 4-11 favourite and raced a shade keenly in a handy fifth through the early stages. Tanking forward into third passing halfway, he was forced to switch around the unyielding leading duo...

Given the recent history of The Curragh's opening 2-year-old maiden of its Guineas weekend, it was no surprise that Aidan O'Brien was to unveil another TDN Rising Star for Wootton Bassett in the deeply promising newcomer Brussels. Sent off at 11-4 for the six-furlong contest won in the past five years by the stable's subsequent luminaries Henri Matisse, Unquestionable and Arizona, the 300,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 graduate cruised along behind his experienced stablemate Kansas with Ryan Moore poised. Cajoled by that fellow son of Wootton Bassett inside the final...

There was drama at the end of Friday's G3 Heider Family Stables Gallinule Stakes at The Curragh, with The Aga Khan Studs' Reyenzi demoted from first to third and Ballydoyle's Thrice handed the prize by the stewards. Judged to have caused sufficient interference to the eventual runner-up a furlong from home to have affected the outcome, the Johnny Murtagh-trained Navan maiden winner who had finished first past the post by a head was stripped of the 10-furlong contest. That means that Aidan O'Brien has another recognised Derby trial in the bag in 2025,...

Juddmonte's TDN Rising Star duo Field Of Gold (Kingman) and Cosmic Year (Kingman), who have drawn stalls nine and five, head a field of nine declared for Saturday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh. Field Of Gold is on the wing again and seeks redemption for his G1 2000 Guineas near miss with Colin Keane replacing Kieran Shoemark in the plate. Harry Charlton has provided Cosmic Year with a solid foundation and decides now is the time to make the jump in grade coming back off a win...