Tag: alpine star

Palace Pier, Poetic Flare To Clash For Breeders’ Cup Mile Berth In Deauville Group 1

The John & Thady Gosden-trained Palace Pier (GB) looks for back-to-back wins in the Group 1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville this Sunday. The winner of this race, which boasts five Group 1 winners, will earn an automatic starting position and fees paid into this year's $2 million Grade 1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile presented by PDJF through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California on Nov. 5-6.

Unbeaten in three starts this season, Palace Pier, a son of Kingman (GB) secured his place in the Grade 1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile on June 15 when capturing the “Win and You're In” Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

After bypassing the Group 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes due to a blood disorder, the 4-year-old will face seven rivals in France, including Mrs. J. S. Bolger's two-time Group 1 winner Poetic Flare (IRE).

Winner of the Group 1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes, Poetic Flare was last seen finishing second in the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes on testing ground on July 28. Trainer Jim Bolger believes his 3-year-old colt will improve from that performance.

“It was the ground at Goodwood,” Bolger said. “The filly [Alcohol Free (IRE)] was very good but it was a sub-par run for him. It was very tacky ground that day. He is so much better on good ground. This horse has all the class in the world, he's very quick, and any sort of a reasonably run race will suit him.”

Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Mrs. A.M. O'Brien's Order of Australia (IRE), the defending G1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile champion, has been entered by trainer Aidan O'Brien. The 4-year-old son of Australia (GB) finished fifth behind Poetic Flare in the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes.

[Story Continues Below]

The 4-year-old filly Alpine Star (IRE), owned and bred by the Niarchos Family, will seek to go one better than last year. Runner-up behind Palace Pier in 2020, one of three occasions the 2020 Group 1 Coronation Stakes heroine placed second in Group 1 company, Alpine Star returns to Deauville after finishing second in her seasonal debut in the listed British Stallion Studs EBF Lyric Fillies' Stakes.

“It's a very good renewal of the race,” said her trainer, Jessica Harrington. “She's in good form and a stronger filly this year. Hopefully, it will be the slow side of good. Shane Foley takes the ride and I hope she will run a big race.”

Andre Fabre has won the Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois more than any other trainer in its history with seven victories. He has entered the Godolphin-owned Victor Ludorum (GB) and Midtown (GB).

Winner of the Group 1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) over course and distance in June 2020, this year Victor Ludorum bounced back from two defeats to win the Group 3 Prix Messidor at Chantilly last time out on July 18. He is joined by his lightly raced stablemate Midtown, a 3-year-old son of Dubawi (IRE) out of a Diktat (GB) mare First City (GB), who was last seen finishing a credible third in only his third start in the Group 1 Haras d'Etreham Prix Jean Prat.

Group 3 winner Ecrivain (FR), trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias, and British challenger Chindit (IRE), trained by Richard Hannon, complete the field.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois winner to start in the G1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile, which will be run at a mile on the Del Mar turf course. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of $40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 25 to receive the rewards.

The post Palace Pier, Poetic Flare To Clash For Breeders’ Cup Mile Berth In Deauville Group 1 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The Jessica Harrington Column: Breeders’ Cup Is More Than A Race Meeting

   The trainer originally best known for many high-class jumps winners that has made an eye-catching advance on Flat racing’s top contests in recent years will share her thoughts with the TDN on a monthly basis in this most unusual of seasons.

It is an understatement to say that it has been a very strange year. In Ireland we managed a few meetings behind closed doors before racing shut down completely, and we then had some uncertainty over when it was going to start again. We eventually accepted the fact that there was going to be no Aintree, no Fairyhouse, no Punchestown, no Guineas at the right time.

For a while it looked like we might get back before the end of May, but then that was scuppered, and that was really like having all your toys taken away from you in one go. It felt like you’d been hit in the stomach and it knocked all the wind out of you.

The Flat has been relatively unaffected and it was a particularly good effort by the authorities to ensure that all of Ireland’s Group 1 races will have been run this year, even if not necessarily all in their usual slots. The jumping calendar has obviously been more disrupted, and this week we received the news, disappointing but understandable, that the Boylesports Irish Grand National won’t be run at all this year. Initially it had been postponed from its usual Easter Monday slot to some unspecified point in the autumn, but now it has been cancelled. I can understand that. It’s such a special occasion that it’s much more than a raceday. It’s always been a real social occasion in the Dublin area and, while no race-meeting is the same without crowds, that is one in particular which revolves around the general public. Everyone always has so much fun there. We’ve been lucky enough to win it (courtesy of Our Duke in 2017) but it’s fun however your horse runs and whatever role you attend in. We’ll just have to look forward to going there again, hopefully next year.

When racing did eventually start up again in June it was great to be back, except of course I was told I couldn’t go racing because I was too old. That was a bit annoying at the time but I kind of got used to it. Richie [Galway], my son-in-law, went to England three times, so he effectively had six weeks of isolating here, and then Kate went to York and to Deauville for me, so I’m lucky to have lots of people and family around, and that does make a difference.

At the beginning of July I was finally allowed to go racing again, and that was a great novelty but I have to say that going racing behind closed doors is not a great experience, especially when the weather is bad. Over here, there’s only a smattering of other trainers present but at least now you can get a cup of coffee and a sandwich. For the first few meetings there were absolutely no facilities like that at all. So it’s been different and it’s been challenging, but it has worked. My feeling is that we’ll put up with all these things as long as we can in order to keep racing going. That’s the most important thing for the whole industry–

for the breeding, for the stallions–and not just in Ireland.

When we were in lockdown we were videoing the horses on the gallops, walking round, trotting round, and we kept trying to think of new ways to film the horses for the owners to make sure they weren’t getting the same thing every week. Now we’ve started racing, we do a video of the horse going round the parade ring, then a clip of the jockey before the race saying what he’s going to do, and then we record some more comments when he comes back in, and the owners get a video of the race. So even though they can’t be there to see their race, we are trying to keep the horses’ owners involved as much as possible.

The last few years have been great fun, having fillies, and now hopefully a few colts, who have competed at the top level on the Flat. This year would of course have been much more fun if I could have gone to Ascot or to Deauville or Chantilly, but we will just have to look forward to it next year. The fillies especially have been very good this year.

Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) is a really tough filly. She won the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot so well and has tried so hard in her two races in France since then. She is very different physically to her half-sister, [four-time Group 1 winner] Alpha Centauri, who was a big strapping filly. This one is rather small, but she just wants to please you. Then we’ve had Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who runs in the G2 Moyglare Blandford S. on Irish Champions Weekend, One Voice (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}), Millisle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) and Silence Please (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}). They’ve all competed at the top level, and hopefully our G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany Ire}) is on her way back to doing that as well.

Last year Albigna became our first runner at the Breeders’ Cup and I’m very much hoping to get to Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup this year. We’ll have to see how difficult, or not, that is. Hopefully we can at least get the horses there and the American owners can see them run. It doesn’t matter if I can’t go. The Niarchos family have always been tremendous supporters of the Breeders’ Cup, and I know Craig Bernick would love One Voice to be there, and we also have Silence Please for Team Valor. We would very much like to be there.

The same could be said about the Breeders’ Cup as the Irish Grand National, in that it’s much more than just a race meeting. Obviously as a race meeting it’s top class, with some of the best horses in the world. But it’s also a great occasion, particularly as in America the sport in general has a lower profile and it doesn’t break through to the wider consciousness that often. The Breeders’ Cup provides a great opportunity for racing in America to do that, and so it too just won’t be the same without crowds. However, it does look like it’s definitely going ahead, which will be a great feat of organisation as, with the overall COVID-19 situation in the States and with the consequent restrictions on travel etc., it’s not going to be easy. We’re lucky enough to have some horses good enough to attend, so God willing we’ll be there.

There are of course plenty of options for those horses here in Europe but we want to keep our options open and hope we can get to America. It’s going to be challenging to get the staff out there and we need to find out what isolating they will have to do once they get out there or when they come home. The staff have been fantastic and anyone who looks after a horse who is good enough to race internationally is very keen to go with them. We’ll do our best to go because it’s good for racing and good for owners, and it’s good for the sport internationally.

It’s the time of year when the National Hunt horses are starting to increase their work again. We don’t have as many jumpers in as usual but Sizing John (GB) (Midnight Legend {GB}) is working away and we are hoping to run him at Listowel–that’s our plan. We are keeping everything crossed and we hardly dare speak about it, but we’d love to get him back.

The Flat and the National Hunt horses all do the same thing really. I train them all muddled up together. The jumpers are great when the yearlings come in and start to be ridden. There’s always a few who go out with the jumpers, and the older horses behave so the yearlings realise there’s no point in jumping around because the other horses don’t jump around, and they learn like that.

We have a couple of very nice horses to look forward to, like Sizing Pottsie (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}), who was a good novice chaser from last year and he seems to have come back very strong. And of course we have the evergreen Magic Of Light (Ire) (Flemensfirth), who was runner-up to Tiger Roll (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) in the Grand National in 2019 and will go for the National again this season. She’ll probably go down her usual route of mares’ hurdles and mares’ chases first. It’s nice for her to do that and to get her confidence up before Aintree.

The post The Jessica Harrington Column: Breeders’ Cup Is More Than A Race Meeting appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Alpine Star Eyeing Deauville Date

G1 Coronation S. winner Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), last seen finishing a short-neck second to Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Prix de Diane on July 5, could resurface in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville on Aug. 16 if ground conditions play to her liking.

“If all goes according to plan she could go to Deauville, but we just need to keep an eye on the ground,” said Alan Cooper, racing manager to owner/breeder The Niarchos Family. “There’s very hot weather forecast, but then there could be thunderstorms, so we’ll watch out for that. Her form appears very strong, with Fancy Blue winning again at Goodwood. The 3-year-old fillies appear to be very strong this year which is exciting, it’s good for racing.”

The Niarchos Family could yet have another major player in the division in Albigna (Ire), also from the yard of Jessica Harrington. The daughter of Zoffany went into winter quarters with hopes high off a win in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, but has only been seen once this year when sixth in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas.

“Albigna is making steady progress and it’s possible she could have a busy end-of-year programme,” said Cooper. “She could reappear in the Snow Fairy at The Curragh at the end of the month, we’ll just wait and see. But all is well with her.”

Cooper reported that 3-year-old colt Highest Ground (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who lost his unbeaten record when beaten a neck at third asking in the G2 Dante S. on July 9, will stay in training at four.

“Sir Michael is very happy with him currently, but he’s just waiting a little bit longer before committing to a plan,” said Cooper. “There was a mad rush when racing resumed with all the races crammed together, but it’s not like that now. The long-term plan for him is for next year, he’ll be staying in training as a 4-year-old, so Sir Michael will feel his way and when he’s ready, he’ll take it from there. I would think Highest Ground fits the profile of a typical Sir Michael late-maturing type–I hope so.”

The post Alpine Star Eyeing Deauville Date appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Royal Ascot: Alpine Star Defeats Sharing In Coronation, Ward-Trained Campanelle Wins Queen Mary

On the final day of the 2020 Royal Ascot meeting, Alpine Star emulated her half-sister Alpha Centauri (the winner in 2018) when storming to victory in the G1 Coronation Stakes.

The 3-year-old Sea The Moon filly, homebred by the Niarchos Family, was making her first start of 2020 and was off the bridle from some way out. Responding gamely to Frankie Dettori, Alpine Star took up the running entering the final furlong and kept on strongly for a four and a quarter length victory over American challenger Sharing (Graham Motion/Oisin Murphy), who stayed on well from off the pace.

Speaking from her base in County Kildare, Alpine Star's trainer Jessica Harrington said: “It is absolutely amazing because I am sitting here, I can't go racing, and watching it on the telly is very hard. I could not believe it because she was the only horse in the field that hadn't had a run this year, but she is amazing. She is a half-sister to a complete superstar, Alpha Centauri, who gave me my first Royal Ascot winner. She was just amazing today, she did it so easy.”

The Coronation Stakes had been the only Group 1 race at Royal Ascot in which Frankie Dettori did not have a victory, meaning Newmarket's July Cup is now the only British G1 race he has not won.

“It has taken 30 years to win all the Group Ones, but I can say that I have really conquered Royal Ascot now – I am delighted for all the people concerned,” Dettori said. “This was missing, Royal Ascot means a lot to me, the Coronation, I have been riding here for 30 years, but for some reason I have never managed to get on the right horse. Jessica and the Niarchos family offered me this ride a while back.

“I was very excited about the ride, I had a good draw, a good split, the filly was beautifully prepared by Jessica, she showed a good turn of foot, and I am thrilled, thrilled.”

Oisin Murphy, who partnered the second-placed Sharing, commented: “Sharing is a champion on really fast turf and she didn't get her conditions. Everyone should be very proud and hopefully it persuades Graham Motion to have more horses here next year – it was a massive performance. She was the best juvenile filly on turf in America last year and is a huge, physical filly.”

American interests did find success earlier on the card when the Wesley Ward-trained Campanelle won the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, giving the trainer his 11th victory at the Royal Ascot meeting. Ridden by Frankie Dettori, the 2-year-old daughter of Kodiac came out on top by three-quarters of a length from Sacred after a sustained duel in the closing stages.

It was a fourth Queen Mary Stakes for Ward following Jealous Again (2009), Acapulco (2015) and Lady Aurelia (2016). Like Lady Aurelia, Campanelle won in the colours of Stonestreet Stables. Earlier in the week, Ward had been responsible for two runners-up in Golden Pal (G2 Norfolk Stakes) and Kimari (G1 Commonwealth Cup).

“We are going crazy here,” said Ward, speaking from Keeneland, Kentucky. “She is something and in think that we are going to be heading to the Prix Morny now. I will talk it over with Barbara Banke and the team. We are all real excited – I had all the stables lads here at the barn and they are all jumping up and down.

“There is nothing like Royal Ascot. We didn't have a winner last year and we had a streak going. We've been trying our best, I can't thank everyone enough for giving me such a talented filly from where started at Stonestreet Stables. It is amazing and Frankie Dettori rode such a brilliant race as he always does. I have got my assistant Blake Heap there and we've got a wonderful team assembled in Florida – words just can't describe it right now.”

Saturday's Royal Ascot action began with the Silver Wokingham Handicap, a consolation race for those horses who missed the cut for the Wokingham itself later in the afternoon. It was 7-year-old Chiefofchiefs who came out on top, handing a second winner of the week to both trainer Charlie Fellowes and jockey William Buick.

“For me, Royal Ascot has always been the pinnacle,” Fellowes said. “When I set up training this was always the dream, and I am very lucky to be living the dream. Three winners in two years – a lot of trainers go a lot longer than that without having winners. I am very, very lucky, we have got a beautiful yard. I can't really complain much at the moment, to be honest!”

The third race of the day saw the longest-priced winner in Royal Ascot history when Nando Parrado captured the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at 150-to-1. The 2-year-old Kodiac colt had finished fifth on debut at Newmarket on June 4 and there was no hint of a fluke about his victory today. Always in a prominent position, Nando Parrado and jockey Adam Kirby took the lead just inside the final two furlongs and saw off all challengers to score by a length from Qaader.

“I did back him!” laughed trainer Clive Cox, recording his second winner of the week. “So we are very happy… I don't know what price I got yet. When I saw the price, it was a little bit of an insult to our thoughts on him, so I am delighted.

“Listen, it is all about having winners at Royal Ascot, and to have two like this is so, so special.”

There was no stopping Dettori on day five of Royal Ascot as the jockey brought up a treble when partnering Palace Pier to victory in the G1 St James's Palace Stakes. Trained by John Gosden for owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the 3-year-old Kingman colt is now unbeaten in four starts.

It looked a three way battle between Palace Pier, Pinatubo and Wichita inside the final furlong and it was Palace Pier who found most, lengthening well to score by a length from Pinatubo, with Wichita another head away in third.

Dettori is now on six winners for the week and has enjoyed 73 Royal Ascot winners in total, equaling the record of the late Pat Eddery. He said: “What a day! We always thought a lot of Palace Pier, but he got a bit sleepy on us in the mornings and we were scratching our heads. John [Gosden] did a great job, and he thought, let's start him off in a handicap at Newcastle to see whether he would wake up, and he did. We threw him in at the deep end today, but in the back of our minds we knew that there was a good horse in that big body, and we just were not sure how much of a good horse he was. Today was no fluke.”

Trainer Charlie Appleby said of runner-up Pinatubo, last year's 2-year-old champion: “I am disappointed to get beaten again, but we saw the Pinatubo we saw last year, for sure. From the three to the two there I thought, it's just a matter of pressing the button again. Will [Buick] just said that on that ground, in the last 100 yards the tank was emptying out, but he is so courageous, he has held on for second still.”

Hello Youmzain landed the second G1 sprint of his career when taking the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, handing jockey Kevin Stott a first Royal Ascot winner. The 4-year-old Kodiac colt, owned by Haras d'Etreham and Cambridge Stud and trained by Kevin Ryan, landed the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup in 2019 and was also third at the 2019 Royal Meeting in the G1 Commonwealth Cup.

Today, Hello Youmzain blasted from the stalls and took the 10-strong field along. He was headed by favorite Sceptical entering the final furlong but rallied to regain the lead and held off the late challenge of Dream Of Dreams by a head.

After the Diamond Jubilee, Stott said: “Unbelievable. Listen, fair play to the horse – he dug very deep when I needed him. All credit to him more than me. I am blessed to be put back on him with the change of ownership and I can't describe in words how thankful I am that they put me back on him. It means everything.”

Stott immediately scored his second Royal winner in taking the day's seventh race, the Wokingham Stakes, with Hey Jonesy, also trained by Kevin Ryan.

The post Royal Ascot: Alpine Star Defeats Sharing In Coronation, Ward-Trained Campanelle Wins Queen Mary appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights