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 Weekly Wrap: Snow In April

The steady return of high-class flat action to the European turf heightened to a crescendo last week, with enthusiasts of that realm treated to a plethora of quality racing not only across the UK, Ireland and France, but also in Australia, where European-bred and -sired horses shone bright on the second day of The Championships.

While significant pointers were staged for the middle-distance and sprinting divisions, all eyes were on the Classic trials, with now under two weeks until the Newmarket editions. And while a handful of black-type races shook up the betting markets, it was the winners of non-stakes races that made some of the biggest moves in the odds for the 2000 and 1000 Guineas.

On the opening card of the Craven meeting at Newmarket last Tuesday, third-generation Shadwell homebred Mutasaabeq (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) followed up a first-out maiden win over course and distance last October for Charlie Hills with a stirring six-length conditions score going seven furlongs. The son of the 2009 G1 1000 Guineas winner Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway) needs to be supplemented to the 2000 Guineas, but should he line up Mutasaabeq would be a poignant potential winner for the late Sheikh Hamdan, he being a great-grandson of Height Of Fashion, one of the first fillies purchased by Sheikh Hamdan-from The Queen, who herself celebrated an important win with Tactical (GB) (Toronado {Ire}) at the meeting-and one who would go on to reward him so richly across the decades.

The victory of Mutasaabeq likely turned the heads of followers of racing transatlantically; the name was first carried to prominence last summer by a Shadwell-owned colt trained by Todd Pletcher in the U.S. who was third in the GI Hopeful S. before switching to the turf to win the GII Bourbon S. at Keeneland. The American Mutasaabeq was last seen winning the Listed Mucho Macho Man S. going a mile on the turf at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 2, and while he is currently on the sidelines with a minor shin injury, it is very much within the realm of possibility that we will see two high-class Mutasaabeq's running on each side of the Atlantic later this year. Is it possible that we could even see a Mutasaabeq match-up-maybe in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile? The British-bred Mutasaabeq currently rates an 8-1 fourth choice for the 2000 Guineas.

The Richard Hannon-trained Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) saw her odds for the 1000 Guineas halved to 8-1 following a mile Newbury maiden win at second asking, in which she joined the 'TDN Rising Star' ranks. It was Richard Hannon Snr's name on the license when Snow Lantern's dam, Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}), won the 2013 1000 Guineas, but Hannon Jnr was no doubt in the thick of it and he didn't hide his admiration for Sky Lantern's third foal in the aftermath of the race, indicating he would persuade owner/breeder Rockcliffe Stud to push on to the Guineas, where she will have to contend not only with the one-raced favourite Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) but also with the likes of 2-year-old champion Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) and Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), who backed up her G1 Cheveley Park S. win with a short-head score in the G3 Dubai Duty Free S. on the same Newbury card on which Snow Lantern was successful. That card-shifted to Sunday from Saturday to accommodate the funeral services for the Duke Of Edinburgh-also included a victory by Snow Lantern's stablemate Chindit (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the featured G3 Greenham S. Chindit had impressed last year with three consecutive wins to begin his career before coming undone over the soft going when ninth in the G1 Dewhurst S., and after he accelerated in the dying strides to collar Mehmento (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}) on Sunday, Hannon noted that Chindit has recently begun relaxing in his work after initially training like a sprinter through the winter.

Frankel's Classic Fillies

It was 10 years ago last weekend that Snow Lantern's sire Frankel kicked off a legendary 3-year-old campaign with a four-length score in the G3 Greenham S., and the results for the ascendant Juddmonte sire continued to roll in last week. Another of his recent 'TDN Rising Stars', Sibila Spain (Ire), backed up a nine-length maiden victory with a clear-cut conditions score at Lyon-Parilly last Thursday and seems firmly on course for a tilt at the G1 Prix de Diane. She has the chance to follow in the footsteps of Hungry Heart (Aus) as an Oaks winner, with that Yulong Investments homebred (out of the Pivotal {GB} mare Harlech {GB}) having become a first Classic winner Down Under for Frankel with a win in Saturday's G1 Australian Oaks. Hungry Heart, in fact, closed out a double for Frankel on The Championships card at Randwick; his 2-year-old gelded Australian-bred son Converge (Aus) won the Listed The Agency Real Estate Mile on his fourth start for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. The colt races as a homebred for Bott's father, Tony Bott of Evergreen Stud. Converge's dam, Conversely (Ire) (Shamardal), was plucked from the Godolphin draft at Goffs February in 2017 as an unraced 3-year-old for €6,000 and covered by Frankel before traveling Down Under.

With the likes of Juddmonte homebred filly Wensleydale (GB) also in the reckoning for the French Classics after becoming a 'TDN Rising Star' on Apr. 6, Frankel could be sitting on a huge spring.

The Beast Of Britain Crowned Again

For those watching from afar in Britain the highlight of The Championships card had to be the win of the evergreen 7-year-old Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) over his archrival Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) in the A$4-million G1 Queen Elizabeth S. Sheikh Ahmed's gelding had traveled Down Under to beat Verry Elleegant in both the G1 Ranvet S. and the Queen Elizabeth last Australian autumn prior to returning north to win the G1 Champion S. and finish second in the G1 Prince of Wales's S., and while Addeybb and Tom Marquand had been overturned by the mare in the latest edition of the Ranvet on Mar. 27, trainer William Haggas had gone on the record as saying he thought the chestnut would be sharper for the outing and, on Marquand's advice, added half blinkers to Addeybb's arsenal. Marquand made two decisive moves mid-race-first to position Abbeybb in closer order after traveling in the second half of the field, and then gunning him up to sit second at about halfway-and Addeybb responded by grabbing the lead at the 400 and very bravely boxing on to win by three quarters of a length. Addeybb could have been reasonably labeled as a soft-ground specialist previously, but his rousing win over a track rated Good 4 sets him up as a legitimate key player for all the top middle-distance contests this summer, and it was particularly exciting the way he refused to fold in the lane despite having some very good horses breathing down his neck.

Credit, too, must go to the supremely talented Verry Elleegant, who stuck around for second after a nightmare run in which she severely over-raced, was taken back through the field for cover then had to sprint widest of all. The longevity of Australian mares, and Addeybb's ineligibility to breed, mean that another set of match ups isn't out of the realm of possibility; in fact, there were reports in the Australian media on Monday that Verry Elleegant's co-owner Brae Sokolski called Haggas on Sunday proposing a match race between the two horses in two weeks' time, with each owner putting up A$5-million, winner take all. With Marquand already on his way back to Britain and Addeybb not far behind him, Haggas reportedly declined.

Addeybb was a key factor in an electric start to the turf season for Haggas. The Newmarket trainer took both black-type contests on the second day of the Craven meeting last Wednesday-My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G3 Earl Of Sefton S. and Sacred (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the G3 Nell Gwyn S.-and made it a treble with Sheikh Hamdan's 3-year-old Mohaafeth (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in a 2000-metre handicap, while Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was the eye-catching winner of the 2400-metre G3 John Porter S. on Newbury's Greenham card. Sacred made a seamless preparation for the 1000 Guineas, traveling near the rear of the pack and slicing through rivals late to score comfortably, and Haggas said in the aftermath that it is all systems go for May 2. Running a bang-up race in second was Jane Chapple-Hyam's G3 Oh So Sharp S. winner Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), though she may not have been the most exciting 3-year-old filly to emerge from her trainer's yard at the Craven meeting. The next day, Chapple-Hyam sent out Sir Edmund Loder's homebred Bellosa (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) to a seven-length debut maiden win going seven furlongs over the Rowley Mile, though the bay looks set for a gradual rise through the ranks, targeting listed company next rather than returning for the Guineas.

A Sea Of Talent

The Craven meeting also provided some clarity to the ranking of Godolphin's Guineas colts, which are a substantial squad. Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) returned to the course over which he won the G2 July S. last year to slash his 2000 Guineas odds to 10-1 after accelerating late to cut down stablemate La Barrosa (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) by three quarters of a length. Master Of The Seas has been far from a straightforward project for trainer Charlie Appleby, his exuberance getting the better of him in both the G1 National S. last year, when he was fourth, and when second to stablemate Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire})-who was second in the Craven meeting's Listed European Free H.–on seasonal debut in the Listed Meydan Classic on Feb. 25. Appleby has Master Of The Seas, Naval Crown and the 5-1 favourite and G3 Autumn S. winner One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) still in the reckoning for the 2000 Guineas, while the G3 Tattersalls S. scorer La Barrosa holds an entry for the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas. La Barrosa appeared to struggle with the heavy going when trailing home in the G1 Criterium International last October, and the horse that finished one placing ahead of him that day, Policy Of Truth (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), also made a favourable return to the races on Sunday when beating the G1 Jean-Luc Lagardere scorer Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau for trainer Pia Brandt. Policy Of Truth completed a group-race double on the card for Maxime Guyon, who also took the fillies' Classic trial, the G3 Prix de la Grotte, aboard Christophe Ferland's Cirona (GB) (Maxios {GB}) in a blanket finish, though the fillies came home more than four seconds slower than the colts.

Broome Features In Coolmore Sweep

Ireland, too, had its fair share of quality racing over the past week. Saturday's card at The Curragh saw the Coolmore partners (in various different ownership combinations) sweep the first five races. Five-year-old Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) continued in his quest to re-ascend to Group 1 level with a win in the G3 Alleged S., while Lancaster House (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) put two disappointing efforts firmly behind him with a repeat victory in the seven-furlong G3 Gladness S. Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), second to the G1 Cazoo Derby favourite High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in his lone start last August, was a notable maiden winner upped to 2000 metres, being a full-brother to G1 St Leger and G1 Grand Prix de Paris scorer Kew Gardens (Ire). One of the more welcome victories of the week for team Coolmore, however, must have been the winning return of Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in the Listed Heritage S. at Leopardstown on Wednesday. Lope Y Fernandez had not won since taking the G3 Round Tower S. at two, though he was placed in four Group 1s last year from six furlongs to a mile. Aidan O'Brien said post-race that Lope Y Fernandez would be campaigned as a miler this year, with the G1 Lockinge S. and G1 Queen Anne S. the key early targets.

Practicality, Not Flash, At Craven Sale

Last week provided an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the stars of the future not just on the racecourse but also in the sales ring, with Tattersalls raising the curtain on the breeze-up season with its Craven sale. The sector so ravaged by the onset of the pandemic last year got off to an encouraging start with the clearance rate, at 88%, the sale's highest in 21 years. The average (86,021gns) and median (68,000gns) have some way to go to reach pre-pandemic levels and indicate sellers have adjusted their expectations somewhat to move on stock after a tumultuous year, but the signs overall are encouraging and indicate a market on the mend.

The 360,000gns sale-topping filly–who was a $185,000 foal pinhooked by Tally-Ho Stud and the American-based Archie St George–continued the early bull run of Coolmore America first-season sire Practical Joke, who had also supplied the top lot at America's first juvenile sale of the season, OBS March–a $750,000 filly bought by Japan's Hideyuki Mori-and a $800,000 filly bought by the Coolmore partners at Fasig-Tipton's Gulfstream Sale. There were two by Practical Joke at the Craven Sale and the other, a colt pinhooked by Powerstown Stud, brought 140,000gns, having been a $75,000 yearling. Practical Joke is by the red-hot Into Mischief and won a pair of Grade Is at two before adding the seven-furlong GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at three, and he is one of the first elite sons of Into Mischief, following the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Goldencents, to have runners.

The Craven Sale once again provided excellent returns for numerous juveniles sourced from America; in addition to the Practical Joke colt, Tom Whitehead pinhooked a Union Rags colt bought for $115,000 for 185,000gns; Michael Cleere turned a $18,000 Hard Spun colt into 90,000gns and a $37,000 Street Boss colt was flipped for 110,000gns. Getting the European pinhookers to Kentucky last year was a herculean task for the sales houses in the midst of the pandemic, but these early results reaffirm that their efforts were worthwhile.

Other first-season sires to make their mark at the Craven Sale included Caravaggio (five sold for an average of 112,400gns), who started out at Coolmore in Ireland but now stands alongside Practical Joke at Ashford Stud in Kentucky and was the first of his sire crop to post a winner with the 'TDN Rising Star' Tenebrism (Ire) on Mar. 28; and Cotai Glory (GB), who had colts sell for 130,000gns and 110,000gns just hours after recording his first winner at Newmarket last Tuesday. Aclaim (Ire), likewise, had a colt sell for 150,000gns.

Making a resurgence at the Craven sale was Dabirsim (Fr), who had three juveniles sell for 140,000gns, 190,000gns and 240,000gns, with two of those being shrewd pinhooks by Robson Aguiar sourced from last year's Deauville Select Yearling Sale. Dabirsim's average of 190,000gns at Craven far outpointed the $14,165 average he achieved for six sold at last year's breeze-up sales, and it is worth remembering that this crop of 2-year-olds is the one bred immediately after Dabirsim produced the G3 Albany S. winner Different League (Fr) in his first season with runners and was bred on a career-high fee of €30,000.

Tragic Death Of Lorna Brooke

We were devastated to learn on Monday of the death of 37-year-old amateur rider Lorna Brooke, who had been placed in an induced coma after a fall at Taunton on Apr. 8. Just last week in this column, Emma Berry was celebrating the groundbreaking achievements of jockeys like Rachael Blackmore and Jamie Kah, and the contrast in tones to what we feel today is a stark reminder of just how fragile life is, and the risks that our riders take every day to do what they love. Our thoughts today are with Lorna's family and everyone who loved her.

The post The Weekly Wrap: Snow In April appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Thunder Moon On Track For Guineas

Entries were revealed on Wednesday for the G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas and G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas, with 72 colts signed on for the 2000 Guineas on May 1 and 63 fillies for the 1000 the following day.

Aidan O'Brien has saddled 10 winners of the first Classic of the season and has 12 entries for the 2000 Guineas, including 2-year-old champion St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and G2 Vintage S. scorer Battleground (War Front). O'Brien's son Joseph, likewise, has Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez's G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. winner Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) signed on, and he said of the bay, a last-out third in the G1 Dewhurst S., “Thunder Moon has wintered well and we are pleased with where we are. There is plenty of water still to go under the bridge yet but it is exciting to have a live contender for the 2000 Guineas. We were very pleased with the run in the Dewhurst considering the ground on the day. He was posted on a tougher part of the track as there was bias towards the stands rails but we were pleased with him. He is obviously a pretty quick horse on what he has done so far but he shapes as though a mile will be within compass so I don't see the trip being a problem. I do feel that he will be better on quicker ground as well. It is nice to have had a run at the track previously and that experience there won't do him any harm. We have the option of running him beforehand but we will decide nearer the time and see how the horse is before making that decision.”

O'Brien added of his champion 2-year-old filly Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}), who is among the early favourites for the 1000 Guineas, “She is obviously a course and distance winner so we know she gets the trip well. I was very pleased with the performance in the Fillies' Mile. It was a brave performance as she had a bit of an interrupted preparation going into the race.

“She is an exciting filly. Her pedigree suggests she will be open to stay further than a mile as well which gives her plenty of options. Like with Thunder Moon, she has wintered well and I'm pleased with where we are. She was consistently solid last season and hopefully we can keep it that way. She was fine on both soft and good ground so she is versatile ground-wise. A decision on whether she has a prep run will depend on how she is training and how we feel closer to the time.”

Richard Hannon, meanwhile, said of the G2 Vintage S. winner Chindit (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who is engaged for the 2000 Guineas, “I'm very pleased with him and he has done very well. He did just a bit more than a canter a few days ago, him [fellow Guineas entrants] Fancy Man (Ire) and Etonian (Ire) all worked and it was a lovely start.

“Regarding his Newmarket run [ninth in the Dewhurst], the times say that the ground was heavy and it looked it. Chindit will go wherever there is decent ground. If it turns up at Newbury that is where he will go first [for the G3 Greenham S.]. He had done all his winning on flat tracks at Doncaster and Ascot before Newmarket and I'm not sure he loved the track. He has always been a neat horse with a good action. He is a good horse with a lot of speed. I think he would get the mile in a Guineas and would be suited by that trip as he is a very straightforward, simple horse.”

Trainer Andrew Balding provided an update on G1 Cheveley Park S. scorer Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), who recently returned from winter holiday.

“We are very much looking at the Guineas but that is still a long way off,” he said. “She has had a good holiday but she still looks a bit wintery in her coat so we will see what happens over the next month as we all know what fillies can do in the spring. I really was impressed in the Cheveley Park as it was only her third run and she was entitled to improve again. She has done well physically but we haven't really started serious work yet. Her pedigree offers mixed messages regarding the trip and that is about all I can go on at this stage. I'd be hopeful she would get it though as she relaxes pretty well but there is nothing we can do to find out until we try it. I think the plan if all goes well is to go to the Fred Darling first as a prep as I would like her to go over seven before going over a mile.”

Trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam said 1000 Guineas contender Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), who won last year's G3 Oh So Sharp S., will have a prep for the Classic.

“I'm thrilled with the way she has come back from her winter break at Ben and Lucy's Sangster's in Manton,” Chapple-Hyam said. “She has put on a nice 77 pounds and she has matured into a filly that should be competitive for the Guineas. The plan will be to start her off in the [G3] Nell Gwyn [S.] and then two weeks later head for the Guineas. It was a quick turnaround between her two runs in her maiden and the Oh So Sharp last season so we know she can do it. I think she is a serious filly that is potentially top drawer. She has wintered well and developed nicely. She has got all the right attributes. She has done it on different ground types and I think if it is real good ground you will really see her scoot along. She is not complicated as she doesn't have to lead or have cover or come with a late run. If you look at her last run she hit the rising ground going away so I don't see the mile being a problem at all.”

The post Thunder Moon On Track For Guineas appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights