G1 Prix du Jockey Club | Horse Racing Free Tips

Eleven Set For Oaks Test

There was just the one withdrawal from Friday's £550,000 G1 Cazoo Oaks on Wednesday, with the removal of Kirsten Rausing's G3 Musidora S. third Ching Shih (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) meaning that 11 fillies will head postward for the Epsom Classic. The John and Thady Gosden-trained market leaders and TDN Rising Stars Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) have been drawn alongside each other in five and six respectively, while of Ballydoyle's quartet Coolmore and Westerberg's 1000 Guineas third and Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has been drawn in one away from the Irish Guineas third Concert Hall (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in stall 10. Ryan Moore is on Tuesday, with Seamie Heffernan taking the mount on Concert Hall.

Deja Vu?

Epsom was hit by heavy rain 12 months ago and the potential is there for it to happen again on Saturday according to Clerk of the Course Andrew Cooper. With 12 millimetres of rain having fallen since Monday, the going was officially good-to-soft, soft in places on Wednesday but the forecast is volatile as the Blue Riband approaches. “It has brightened up and we are heading into what looks like two dry days with temperatures around 20C, and then heaven knows what is going to happen on Saturday,” he said. “On the basis of where we are now with what we think will happen as far as Friday is concerned, I can see us being at or near good ground and maybe just on the slow side in places. Cazoo Derby day has got the potential to be a bit of a deluge, but you wouldn't know. There is a lot of uncertainty with timings, quantities and that sort of thing. But Saturday, certainly, there is a risk of rain.”

Eydon Misses Out

No sooner had Prince Faisal's Eydon (Ire) (Olden Times {GB}) been committed to Saturday's G1 Cazoo Derby was he confirmed a non-runner by Roger Varian having met with a setback. The 2000 Guineas fourth was one of six scratches from Sunday's G1 Prix du Jockey Club on Wednesday, with Epsom the target but his trainer announced late in the afternoon that the homebred will miss all weekend Classic engagements. “Sadly Eydon will miss the Derby at Epsom. He has met with a minor setback which will keep him from running on Saturday,” he tweeted. “While it is of course hugely frustrating to miss a Classic opportunity, we will look forward to the rest of the season with Eydon and he remains a very exciting prospect for his owner, Prince A A Faisal.”

Other high-profile withdrawals from the Chantilly Classic were The Queen's Reach For the Moon (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), The Aga Khan's Erevann (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Star of India (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who forms part of Ballydoyle's Derby team.

The post Eleven Set For Oaks Test appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Cash Bound For French Derby

Earle Mack's Cash (Ire) (Shamardal), who ran second in Sandown's Apr. 22 G3 bet365 Classic Trial by only a short head to Juddmonte's Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), will make his next start in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club on June 5, according to Mack's British-based racing manager Anthony Burke. Trained by David Simcock, the colt broke his maiden at first asking going a mile at Newmarket last October. He was withdrawn from the G1 Cazoo Derby field earlier this week.

Burke said, “He goes to the French Derby. We took him out of the English Derby this week as we felt the French Derby would suit him better.

“Whatever he does this year will be a bonus because he is a big horse, with loads of potential. He finished his race off very well at Sandown last time and we felt that Chantilly would suit him better than the hustle and bustle of Epsom.”

The post Cash Bound For French Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Epsom Gallops Morning For Eydon

Listed winner Eydon (Ire) (Olden Times {GB}) will go to Epsom to test his aptitude for the course during the Cazoo Derby Gallops Morning on May 23, Prince Faisal's racing manager Ted Voute revealed. Depending on his results, that will see the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas fourth take his chances in the G1 Cazoo Derby on June 4. Alternatively, he will be re-routed to the G1 Prix du Jockey Club in France one day later.

Voute said, “He'll go on Monday to Epsom and have a little piece of work down the hill and around the turn and into the straight.

“We'll see how he handles the bend and the camber and then the Prince will have a think about what he wants to do after seeing how balanced he is.”

Voute also had an update on Prince Faisal's globetrotting multiple Group 1 winner Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), and he is targeting the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot. Successful in the G1 Juddmonte International S. in August of 2021, the 2020 Prix du Jockey Club hero was fourth in the G1 QIPCO British Champion S. in the autumn. Defending his Saudi Cup title, the 5-year-old entire faded to last of 14 in Riyadh on Feb. 26.

“I said to the Prince the other day that he'd already won the French Derby and he said 'oh well, I don't mind winning it twice,'” Voute added. “Ascot is where we're heading [with Mishriff]. We're just waiting to see whether we'll be ready for then, but it's pretty much the same agenda as last year and we'll just take it one race at a time.

“I'm not sure I really want to take on Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), but if we're going to be a champion then we've got to.”

Also heading to the Cazoo Derby Gallops Morning on Monday are Eydon's fellow Derby contenders Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) as well as Oaks entrant Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

The post Epsom Gallops Morning For Eydon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Arc Hero Sottsass Retired to Coolmore Stud

2020 G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}-Starlet’s Sister {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) has been retired and will take up stallion duties at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, owner Peter Brant announced on Tuesday. A colourbearer for Brant’s White Birch Farm initially with Coolmore buying a 50% interest earlier this year, the 2019 French highweight’s fee will be announced later.

“A world champion at three and now an Arc winner at four, I have decided to retire Sottsass after what he has achieved,” said Brant. “He has retired sound and right at the top of his game–this is important to me. I am looking forward to breeding some of my best mares to him. Coolmore purchased 50% of him earlier in the year and he will stand there for 2021.”

Bred by Ecurie des Monceaux in France, the chestnut was knocked down for €340,000 at the 2017 Arqana August Yearling Sale on the bid of Michel Zerolo’s Oceanic Bloodstock for Brant. Put into training with Jean-Claude Rouget, Sottsass broke his maiden at second asking at Clairefontaine and captured the Listed Prix de Suresnes in his second run at three. In only his fifth career start, Sottsass defeated that year’s G1 French Guineas hero Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, setting a new race record last June. The chestnut added a win in the G2 Prix Niel that September, and was a very good third in the 2019 Arc.

Besides his swansong at ParisLongchamp in 2020, Sottsass also captured the G1 Prix Ganay this term and was a close second in the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron. He retires with a mark of 12-6-1-1 and $3,900,437 in earnings.

“Back in 1971, I was working on a film in Paris and was lucky enough to witness Mill Reef win his Arc,” Brant added. “I think it is the ultimate race to win and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have fulfilled a lifelong dream. Sottsass has an incredible turn of foot as he showed when readily disposing of Persian King in the Prix du Jockey Club. He smashed the race record time and knocked nearly a second off the 1m 2 1/2f track record at Chantilly previously held by dual Arc winner Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}). We were concerned that the testing conditions on Sunday might blunt his speed but he overcame them and showed his true greatness.

“Being a half-brother to Sistercharlie who had run second for us in the Prix de Diane, Sottsass was always going to be of interest to us as a yearling and we were delighted when the individual matched up to his pedigree. Being by France’s leading sire Siyouni and out of a daughter of Galileo only added to his appeal. The rest as they say is history as Sistercharlie has gone on to win seven Grade I races in the USA for Chad Brown and Sottsass has proved himself the ultimate champion.

“Jean-Claude Rouget has done a masterful job with Sottsass and it gave me great pleasure to share in his first Arc success.”

Said Rouget, “He’s a good looking horse with a good temperament, a classy horse and goes to stud in the best way after a great win in the Arc. The decision has been made now as they want to protect him for a stallion career and I think it was best not to go to the Breeders’ Cup as the track would have been too sharp for him. He is quite a big horse with a big action. It would have been a risk.”

Added the trainer of the colt’s early career, “I go slowly with my horses. He was promising after he had a bad trip first time out. He won his second race easily. He had a bad race first time out at three and, after he won his listed race easily, he won the Prix du Jockey Club. The Arc was the target this year. It was not easy with COVID-19 to do good planning, but we do it and we did well. I am very happy for him not to run again. He was a very courageous horse.”

The third consecutive group winner and third foal out of Starlet’s Sister, Sottsass follows on the hooves of Eclipse Champion Turf Female Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), who counts a GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf laurel amongst her seven Grade I wins and played bridesmaid in the 2017 G1 Prix de Diane. Rounding out the trio of GSWs for Starlet’s Sister is My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), a GSW in both France and America, who races for Brant. Sottsass is also a half-brother to the 2020 Arqana Deauville Select Yearling Sale topper, a €2,500,000 filly by Dubawi (Ire) purchased by Oliver St Lawrence, as well as €400,000 Arqana August yearling Radiant Child (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) who is three and a Fastnet Rock (Aus) juvenile colt who went for €700,000 to David Redvers at the same sale in 2019.

Out of GI Del Mar Oaks third Premiere Creation (Fr) (Green Tune), Starlet’s Sister is a full-sister to G3 Prix Cleopatre heroine Leo’s Starlet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and a half-sister to SW and MG1SP Anabaa’s Creation (Ire) (Anabaa). Farther back in the pedigree are champions Noalcoholic (Fr) (Nonoalco) and Leonnatus Anteas (Stormy Atlantic).

The post Arc Hero Sottsass Retired to Coolmore Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post