John Gosden | Horse Racing Free Tips

James Doyle Confirmed to Ride Mishriff in King George

James Doyle, who has been enjoying a season to remember, has landed another plum ride after it was announced that he will replace David Egan aboard Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) in Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco S. at Ascot.

Egan recorded the biggest payday of his career when partnering the John and Thady Gosden-trained Mishriff to Saudi Cup glory in 2021, however, the ride aboard the three-time Group 1 winner became available after last week Prince Faisal revealed that he would be using the best available jockey.

That announcement came shortly after Mishriff finished second in the G1 Coral-Eclipse, an effort Doyle said points to the fact the 5-year-old retains all of his old zest for the game.

He told Nick Luck's Daily Podcast, “I couldn't be more thankful to the connections for putting their trust in me and choosing me to ride him.

“He's an incredible horse and what he has achieved is just outstanding. I thought his run in the Eclipse showed he is still right at the top of his game.”

Doyle, who has already won the Qipco 2,000 Guineas aboard Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the 1,000 Guineas on Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) this season, added, “I'm going into Mr Gosden's tomorrow morning to pop on him as obviously I've not ridden him before, but I've seen a fair bit of him and it will be nice to jump on board before Saturday.

“He travels into his races really well and I thought he was a shade unlucky in the Eclipse. It was an incredible run really to get stopped the way he did and when he got out he really hit the line hard.”

Mishriff is a general 4-1 chance for Saturday's Group 1. He finished second behind Derby hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the mile-and-a-half contest 12 months ago.

Opposition in this year's race is headed by another Derby winner, the Ralph Beckett-trained Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), last seen storming to glory in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh in June.

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Trainer Thomas Bell, Jr. Passes Away at 93

A colorful pioneering family of bloodstock agents, horse traders, bronc riders and trainers has lost a mainstay in Thomas R. Bell, Jr. who passed away Friday night at age 93.

“Three generations [of Bells] were responsible for two Kentucky Derby winners,” said his son, trainer Thomas R. Bell II, known as Ray.

Bell and his father, the World Champion rodeo cowboy Thomas R. Bell, purchased Tomy Lee, who won the 1959 Kentucky Derby for trainer Frank Childs.

Ray Bell selected Charismatic as a weanling for Bob and Beverly Lewis. The horse later won the Derby for trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Bell came within a length of winning the Kentucky Derby in his own right as a trainer, when conditioning Rumbo to finish second to Genuine Risk in the 1980 running of the race.

After a tardy start, Rumbo took up the rear-guard in the 13-horse field. “The fractions were, get this, :24, :48, 1:12, and he's dead last,” said Ray Bell, who assisted his father in Rumbo's preparations.

The horse came with a wet sail down the Churchill Downs straight to get within a length of the winning filly.

“Someone from the press came up to me afterwards and said, 'Did you know your horse ran the last quarter of a mile faster than any horse in Derby history,'” recounted Ray Bell. “I said, 'Well, that and fifty cents will get you a cup of coffee I guess.'”

Bell was born in Brooklyn and learned his trade working in New York for a Georgian prince, Dimitri Djordjadze, who kept a stable of steeplechasers.

Bell remained on the East Coast when he took out his own license. But after a spell in the armed services during the Korean War in an agricultural unit, Bell resumed his career on the West Coast, training any number of notable runners, including the tough handicapper Silver Saber, Silver Eagle (twice the conqueror of John Henry), Quick Turnover and Nain Bleu.

Another glitzy Bell runner was The Pie King, owned by Bell's father, who was the top-rated juvenile in England in 1953, after winning that year's Coventry, Richmond and Gimcrack S. for trainer Paddy Prendergast.

Bell took over the training of The Pie King when he was relocated Stateside. “He won several races but never won a stakes,” recalled Ray Bell, of The Pie King's U.S. racing career. “But he retired to stud here in California where he produced quite a few nice horses, including a really nice horse who won the Hollywood Derby.”

One of Bell's most prolific picks as a bloodstock agent was the talented Chilean racemare, Marimbula, who won the 1983 GI Santa Margarita H. for trainer Michael Whittingham.

Bell and his brother co-owned Barberstown, who finished third in the 1983 Belmont S.

After the race, the Bells sold 3/4th of Barberstown to McDermott Ranch, a leading Texan Thoroughbred breeding operation. The horse resumed his career under the tutelage of John Gosden, winning the following year's Del Mar Invitational H.

“My uncle was clever enough to write into the contract when these guys bought him, if he should ever win a Grade I race, there would be a million-dollar bonus,” said Ray Bell.

After winning the Del Mar H., Gosden aimed Barberstown towards the GI Carleton F. Burke H. at Santa Anita.

“Everyone starts reading the contract. 'Oh my god, if we win this race, we have to give the Bells a million dollars,'” Ray Bell recalled. “They tried to renegotiate the deal. My uncle says, 'No, that's the deal we got.'”

“In the end, he got beat, so it was a moot point. But up until then, they were panicking, reaching for their guns,” Ray Bell recalled.

Bell leaves behind wife Nancy and daughter Patsy. Said Ray Bell of his father's passing, “Father time is undefeated.”

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‘I Am Not Stopping’: Dettori Rides On Despite Gosden Sabbatical

The ongoing speculation as to the future of the partnership between the powerful Gosden stable and Frankie Dettori was quelled in part by a statement on Friday evening from John Gosden, which read “Frankie and I have amicably decided to take a sabbatical from the trainer/jockey relationship but we remain the closest of friends and colleagues.”

Dettori, British racing's most widely identifiable jockey with a major international profile, has not ridden since Royal Ascot and he returned from Sardinia on Friday to meet Gosden at his Clarehaven Stable in Newmarket. He is currently booked for just one ride this week, at his home course on Saturday aboard the Ralph Beckett-trained Lezoo (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), owned by Marc Chan and Andrew Rosen.

Appearing on Racing TV, Dettori told inteviewer Chris Dixon, “Me and John had a meeting yesterday and we decided to give each other a break, or a sabbatical, and that's it really.

“We're still good friends. What John has done for me in the past, I'll forever be grateful.”

Dettori was reluctant to go into further details on the open-ended arrangement but added that he wanted to clarify to his fans that he was not retiring from race-riding.

He continued, “I'm definitely going to do this year and next year. I'm riding in Istanbul tomorrow in the [Turkish] Derby. I'll be in the German Derby next week and then I've got a couple of weekends in Belmont and Saratoga, so I'm pretty busy for the next month. So if you don't see me riding domestically it's not because I've given up, it's because I am actually abroad, but I am intending to ride this year and next year.

“It's a new start and, like I said, we'll take a step at a time, but I just came on your channel to reassure everyone that I am not stopping. I'll be back [at Ascot] for King George weekend and then on to Goodwood.”

Gosden stressed his close relationship with the jockey who is synonymous with his recent stable stars Enable (GB), Stradivarius (Ire) and Golden Horn (GB). The trainer's statement of Friday evening continued, “Frankie has been–and always will be–one of the family here so I wanted to meet face to face after he returned from his post-Ascot holiday.

“Frankie is the most superb international jockey and, together, we have achieved significant successes at various times over the last three decades with a number of horses including, most recently, Golden Horn, Enable, Palace Pier, Too Darn Hot and Stradivarius.

“I do not intend to appoint a stable jockey at Clarehaven.”

Gosden, who trains in partnership with his son Thady, has three runners at Newmarket on Saturday, two ridden by longstanding second jockey Rab Havlin and the other by James Doyle.

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National Stud Diploma Graduation

Edited Press Release

The 2022 Diploma cohort from the National Stud graduated on Friday 24th of June with family, friends and industry guests in attendance at the Joan Westbrook Lecture Theatre.

“This group of students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and are all going onto full time roles within the industry.” said CEO Anna Kerr. “It has been one of our busiest seasons to date with a record number of mares covered and the experience they have gained will give them an excellent foundation to build from. Industry recruitment and giving our students the best possible start to their careers is a key focus, and we are continually looking at how we can expand and develop our education programme.”

Champion Trainer John Gosden was the key note speaker and shared experiences from the early days of his career in California, he also highlighted the international career opportunities available for those willing to work and learn.

The Tim Dunlop Memorial Award for Top Student was presented to Rosanna Rushworth from Surrey, who is going to join the team at Watership Down Stud for the sales season. “The course covers such a broad spectrum of topics, so you can develop your interests but also build on your weaknesses too. It's great working alongside people like Rob who have worked in Australia, as you learn from them too.”

The Watership Down Stud Best Practical Award was presented this year to Rob Moss from Wigan. Rob is also the recipient of the Sandra Llyod Memorial Scholarship sponsored by Far Westfield Farm. He is now travelling to Kentucky for a sales season with Taylor Made. “The short term aim is to keep on travelling and learning from other people, so I'm grateful for this opportunity.” said Rob. “I've already seen different ways of doing things to achieve the same success at Eureka Stud and the National Stud, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they do it at Taylor Made. I'd also like to gain experience of how things are done in a training yard at some point, but I see myself working on studs in the long term.”

The Alborada Trust Most Improved Student is awarded to the individual that has made the greatest and most consistent progress throughout the course. This was awarded to Shona Murphy from Kildare who is going on to join the marketing team at Darley.

The John Pearce Foundation Award of Merit was won by Jonathan Smith. This prize is given to the student who demonstrated a commitment to a career in the breeding industry. Jonathan is going to be doing the sales season with Whitsbury Manor before taking up a position with WinStar in Kentucky.

Each year the Gerald Leigh Trust award a bursary for professional development–this year it proved too difficult to split the candidates and so two bursaries were generously awarded to Rob Moss and Dylan Williams.

Jamie Smith from Bolton is going straight from the National Stud onto the Godolphin Flying Start. “The course is amazing,” says Jamie. “The lecture program is second to none and I've not missed one. It's not just about the opportunities, I feel I've learned as much from other students in the same way they think they've learned from me about racing.”

Applications for the 2023 Diploma course are now open, contact students@nationalstud.co.uk for more information.

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