“Very sadly he had a heart attack last Monday doing a regular canter under Gavin Ryan who landed safely on his feet,” Cooper said. “No previous indications that this would be likely to happen. He was a lovely individual who everyone liked.”

A Flaxman Stables homebred, the Donnacha O'Brien trainee was also placed in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and the G2 Mooresbridge S. and made his final start a winning one in Dundalk's Listed Dubai Diamond S. in September. His record stands at 9-3-2-2 and $334,337 in earnings.

Piz Badile's dam That Which Is Not, a Listed winner in France who ran second in the G2 Prix Corrida, has also foaled the G3 Anglesey S. second Yosemite Valley (GB) (Shamardal). She was sold for €3.3 million to Coolmore at Goffs last November. His second dam Shiva (Jpn) (Hector Protector) won the 1999 Tattersalls Gold Cup, and her Kingmambo half-sister Light Shift triumphed in the 2007 edition of the G1 Oaks before foaling Piz Badile's dual Group 1 winning sire Ulysses to the cover of Galileo (Ire).

The post Piz Badile Suffers Fatal Heart Attack appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

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

Source of original post

Westover and Colin Keane storm to victory in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby! ?? @curraghrace @DDFRacing | @RalphBeckett | @JuddmonteFarms pic.twitter.com/I1xgX3gfDe

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 25, 2022

Westover may have been in the wake of Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) at Epsom, but his abundant progress from a narrow G3 Sandown Classic Trial success was there for all to see and his run through the race was the main talking point away from the impression made by the winner. Handed one of the worst draws possible for the mile-and-a-half Derby start, the imposing bay emerged from that disadvantage to put up a barnstorming effort which was profoundly disturbed by the well-documented trouble he met just as the Stoute colt was passing by and out of reach. A work-in-progress as a juvenile, his one attempt at black-type proved unsuccessful when second in deep ground in Pontefract's Listed Silver Tankard S. but it did show how relentless he is when he gets rolling.

This performance was the culmination of all that learning process and it is rare that a Classic of this stature could be predicted with such authority such a long way out. While Ryan Moore was too far behind to ever enter into a battle, there was little that could be done once Keane had taken up the position behind the race's surprise package French Claim. Watching the Juddmonte silks virtually motionless turning for home, it was clear that the writing was already on the wall and the rest of the straight was just an avenue for an exhibition of galloping to compare with the likes of Old Vic (GB), St Jovite, Zagreb, Montjeu (Ire), Sinndar (Ire), Galileo (Ire) and Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling).

For Ralph Beckett, the win was a landmark one in his career training for the mighty breeding operation. “It is a hugely important moment for us–I can tell you where I was when I heard that Juddmonte were going to send us a draft and it's an honour and a joy to train for them,” he said. “It's a big day for us. This track suits him and it's wonderful to get it done. It was an effort we weren't expecting, so we are delighted. Everything had gone to plan–he had travelled over and settled in really well and it felt like we had got all our ducks in a row coming here and so it proved.”

“I was delighted with him at Epsom–it wasn't his or anybody's fault that he ran into traffic, but to do this today in the manner he did was very impressive. His brother [Fabilis] was exactly the same–he got better with racing and this horse will too. He has a great temperament and that shone through today. He's going to develop from three to four, never mind through the rest of the year, you would think. I'll have to discuss his next run with the family, but it's a good discussion to have. The King George is the obvious race for him, it's just whether we think it's the right thing for him at the time. The great thing is he's not ground-dependant–he'll handle slow ground as well. He's just very uncomplicated.”

Aidan O'Brien said of Tuesday, “It was a funny race and Ryan said she never got into it. The first, second and third sat there and noone made up any ground. I wouldn't take anything away from the first, second or third and the winner was very impressive, but we think she's better than that. We tried and competed and it didn't work today.”

Juddmonte Farms UK General Manager Simon Mockridge told Great British Racing International, “It was a scintillating performance by Westover, super impressive, and I know that Prince Khalid's family are ecstatic to have their first Classic win since he passed away early last year.

“Westover is from an amazing family which goes back to our [G1] Prix de Diane winner, Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat), and is testament to Prince Khalid's 34 years of breeding expertise. The pedigree tells us that he should have an awful lot of speed, so don't be surprised if he comes back in distance–he looked like he could have won easily if today's race had been over 10 furlongs.

“Although we were very happy for him to finish in the first three at Epsom, when you watch the race back and see the job Rob Hornby had to do to extricate him, he did finish remarkably strongly. Even so, no one could have expected him to win in the style that he has today.

“He was a very big foal, weighing 154 pounds, so Ralph [Beckett] did an incredible job to get him to race as often as he did last year. Sadly, we lost his mother, Mirabilis, last year at the age of 19 because of a nasty foot problem, but she had one more foal, an Expert Eye (GB) now 2-year-old filly called Jalapa (GB), who is with Ralph but has yet to see a racecourse.”

Westover is the 10th foal out of Mirabilis (Lear Fan), who captured the GIII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile and was placed in the G1 Prix de la Foret, GII Jenny Wiley S. and GII Buena Vista H. He is a full-brother to the talented but mercurial Monarchs Glen (GB), who showed his class when registering wins in the G3 Darley Club S., Listed Wolferton S. and Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial S. The second dam is the GII Buena Vista H. scorer Media Nox (GB) (Lycius), who produced the G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp heroine Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat), while the family also features the G2 Prix Eugene Adam scorer Burning Sun (Danzig) and group and graded-stakes winners Mallory (Aus) (Not a Single Doubt {Aus}) and Anothertwistafate (Scat Daddy). Also connected to the G3 Earl of Sefton S.-winning sire Phoenix Tower (Chester House), Mirabilis's 2-year-old filly Jalapa (GB) is by Expert Eye (GB).

Saturday, The Curragh, Ireland
DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH DERBY-G1, €1,000,000, The Curragh, 6-25, 3yo, c/f, 12fT, 2:34.80, gd.
1–WESTOVER (GB), 128, c, 3, by Frankel (GB)
     1st Dam: Mirabilis (GSW-US, SW & G1SP-Fr, $275,664), by Lear Fan
     2nd Dam: Media Nox (GB), by Lycius
     3rd Dam: Sky Love, by Nijinsky II
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Ralph Beckett; J-Colin Keane. €580,000. Lifetime Record: GSW & G1SP-Eng, 6-3-2-1, $915,150. *Full to Monarchs Glen (GB), GSW-Eng, SW & GSP-US, $464,026. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Piz Badile (Ire), 128, c, 3, Ulysses (Ire)–That Which Is Not, by Elusive Quality.
1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien. €200,000.
3–French Claim (Fr), 128, c, 3, French Fifteen (Fr)–Zahrada, by Galileo (Ire).
1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€9,000 Ylg '20 ARQAU; £36,000 2yo '21 TATGOR). O-Teme Valley Racing; B-Mathieu Daguzan-Garros & Jean-Claude Gour (FR); T-Paddy Twomey. €100,000.
Margins: 7, 2, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.38, 18.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: Tuesday (Ire), Glory Daze (Ire), Boundless Ocean (Ire), Hannibal Barca (Ire), Lionel (GB). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

The post Frankel’s Westover Dominates The Irish Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post Eight Set For Irish Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Piz Badile announced himself as a genuine Derby contender when fighting tooth and nail to beat Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the G3 Ballysax S. at Leopardstown last month and, while O'Brien suggested a return to Leopardstown for the G3 Derrinstown Derby Trial could be a possibility at the time, the trainer is happy to head straight to Epsom with colt.

The form of that Ballysax victory was given a major boost on Monday when Buckaroo bagged the Listed Tetrarch S. and O'Brien, who describes Piz Badile as by far the classiest colt he has trained, believes the general 12-1 chance for Derby glory possesses a lot of the right attributes to be successful at Epsom.

“Piz Badile is in good form, everything is perfect with him, but we decided that we will go straight to the Derby with him,” O'Brien said. “We've had a smooth run with him, everything has gone perfectly well with him since he won the Ballysax, but we think it's the right thing to go straight to Epsom with him rather than taking in another trial. So that's the plan.”

He added: “It was great to see his form boosted by Buckaroo at the Curragh. They pulled clear of their rivals in the Ballysax, so it looked like they were two smart horses at the time. But for Buckaroo to confirm that at the Curragh on Monday would obviously boost your confidence levels.

“I don't think you can ever be confident heading into a race like the Derby, but I am confident that we have a very good colt on our hands and Epsom will be a completely different test to what any of the horses in the line-up has ever faced before.

“You can't be sure about how well a horse will handle a track like Epsom, not to mention the festivities surrounding the occasion, until they go and do it. But we are very confident that he's a high class colt with a good mind. He has a lot of the attributes required for the race.”

Piz Badile burst onto the scene last summer for O'Brien by taking the same Killarney maiden the trainer won as a rider aboard Ballydoyle's subsequent Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2018. Of course, Anthony Van Dyck is not the only Derby winner to have won his maiden at the County Kerry track, as Wings Of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}) also broke his duck at Killarney.

O'Brien, who won the Oaks in 2018 aboard his father Aidan's Forever Together, is hoping that quirky stat can repeat itself next month.

“You need a horse with a good mind, because they need to be able to handle the whole situation, and you need a well balanced horse as well,” he explained. “If they're not balanced, they won't be going forward around Tattenham Corner, and if you're not going forward there, you may as well give up.

“Obviously they need speed, because if you don't have the pace to hold your position, you're bunched, you're completely out of the race before it's even started. On top of all that, you stamina, because it's a long home straight with a stiff finish. You need everything to win a Derby and Piz Badile has shown us at home that he has all of those things.”

He added: “Piz Badile definitely ranks up with the best that I've trained. It's hard to compare fillies and colts. Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) obviously went and won two Group 1s, so he has to prove himself at that level but, at the same time, in terms of the colts, he's by far the classiest one I have ever had.

“I don't have any concerns about the Derby trip, if anything, the extra couple of furlongs will bring out the best in him. The one thing he has done on all three of his starts is hit the line really strong so he has plenty of stamina.”

The post Piz Badile Headed to Epsom appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Piz Badile, who had scored on his debut at Killarney in July and was considered unlucky on his only other start in the Eyrefield, hails from a high-class Niarchos family containing some of the operation's biggest names. He is the first foal out of the Listed Prix Zarkava winner and G2 Prix Corrida runner-up That Which Is Not (Elusive Quality), herself a daughter of the talented Shiva (Jpn) (Hector Protector) who was successful in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and a regular at the top table for Warren Place. Shiva, who is also the second dam of the G2 Gimcrack S. and G2 Champagne S. winner Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), is a full-sister to the G2 Prix Foy winner Limnos (Jpn) and a half to the G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Light Shift (Kingmambo). She is the dam of Piz Badile's G1 International S. and G1 Eclipse S.-winning sire Ulysses himself, which gives this winner a 3×3 inbreeding to Lingerie (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}). Also connected to the leading performers Main Sequence (Aldebaran) and Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), That Which Is Not has the 2-year-old colt Yosemite Valley (GB) (Shamardal) and a yearling filly by Kingman (GB).

Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
P.W. MCGRATH MEMORIAL BALLYSAX S.-G3, €50,000, Leopardstown, 4-2, 3yo, 10fT, 2:09.80, gd.
1–PIZ BADILE (IRE), 131, c, 3, by Ulysses (Ire)
     1st Dam: That Which Is Not (SW & GSP-Fr, $116,533), by Elusive Quality
     2nd Dam: Shiva (Jpn), by Hector Protector
     3rd Dam: Lingerie (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien; J-Gavin Ryan. €30,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $54,016. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Buckaroo (GB), 131, c, 3, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Roheryn (Ire), by Galileo (Ire).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP TYPE. O-Qatar Racing Limited; B-The Roheryn Partnership (GB); T-Joseph O'Brien. €10,000.
3–Duke de Sessa (Ire), 134, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Dark Crusader (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire).
(£60,000 RNA Ylg '20 GOFOR). O/B-Newtown Anner Stud (IRE); T-Dermot Weld. €5,000.
Margins: NO, 3 3/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 4.00, 4.50, 3.30.
Also Ran: Bluegrass (Ire), Scriptwriter (Ire), Swan Bay (Ire), Absolute Ruler, Manu Et Corde (Ire), Vina Sena (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

The post First Black Type Winner For Ulysses As Piz Badile Prevails appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“He's a lovely colt, still immature, and he'll make a lovely colt next year,” trainer Dermot Weld said. “Hopefully he'll come back for a Guineas trial and I see him potentially as an Irish 2000 Guineas horse. He just had to wait there to get him out and get him balanced and he came home exceptionally well. He has a lot of pace this horse and the lovely thing about him is that he has stamina as well. He'll be a lovely mile or mile-and-a-quarter horse for next year, please God.”

Duke de Sessa is a son of the G3 Give Thanks S. runner-up Dark Crusader (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who is a half to the Listed Yeats S. winner and G3 Stanerra S.-placed Naughty Or Nice (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). The third dam Mosaique Bleue (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}), who produced the GI Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup H. hero Subtle Power (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), is a half-sister to the G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Muncie (Ire) also by Sadler's Wells, and the G1 Prix Royal-Oak winner Mersey (GB) (Crystal Palace {Fr}). Dark Crusader's yearling and foal are full-brothers to Duke de Sessa.

Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
EYREFIELD S.-G3, €50,000, Leopardstown, 10-23, 2yo, 9fT, 1:56.74, gd.
1–DUKE DE SESSA (IRE), 131, c, 2, by Lope de Vega (Ire)
     1st Dam: Dark Crusader (Ire) (GSP-Ire, SP-Eng, $141,387), by Cape Cross (Ire)
     2nd Dam: Monty's Girl (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire)
     3rd Dam: Mosaique Bleue (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. (£60,000 RNA Ylg '20 GOFOR). O/B-Newtown Anner Stud Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Dermot Weld; J-Colin Keane. €30,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-1, $52,305. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Piz Badile (Ire), 131, c, 2, Ulysses (Ire)–That Which Is Not, by Elusive Quality. O/B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien. €10,000.
3–Anchorage (Ire), 131, c, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Vanzara (Fr), by Redoute's Choice (Aus). O-Mrs J Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith/Westerberg; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €5,000.
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 5.50, 10.00, 11.00.
Also Ran: French Claim (Fr), Boundless Ocean (Ire), Voice of Angels (GB), Grenoble (GB), Good Heavens (Ire), Lullaby (Ire), Warren Beach (Ire), Glory Daze (Ire), Caroline Herschel (Ire), Allihies (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

The post Lope De Vega’s Duke De Sessa Takes The Eyrefield appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post