The trainer was visibly relieved to have his 2021 dual Classic winner back in the top spot, perhaps even more so after his stable-mate  Native Trail (GB) hadn't quite sparkled earlier on in the G2 Bet365 Mile. 

“When you have a horse that has given us, and the team, what he has given us, of course you feel for them,” said Appleby. “You want them to do it and you want them to carry on. We will see if he is a Hardwicke horse in the summer, if the ground comes right. I always said I wanted to work back from an Arc. That might be a bit bold, but we will see.”

Appleby had already struck early in the opening race of the QIPCO Guineas Festival. Hopefully, the King and Queen Consort will have been so wrapped up in preparations for the coronation that they may not have noticed that the one horse to beat their highly promising colt Circle Of Fire (GB) was co-bred by their racing manager John Warren's Highclere Stud.

In fact, the Listed Newmarket S., provided a one-two for the Haras d'Etreham stallion Almanzor (Fr) when Godolphin's Castle Way (GB) led home the royal runner. The winner is a half-brother to the champion miler Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who is now ensconced at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud.

Ever the professional, Warren first addressed the matter of the staying-on run from the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Circle Of Fire in his post-race debrief, with a hint that he may head to Royal Ascot for the G2 King Edward VII S.

“He looks as of he will go up another gear if he goes over another couple of furlongs,” Warren said. “Ryan [Moore] thought that they went steady early on and probably thought that if they'd gone a bit quicker earlier on it would have suited him even better.

“It's annoying that [the abandonment of] Sandown has knocked us out timing-wise, so we'll have to get our heads around that, but without even talking to Michael yet he looks to me like he'll be a lovely horse for Ascot, and the owners will be able to attend, which will be nice.”

He added, “The most important thing is that he's with a trainer who will be able to get a proper handle on where we are going to pitch, but Ryan was impressed with him and there were some pretty nice horses in that race as a benchmark. He's out of a Galileo mare so it won't be a surprise if he will want a few furlongs more.”

Turning to Castle Way, the sixth foal of the Nayef mare Beach Frolic (GB) who was sold for 2.2 million gns in the year her current three-year-old colt was foaled, Warren was understandably similarly impressed. Castle Way himself, who was bred by Highclere in partnership with Floors Stud, was a 425,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling in the year that his illustrious half-sibling stormed to success in the G1 St James's Palace S. and G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois.

He said, “That was tremendous. We were excited about that. He was a beautiful yearling and made a good price as a yearling. She's been a wonderful mare and the family has done us proud. I am pleased that Coolmore have the mother now, which is great.”

Warren also added that Highclere Stud is now home to three foals from the first crop of Palace Pier.

“I have to say we are really impressed,” he noted. “Of course it's too early to say that, you can't judge it by just a few, but the first three that we've seen we've been mightily impressed with. Palace Pier was such a a tremendous horse and his brother looks a proper horse, too. It's very exciting.”

The Highclere team was celebrating again later in the day when the George Boughey-trained Soprano (Ire) was tuned to perfection to post a pretty sparkling win on debut in the juvenile fillies' maiden.

Shouldvebeenaring (GB) became the third Stakes winner for Havana Grey (GB) this year, and as his owners in the Middleham Park Racing syndicate collected their trophy, the colt's breeder Ed Harper watched on. It could be a big weekend for the Whitsbury Manor Stud team as not only did they breed Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}), current third-favourite for the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas, but Havana Grey will be represented by his first Classic runner in Sunday's 1,000 Guineas when the G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner Mammas Girl (GB) returns to Newmarket. 

Harper admitted that Havana Grey had been inundated with applications with breeders this season.

“We've tried to keep him to around 160 mares,” he said. “I must say that [head of bloodstock] Joe Callan has done a really good job managing the horse.”

Harper also confirmed that Chaldean's dam, the multiple stakes producer Suelita (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), has recently been covered again by Frankel.

On Friday evening at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket, Sir Michael Stoute and Sea The Stars (Ire) were officially inducted into the QIPCO British Horseracing Hall of Fame. Their worthiness for such an honour could be in no doubt, but it was emphatically underlined when Stoute took the Nyetimber Fillies' Maiden with the eye-catching Infinite Cosmos (Ire), a daughter of Sea The Stars bred by the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, and whose Classic lines are as obvious in her elegant physique as on her page.

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The Mile will be run on Friday, May 5, while the Gordon Richards S. joins the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas card on Sunday, May 7. Purses for the two races will also be affected, with the Mile set to be worth £80,000, and the Gordon Richards to be contested at £45,000. The Horserace Betting Levy Board's original contribution of £52,000 across both races will be maintained and the rest of the prize-money is being provided by the BHA. Previous entries and declarations will be cancelled. All original entrants must re-enter if they wish to run, whilst the race is now open to all other eligible horses, whether they had previously entered or not. Both races will be re-opened to close at the normal six-day stage; noon on Saturday, Apr. 29 for the Mile and Monday, May 1 for the Gordon Richards.

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“The Hall of Fame is a great initiative that promotes the best in our sport and stimulates further interest in the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket,” Prescott said. “I'm surprised and honoured to be invited to join such a tip-top Hall of Fame judging panel, and to be tasked with making such important decisions.”

Inductions are decided upon by a panel of horseracing experts. This year's class will be announced ahead of the QIPCO Guineas Festival, while the ceremony will take place during that event in May. The National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket will also unveil an updated Hall of Fame exhibition at that time.

Click here for more information.

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The horses in question are in training with John and Thady Gosden and Archie Watson, and are out of the mares Wind Fire and Out Of The Flames (GB) respectively. The latter is already the dam of a winner by Zoustar, Stars On Fire (Ire), trained by Wesley Ward.

The competition can be entered on social media by following @Qatar_Racing (Twitter) or @qatarracingltd (Instagram) and replying to the posts with a name suggestion of no more than 18 characters. The winners will be selected by Sheikh Fahad, chairman of Qatar Racing, and manager David Redvers, and the prize will include two tickets for the opening day of the QIPCO Guineas Festival on Friday, May 5.

“The Zoustar filly ex Out Of The Flames is with Archie Watson and looking very forward for a Zoustar filly,” said Redvers. “Being out of a mare who was third in the Queen Mary and who has already bred a two-year-old winner by Zoustar, we would be very hopeful that she might even turn into a Royal Ascot filly.”

He added, “The Zoustar filly out of Wind Fire has been in training with John and Thady Gosden for about three weeks. She is another extremely well bred, speedy filly. Her dam was also placed at Royal Ascot, this time in the Norfolk Stakes, and although I wouldn't expect her to be quite as forward and likely to be running by Ascot, I would expect her to be extremely fast.”

Zoustar's first European crop included the G1 Cheveley Park S. winner and Cartier European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, Lezoo (GB), who is one of three entries by the stallion for the QIPCO 1,000 Guineas.

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The John and Thady Gosden-trained Slipofthepen (GB), a son of Night Of Thunder (Ire) who was bred by the late Queen, has been given an entry for the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas. Out of the 95-rated Free Verse (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), the colt is a fifth-generation homebred and won his sole start with ease at Kempton in November and also holds an entry for the Derby.

Furthering her links to the turf, The Queen Consort is due to visit the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket on Mar. 9.

The first two British Classics of the season, the QIPCO-sponsored 2000 and 1000 Guineas on May 6 and 7, have attracted 62 and 64 entries, respectively.

The quintet of Group/Grade 1 winners Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Al Riffa (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Chaldean (GB), Little Big Bear (Ire) and Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) heads a strong cast for the colts' Classic. Little Big Bear, a son of No Nay Never, was beaten only once in a five-start juvenile campaign culmination in his victory in the G1 Keeenland Phoenix S., and he is currently holding favouritism to give his trainer Aidan O'Brien a potential 11th victory in the race. Of the British-trained entries, Chaldean is currently third favourite to emulate his sire Frankel (GB) by winning the 2000 Guineas.

Those with an interest in sporting art will be pleased to see an entry for the equine Alfred Munnings (Ire), a Dubawi (Ire) half-brother to the Oaks winner Snowfall (Jpn). The great painter Munnings was himself a regular visitor to Newmarket Heath and spent much time down at the start observing and sketching horses as they were called in to line up. The old rubbing house he used as a makeshift studio is still in existence on the gallops behind the Rowley Mile.

The retirement of the G1 Fillies' Mile winner Commissioning (GB) (Kingman {GB}) means that there is one notable omission from the entries for the 1000 Guineas, with the betting market currently co-headed by Coolmore's Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) and the Aga Khan's Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). Another from the O'Brien stable, Statuette, is third in the list to give her young sire Justify a first Classic winner.

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Marking the 10th year QIPCO has sponsored the British Champions Series which started in 2011, the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame will immortalise the modern greats of British Flat racing-both human and equine-from 1970 onward. (Click here to view a highlights reel of modern greats). New members of the Hall of Fame will be inducted twice annually during the Flat season-ahead of the QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket in May and in October in advance of the QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot. The Hall of Fame will exist online, and, in addition to featuring a range of expertly-curated written, pictorial and video content that pay tribute to Hall of Famers, as well as figures of historical importance, will tell racing's story from its beginning in the 17th century to modern day.

Visitors to the site will be able to register their details to receive updates as more Hall of fame content is added, including the inaugural Hall of Fame class prior to the start of the QIPCO Guineas Festival. The site will be updated throughout the summer and fall chronicling some of racing's most important moments and influential figures from the 17th-20th centuries. Visit www.Horseracinghof.com to register.

Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Thani, Director of QIPCO Holding, said, “My Brothers and I are passionate about British flat racing and its rich history and heritage which makes it the envy of other racing jurisdictions the world over. We are delighted to announce the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, which will honour the tremendous contributions made to British flat racing and will celebrate our most significant and important stars and their achievements.

“When I first got involved in British racing, I was captivated by racing's rich history and I hope that the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame will engage and excite existing and new fans by shining a light on the sport's most important figures.”

Rod Street, Chief Executive Officer of QIPCO British Champions Series, added, “British Champions Series, which showcases the finest flat racing, is the perfect home for a Hall of Fame. Over the past decade, QIPCO have been dedicated and committed partners of British Racing and our thanks go to them for their support of the QIPCO British Champions Hall of Fame and for helping to make this a reality. Our racing is the best in the world and we are delighted to be able to honour our greats through this exciting new initiative.”

Each Hall of Fame class will be selected from a quartet of categories-horses, jockeys, trainer and major contributors consisting of owners, breeders and other leading figures. Although the total number of inductees per year will remain flexible, at least one horse, jockey and trainer will join the Hall of Fame annually.

The following independent panel of horseracing experts will select the Hall of Fame members for the 2021/2022 classes:

• Martin Mitchell, Former Tattersalls Bloodstock Director
• Emma Berry, European Editor, Thoroughbred Daily News
• Brough Scott, Racing Broadcaster and Journalist
• Jamie Lynch, Racing Broadcaster and Journalist
• James Delahooke, International Bloodstock Agent
• Lydia Hislop, Racing Broadcaster and Journalist
• Alan Byrne, Editor-in-Chief, Racing Post
• Ruth Quinn, Racing Director, BHA

There will also be an annual shortlist of horses to be put to the public vote, with the winning horse also joining the Hall of Fame in October each year. Inductees will be honoured with a prestigious medal designed by Asprey to mark their achievement.

Panel member Brough Scott said,”I am really thrilled and honoured to have been asked to be part of the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame Judging Panel. Most of all because I have long believed in the idea and am really grateful for QIPCO and the British Champions Series to have brought it about. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame will be a true accolade at the pinnacle of the sport and I look forward to the panel's discussions on who is to be honoured in this way.”

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