Roaring Lion Quartet For Goffs UK Premier Sale 

The yearling sales season will get off to its traditional start in Britain with the Goffs UK Premier Sale which commences on Tuesday, Aug. 24. Taking place over two days, the 400-lot sale is immediately followed on Wednesday afternoon by the Silver Sale, which comprises another 90 horses. Catalogues for both are now online.

The line-up for this year's Premier Sale, which is down in numbers from 469 yearlings catalogued in 2019, includes a Dark Angel (Ire) half-brother to G2 Coventry S. winner Rajasinghe (Ire), offered in the Yeomanstown Stud draft as lot 40. Also catalogued is a Croom House Stud-consigned full-brother to the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. winner Illuminate (Ire), by the late Zoffany (Ire), who is lot 291.

The sales also includes four yearlings from the sole crop of the late Roaring Lion–three colts and a filly, including lot 303, a son of the G2 May Hill S winner Rich Legacy (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), offered by Hillwood Stud.

The most recent group-winning graduate of the last year's sale came on Saturday with the victory of Zain Claudette (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the G3 Princess Margaret Keeneland S. at Ascot. The Ismail Mohammed-owned filly was bought by Saeed Al Tayer for just £20,000 at Doncaster in August and is now the winner of two of her three starts. Other graduates include the Royal Ascot-winning sprinters Dream Of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead) and Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}).

“From the coveted European 2-year-old races to Royal Ascot's most famed contests, international Group 1 sprints to the Classics, this sale has celebrated recent winners in them all, a clear demonstration as to the ever-increasing class of horse this sale is producing. And that class is expanding from the track to the covering sheds and breeding paddocks,” said Goffs UK managing director Tim Kent.

“The sale is also making its mark with its fillies. Multiple Group 1 victrix and Classic winner Laurens (Fr), who celebrated her first foal this year, is the sale's obvious star and this season has seen more fillies prove their worth with the Group 2 winner Fev Rover (Ire) and stakes winner Mystery Angel (Ire) both achieving Classic placings in the 1000 Guineas and Oaks respectively, highlighting their class and the sale's ongoing ability to produce.”

Further incentive for buyers to head to Doncaster in August is provided by the launch of the Goffs UK Premier Prizes. The winning owners of York's Premier Yearling Stakes, which is open to graduates of last year's sale, will win a free horse from Goffs UK as well as a hospitality package from York Racecourse. The winning trainer is given a free six-month lease of a two-stall Theault horsebox. 

Kent added, “The first Premier Prizes will be awarded at this year's race on 19 August so the winning owners will be able to bid on their free horse at this year's sale.

“The launch of the Premier and Silver Sale catalogues is always something we look forward to and especially this year as we take a positive step after a difficult 2020. We will be marketing these sales worldwide via our vast international network of Goffs agents and are very much looking forward to welcoming everyone to Doncaster on 24 and 25 August.”

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Sussex Test for Poetic Flare

At his best when the ground is on the quick side, Jim Bolger's G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S. hero Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) has to deal with a testing surface as he faces up to his first test against the fillies and older horses in Wednesday's G1 Qatar Sussex S. Only sixth on very soft in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp May 16 and a short-head second to Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) on soft-to-heavy in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh six days later, the homebred is more vulnerable than he would have been without all the rain that has arrived but Jim Bolger is undiminished in his belief in the homebred. “Poetic Flare has been very well since the St James's Palace Stakes. We're very happy with his work and he seems to be improving further,” he said. “He's only had a break in as much as he hasn't been racing, but he's a horse who I have to keep moving and so it hasn't exactly been a holiday.”

“It was fast ground when Poetic Flare won at Ascot and it might well be that he's better on that better ground, but he seems to handle all going and he's pretty good on soft too,” he added. “My preference would be for good ground, but I'm not much given to worrying anyway. Whatever it is, I'll take it. I'm very happy with my horse and I don't worry too much about anybody else's.”

How the fillies stack up against the colts remains to be seen, but TDN Rising Star Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) are among the elite of their sex and their own private duels have seen them win one apiece. Jeff Smith's Alcohol Free was in front of Rockcliffe Stud's homebred on ground similar to this in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 18, but she was only third as Snow Lantern prevailed in the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket July 9. Snow Lantern's trainer Richard Hannon had been considering the G1 Nassau S., but opted to stick with her proven route for now. “The decision to run here was in part ground-led, but we wanted to keep her at a mile,” he said. “She is learning to settle now and we don't want to upset her equilibrium.”

“If she gets beaten and is not good enough, we can give her a break and come back in the [G1] Sun Chariot in six weeks' time,” Hannon added. “She's doing nothing wrong over a mile and going a mile and a quarter on this ground might have been a bit of a stretch. If she relaxes, she'll get a mile and a quarter but we can do that next year. Sky Lantern was beaten here in the Prestige, where she looked like winning all the way but was a little bit weak as a 2-year-old. This filly is very versatile and if she got beaten I'd rather it was that she didn't handle the track than she was not good enough. This is soft and then some, but she showed she handled the ground at Ascot.”

Oisin Murphy knows Alcohol Free inside out and is hoping that the easing in the ground will help her in her rematch with Snow Lantern. “Alcohol Free is in great form and any rain won't inconvenience her,” he said. “I was pleased with her when I rode her on Saturday and hopefully she'll run a big race. She won't have any problems with the track at Goodwood. She prefers to meet the ground and the first half of the race at Goodwood is going uphill and then it's practically flat in the straight which will suit her fine.” Trainer Andrew Balding added, “It looks like conditions should be ideal. The turning track seemed to suit her really well when she won at Royal Ascot, so I think Goodwood will suit her really well. At Newmarket in the Falmouth it wasn't the plan to make the running and she rather set it up for the others. Hopefully if there's some sort of pace to aim at, she's got a fairly electric turn of foot.”

Ballydoyle's duo are the GI Breeders' Cup Mile first and third Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), with the former coming back to winning form in the seven-furlong G2 Minstrel S. on contrasting  ground at The Curragh July 18. Lope Y Fernandez was runner-up in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot last time June 15, which represented his fifth placing at the highest level, and whether he can prevail at last in this company is a matter of how strong the 3-year-old milers are. “We are looking forward to Lope Y Fernandez and we think he's come forward again since Ascot,” Aidan O'Brien commented. “We are very happy with him. He's very straightforward and is progressing well. Order of Australia has come out of his win at the Curragh very well and the Sussex Stakes is a race which could suit him.”

Representing the form of Ascot's G2 Summer Mile July 10, Juddmonte's Tilsit (First Defence) and Abdulla Belhabb's Century Dream (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) were first and second there with the former looking a cosy winner. Successful in the G3 Thoroughbred S. over this track and trip 12 months ago, Tilsit is one who has crept under the radar and as a lightly-raced relative of Kingman (GB) warrants respect. “He's probably come out of Ascot the best he's come out of any race–he's in great form,” Tilsit's trainer Charlie Hills said. “He won a group 3 at the meeting last year, so we know he handles the track.”

In the G3 Markel Molecomb S. for the fastest of the juveniles, Clarendon Thoroughbred Racing's Fearby (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}) holds pole position after his five-length success in the Listed Dragon S. over this five-furlong trip at Sandown July 2. Golden Horde carried the AlMohamediya Racing silks to success in the G2 Richmond S. two years ago and are carried by another Clive Cox-trained colt in Chimgan (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), who was strong at the finish on his winning debut at Nottingham July 5. The G3 Whispering Angel Oak Tree S. is a wide-open affair, with the June 17 Buckingham Palace H. and July 4 Listed Queen Charlotte Fillies' S. scorer Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) one of the more progressive fillies in the line-up for the seven-furlong contest.EST

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Galway ‘Winner’ Disqualified After Wrong Horse Saddled

A mix-up between two fillies trained by Jessica Harrington led to the first past the post in Galway's second race, the Colm Quinn Irish EBF Fillies Maiden, later being disqualified. 

The juvenile contest initially appeared to have been won by Kirsten Rausing's debutante Alizarine (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}). Following an objection and stewards' enquiry, the filly transpired to be her 3-year-old stable-mate Aurora Princess (Ire) (The Gurkha {Ire}), a dual winner in June who was set to be making her tenth start. She was subsequently withdrawn.

An initial enquiry disqualified the filly under Rule 262(iv)c, with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) confirming that the “horse could not be positively identified post race”. The short-priced favourite Twinkle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), trained by Aidan O'Brien, was promoted to first place.

Harrington was set to have seven runners at Galway on Tuesday, including Alizarine, a 2-year-old half-sister to recent listed Glasgow S. winner Aleas (GB) (Archipenko).

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Trueshan Wins The Goodwood Cup As Stradivarius Taken Out

A G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup without Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) meant that for the first time in five years it was heading elsewhere and Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) stepped forward to claim the title in the heavy conditions he relishes on Tuesday. As he proved when winning Ascot's G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup in October, the ground cannot be slow enough for the Alan King-trained 5-year-old and with the reigning champion taken out he traded as the 6-5 favourite. Always prominent under Hollie Doyle, the bay who was last seen finishing sixth as top weight in the Northumberland Plate H. over this two-mile trip on the Tapeta June 26 took over in early straight and powered clear late to score by 3 3/4 lengths from the 33-1 outsider Away He Goes (Ire) (Farhh {GB}). Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) was 1 1/2 lengths away in third before collapsing after the line and heading to the equine hospital for a scan. “I never really feel pressure, but today something did come over me as I didn't want to let everyone down,” the winning rider said. “I was very confident going into the race. I haven't had many experiences of Goodwood, let alone on a short-priced favourite. I was feeling it a bit more than normal, but Trueshan is an exceptionally talented animal on this ground.”

This renewal was diminished by the withdrawal of Stradivarius and of Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}), but it is hard to argue that Trueshan would not have brushed aside those rivals as readily as he did the few that dared to stand against him on this ground. His 7 1/2-length defeat of Search For a Song (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Long Distance Cup meant that he had nothing to prove this term, but on his return he confirmed he was top-class by running second to Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) under a five-pound penalty in the G3 Ormonde S. over an extended 13 furlongs at Chester May 6. Even his latest effort when on the premises under a welter burden in the Northumberland Plate marked him as a stayer of note and so this was mere confirmation that he represents a benchmark when the going rides as it did on Tuesday.

If anything tending to over-race early behind Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Nayef Road (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the bay was sent up to shadow the latter as the Ballydoyle pace-setter gave way climbing the last part of the hill approaching six out. Getting to the stand's rail first as most of his rivals were visibly struggling in behind, Trueshan could have caved in as the smooth-travelling surprise package Away He Goes arrived on his outer but instead drew away to score with resounding authority. “He was pretty fresh early on, as they were going no gallop and so halfway round I managed to slide onto the girth of the others and he then settled,” Hollie Doyle added. “The further we went, the better he went. When I hit the rising ground, he's gone again.”

For Alan King, the win represented a breakthrough on the flat and he said, “It is a very special moment. I have been very calm all morning, then when John took out Stradivarius and we were shortening all the time, the nerves really started to kick in. I have not been this nervous for a long time. I have always enjoyed my Flat races and this is very special. This is up there with the Champion Hurdles. Trueshan can be a little keen, so I'm glad he had a proper race at Newcastle–he could have been ferocious today if he hadn't had that run.””We had to take him out of the Gold Cup, which is very hard to do, but he's very ground-dependant,” King continued. “He is in the [G2] Lonsdale [Cup at York Aug. 20] and he is in the [G1] Irish St Leger [at The Curragh Sept. 12]. I will talk to the boys, but we will probably take him out in the morning at the forfeit stage. The [G1 Prix du] Cadran [at ParisLongchamp Oct. 2] will probably be his big target in the autumn.”

Away He Goes' trainer Ismail Mohammed, who had won Saturday's G3 Princess Margaret S. with Zain Claudette (Ire) (No Nay Never), commented, “He ran super. He ran only 17 days ago and it was doubtful with the soft ground, because he has had problems with soft ground before. Group 1s are not easy and it is amazing for our group and our small stable. So far we have Groups 3s and we are moving steps forward.”

Stradivarius will instead wait for the Lonsdale Cup, with John Gosden saying, “Obviously we were very keen to do something that's never been done before, which is win five Goodwood Cups in a row. He's in great form, he's full of himself, ready to run. But I'm afraid you got 60mm of rain since mid-day Sunday and another bucketload last night. I walked the track out in the country with Thady and the stick is going straight into the bottom and it turns it into a bit of a two-mile slog. This is a horse who can travel with a great acceleration, turn of foot and put pretty amazing fractions to the last two or three furlongs, but he's not going to do it on that ground. I think at his age you've got to play to his strengths and also we made foolish decisions last year, one to run him at Longchamp on bottomless ground by the River Seine, which he loathed, and then even more stupid we ran on Champions Day on heavy ground at Ascot. Having made the mistake twice, we weren't quite prepared to do the same again.”

Tuesday, Goodwood, Britain
AL SHAQAB GOODWOOD CUP S.-G1, £518,750, Goodwood, 7-27, 3yo/up, 16fT, 3:37.05, sf.
1–TRUESHAN (FR), 135, g, 5, by Planteur (Ire)
1st Dam: Shao Line (Fr), by General Holme
2nd Dam: Marie d'Altoria, by Roi de Rome
3rd Dam: Marie de Lempire (Fr), by Faristan (GB)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€8,000 Ylg '17 OSLATE; 31,000gns 2yo '18 TATHIT). O-Singula Partnership; B-Didier Blot (FR); T-Alan King; J-Hollie Doyle. £294,183. Lifetime Record: 14-8-2-0, $854,216. Werk Nick Rating: D+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Away He Goes (Ire), 135, g, 5, Farhh (GB)–Island Babe, by Kingmambo. (75,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Ismail Mohammed. £111,531.
3–Sir Ron Priestley (GB), 135, h, 5, Australia (GB)–Reckoning (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). (70,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-Paul Dean; B-Mascalls Stud (GB); T-Mark Johnston. £55,818.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1HF, 3 3/4. Odds: 1.20, 33.00, 4.50.
Also Ran: Santiago (Ire), Nayef Road (Ire), Serpentine (Ire), Emperor of The Sun (Ire), Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire). Scratched: Mekong (GB), Spanish Mission, Stradivarius (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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