Tag: Shared News Europe

Too Darn Hot’s Darnation Powers To May Hill Triumph

Trainer Karl Burke's banner season continued apace on the opening day of Doncaster's St Leger Festival after G3 Prestige S. victrix Darnation (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}–Monday Monday {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) added lustre to her palmares with a clear-cut triumph in Thursday's G2 Betfred May Hill S. over a straight mile at the Town Moor track.

Newtown Anner Stud's homebred, who registered a 10-length tally at Thirsk in her penultimate start, bounded along behind a steady tempo and raced third through the initial fractions. Taking closer order once past halfway, the 11-10 favourite quickened to the fore passing the quarter-mile marker and, despite drifting right inside the final furlong, drew off late under urging to post an ultimately impressive three-length success from See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Mark McKay's G3 Sweet Solera S. third and G2 Prix du Calvados fourth Les Bleus (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}) was four lengths adrift in third as the field came home at wide-margin intervals.

“They didn't go quick and, when I asked her, she quickened up really well for a few strides and then galloped on towards the line,” said winning rider Clifford Lee. “She's very good and I'd like to see her next year when she's physically and mentally stronger. She handles that soft ground, she does stay very well and she does have a bit of boot about her as well, so we'll see next year how we get on.”

Burke added, “She's a classy filly and, on that ground, she's very good. We'll have to see how she is on quicker ground, but she's tough and she stays. She's not in the [G1] Fillies' Mile, but she is in the [G1] Prix Marcel Boussac. I haven't spoken to the owners, but she'd be more likely to get her ground in France. She's not the biggest in the world, but she should strengthen up even if she doesn't grow much. If she bumps into soft ground she could be anything.” Explaining his absence from the track, the trainer continued, “I was all set to come today, but I had a busy morning and decided not to. They don't run any faster for me being there.”

Pedigree Notes

Darnation, half-sister to a yearling filly by Fastnet Rock (Aus), is the first of two foals produced by an unraced full-sister to dual Group-placed G2 Beresford S. third Exemplar (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The April-foaled homebred bay's dam is also a half-sister to G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Blue Bunting (Dynaformer). Descendants of her second dam Miarixa (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}), herself out of stakes-winning G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Mrs Arkada (Fr) (Akarad {Fr}), include dual stakes-winning GIII Intercontinental S. and GIII Franklin S. placegetter Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and G3 Earl of Sefton S. runner-up Poker Face (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).

Thursday, Doncaster, Britain
BETFRED MAY HILL S.-G2, £120,000, Doncaster, 9-14, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:41.38, sf.
1–DARNATION (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Too Darn Hot (GB)
1st Dam: Monday Monday (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Miarixa (Fr), by Linamix (Fr)
3rd Dam: Mrs Arkada (Fr), by Akarad (Fr)
O/B-Newtown Anner Stud Farm (IRE); T-Karl Burke; J-Clifford Lee. £68,052. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $149,904. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–See The Fire (GB), 128, f, 2, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Arabian Queen (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-J C Smith; B-Littleton Stud (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £25,800.
3–Les Bleus (GB), 128, f, 2, Blue Point (Ire)–Huma Bird (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). (€52,000 Ylg '22 TATIRY; £60,000 2yo '23 GOUKB). O-Mark McKay; B-Godolphin (GB); T-Richard Hughes. £12,912.
Margins: 3, 4, NK. Odds: 1.10, 4.00, 14.00.
Also Ran: Hard To Resist (Ire), Francophone (GB), Hala Abrar (Ire), Romanova (GB). Scratched: Meribella (GB), Zenjabeela (GB).

 

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Positive Drugs Tests: Trainer Luke Comer Banned For Three Years 

Trainer Luke Comer has had his licence suspended for three years over positive drugs tests and ordered to pay over €750,000 in costs by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB).

The billionaire owner-trainer, who is also a major sponsor of Irish racing under the Comer Group banner, has seven days to lodge an appeal. 

The suspension will begin on January 1, 2024, and is the result of a long-running investigation carried out by the IHRB, with the regulator describing the case as “unprecedented”. 

As well as being ordered to pay the €750,000 in costs relating to the case, Comer was hit with €85,000 in total fines after 12 horses in his care tested positive for anabolic steroids.

He Knows No Fear, who became the longest-priced winner in Irish racing history when landing a Leopardstown maiden at odds of 300-1 in 2020, is at the centre of what is one of the biggest doping scandals the country has seen. 

A hair sample from He Knows No Fear, taken after he finished fourth in the Listed Trigo Stakes at Leopardstwon in October 2021, was found to have contained MD and MT. 

A further 11 horses also tested positive for anabolic steroids following out of competition testing carried out by the IHRB at Comer's yard in November 2021.

Along with He Knows No Fear, samples were taken from Old Tom Higgins, Boxing Hero, Grand D'Espagne, Aircraft Carrier, Powerful Don, Wee Jim, Great Moon, Our Man Flint, Questionare, Green Force and Blyto. All tests returned positive.

Comer denied that he or any of his staff were involved in the doping of the 12 horses at an extensive hearing that took place at the IHRB headquarters on the Curragh. 

The 65-year-old has been involved in racing for over three decades and his first big-race victory was achieved with Chimes At Midnight in a Group 3 at the Curragh in 2001.

Since then, Comer has been associated with another Group 3 scorer in Kargali, while Raa Atoll provided him with his biggest day on a racecourse when landing a Group 2 contest at Hoppegarten in German in 2019. Last year was Comer's best in terms of numbers with 11 winners recorded domestically from 254 runs.

His extensive sponsorship of Irish racing through Comer Group features the €600,000 Irish St Leger, a race that was won last weekend by Eldar Eldarov, and the Irish St Leger Trial.

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Johannes Brahms Takes Aim At Donny Sales Race

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features the return of a 'TDN Rising Star'.

14.25 Doncaster, Cond, £300,000, 2yo, 6f 111yT
JOHANNES BRAHMS (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) earned TDN Rising Star status on debut at Naas in May and has done nothing wrong in two subsequent starts, meeting one too good in the Listed Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot and in York's G2 Gimcrack S. Aidan O'Brien brings him to Doncaster for this Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O S., where Kennet Valley Syndicates' unbeaten Dragon Leader (Ire) (El Kabeir) lies in wait with 10 pounds less to carry than the Ballydoyle colt due to median price of their sires' yearlings sold last year. Johannes Brahms' rider Ryan Moore knows all about Dragon Leader, having ridden the Clive Cox-trained colt to an impressive success in York's Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling S. last month.

 

17.25 Naas, Debutantes, €16,000, 2yo, 7fT
GALLANTLY (GB) (Frankel {GB}) debuts in the silks of his breeder Peter Brant, with the Ballydoyle newcomer owned in partnership with messrs Magnier, Tabor and Smith a son of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Precieuse (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) who went on to add the GIII Honey Fox S. to her tally under the care of Chad Brown. Donnacha O'Brien saddles At Dawn (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Westerberg colours and she is the first foal out of the G3 Killavullan S. winner Coral Beach (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}).

 

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Doncaster: Darnation Takes Aim At The May Hill

Fresh from celebrating a Group 1 success with one of his 2-year-old fillies on Sunday, Karl Burke is looking to continue that run in Doncaster's G2 May Hill S. on Thursday with the standard-setting Darnation (Ire) by the Moyglare heroine Fallen Angel's sire Too Darn Hot (GB). Following up a 10-length novice win at Thirsk in July with success in the G3 Prestige S. at Goodwood last month, Newtown Anner Stud Farm's homebred is up to a mile but her trainer has no concerns on that score.

“The trip, the track, the ground and everything will suit,” he said. “She's not a flashy work horse at home, but she seems very well and any rain I would imagine will be to her advantage–it certainly won't be a disadvantage to her. She was very tough down at Goodwood and she put up a very good performance to break her maiden at Thirsk. That form was franked to a degree, with the second horse that she beat 10 lengths coming out and winning next time. I can't hand on heart say she's in the league of Fallen Angel, but she's obviously a talented filly and she goes there as the top-rated horse in the race, so it's very exciting.”

Too Darn Hot is also represented by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum's Southwell and Beverley winner Zenjabeela (GB), while other unexposed types yet to try black-type company are St Albans Bloodstock's 7 1/2-length Salisbury maiden scorer Romanova (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) from the Ollie Sangster stable and the Newmarket novice winners Meribella (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) from the Ralph Beckett and Andrew Balding stables respectively.

The card also sees the G2 Park Hill Fillies' S., or “Fillies' St Leger”, with Ben and Sir Martyn Arbib's runaway G2 Lillie Langtry S. winner Sumo Sam (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) looking to defy a penalty and prove she is no one-trick pony on this less-demanding surface.

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