Silvestre de Sousa To Be Sponsored By Star Sports

Three-time UK Champion Flat Jockey Silvestre de Sousa will be sponsored by Star Sports for the 2022 UK Flat season.

De Sousa said, “I'm delighted to be extending my partnership with Star Sports. They've been great supporters of mine over the past few years and I'm looking forward to the season ahead.

“I'm hoping to keep very busy throughout the season and look forward to keeping everyone up to date with a regular blog.”

Luke Tarr, Head of PR at Star Sports, added, “We've been working with Silvestre for a few years now and it's been a pleasure. To have such a quality jockey riding under our name is brilliant for the business.

“We wish Silvestre all the best in the season ahead, and our customers will be able to hear his thoughts on upcoming rides as the year progresses with regular blogs and interviews.”

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Glass Slippers Tries For Second Flying Five Stakes Win At The Curragh

Irish Champions Weekend concludes at The Curragh on Sunday with two Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You're In” races headlining the card. The winner of the Group 1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes will receive an automatic starting position into the $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, and the winner of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes earns a free spot into the $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into corresponding races of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 5-6.

Last year the Bearstone Stud-owned Glass Slippers (GB) earned an automatic berth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint with a victory in the G1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes, before following up with success in the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

This year, the Kevin Ryan-trained mare, a 5-year-old daughter of Dream Ahead, faces 12 rivals in the five-furlong contest. Tom Eaves, who has ridden the mare in 17 of her 18 starts, will again be in the saddle.

Heading the opposition is the King Power Racing owned 3-year-old filly Winter Power (IRE), who earned an automatic entry into the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint with a victory in the Group 1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes at York last month.

Trained in Yorkshire, England, by Tim Easterby, the daughter of Bungle Inthejungle (GB) has won six of her last eight starts and will be ridden by former British champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa.

The Archie Watson-trained Dragon Symbol (GB), was first past the post in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, but was placed second behind the Wesley Ward-trained Campanelle (IRE) following a Stewards' Enquiry, and is another strong contender from Britain.

The 3-year-old was third behind Winter Power in the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes last time out and jockey Oisin Murphy believes the undulating track will suit. Murphy said: “He's been knocking on the door in Group 1 company all season and we're trying to find the key; so hopefully the stiff nature of The Curragh's five furlongs will help. Hopefully, it will bring him and Winter Power closer together. He's in very good shape.”

The Irish-trained contenders include the Jack Davison-trained Mooneista (IRE) who defeated Gustavus Weston (IRE) and Romantic Proposal (IRE) in the Group 2 Paddy Power Sapphire Stakes over course and distance in July.

Homeless Songs out to Preserve Unbeaten Record in Moyglare Stud Stakes

Impressive Leopardstown maiden winner Homeless Songs (IRE) faces seven juvenile fillies as she bids to make it two wins from two starts in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

Owned by the race sponsors Moyglare Stud Farms and trained by Dermot Weld ― who enjoyed a breakthrough Breeders' Cup success with Tarnawa (IRE) at Keeneland last year ― the daughter of Frankel (GB) defeated subsequent stakes winner Agartha (IRE) by two lengths on debut.

Since finishing second behind Homeless Songs in July, the Joseph O'Brien-trained Agartha (IRE) has gone on to win the Group 3 Frank Conroy Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown and the Group 2 Alpha Centauri Debutante Stakes over course and distance last month. The second, third, and seventh-placed horses that day ― Sunset Shiraz (IRE), Discoveries (IRE), and Concert Hall (IRE) ― all take her on again here.

Ireland's champion trainer Aidan O'Brien has won the seven-furlong contest a record nine times and fields two this year with Prettiest (USA), a daughter of Dubawi (IRE), and the mount of Ryan Moore, and Concert Hall, who will be ridden by Seamie Heffernan.

The eight-runner field is completed by the Ger Lyons trained Caidre Go Deo (FR) and big-priced outsider Missing Matron (IRE), trained by Jim Bolger.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winners of the Challenge Series winners to start at this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be run at Del Mar. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of $40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 25 to receive the rewards.

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Nunthorpe To Winter Power After Golden Pal Wilts After Setting Fast Pace

King Power Racing Co Ltd's Winter Power (IRE) produced a brilliant display in the Coolmore Wootton Basset Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) at York in the United Kingdom on Friday. The victory at 9-1 odds secured Winter Power a guaranteed start in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 5-6.

Winter Power becomes the third horse to gain a “Win and You're In” berth into the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint this year, joining Casa Creed, the Jackpocket Jaipur Stakes (G1) winner at Belmont Park on June 5 and Dream of Dreams (IRE), who won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot on June 19.

A blistering pace was set by Frankie Dettori on Wesley Ward-trained Golden Pal, the 5-2 second choice, but Winter Power, under Silvestre De Sousa, quickened past him at the two-furlong pole and kept up the gallop all the way to the line to win by 1 ¼ lengths. Emaraaty Ana (GB), a 40-1 hope, chased her down to finish second with the 3-year-old son of Cable Bay, Dragon Symbol (GB), finishing back in third at odds of 4-1. Golden Pal wound up seventh.

Winter Power, a 3-year-old daughter of Bungle Inthejungle (GB) out of Titian Saga (IRE) by Titus Livius (FR), completed the five furlongs in :56.72 on a course listed as good-to-firm.

Winter Power's win gave local trainer Tim Easterby his first Group 1 success since Fayr Jag (IRE) won the Golden Jubilee Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot in 2004. Easterby believed his filly was in perfect condition going into the race and so it proved. He said: “She's an incredible filly. She had come right for today. I wasn't too worried about any other horses today; I was just focused on my filly. She's able to relax now in races and we can then use her speed. The best sprinters have that ability to kick half-way through the race and she's got that.”

When asked what it means to win a Group 1 at his local track, Easterby simply said: “It's the best. What more can you get?”

It was a first Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes win for Winter Power's jockey Silvestre De Sousa who was full of praise for his filly. He said: “She's unbelievably fast. I don't think I've sat on anything as fast as her. When it's a flat track like York, she gets away from the gates very quickly. It means the world to ride the winner of the Nunthorpe in the King Power silks.”

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for Winter Power to start in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, which will be run at five furlongs on the Del Mar turf course. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of $40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships.

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Bungle Inthejungle’s Winter Power Overwhelms Nunthorpe Rivals

Friday's G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S. was always going to be about raw speed and the 3-year-old filly Winter Power (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) qualified more than most in that regard having displayed it in abundance in the May 13 Listed Westow S. and July 10 Listed City Walls S. over this flat York five. In front of all bar the furiously-fast Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) until the two-furlong pole, King Power's 9-1 shot left that US raider for dead there and hit the line under Silvestre de Sousa with 1 1/4 lengths to spare over the generously-priced fellow Northern-trained Emaraaty Ana (GB) (Shamardal). Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) stayed on to place yet again at this level, half a length away as the 9-4 favourite Suesa (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) found it all happening a touch too fast 3/4 of a length further back in fourth. “She's a wonderful filly,” commented trainer Tim Easterby of the famous clan renowned for decades in this Yorkshire area. “The best ones have that kick, that bit extra and she has it. She doesn't take any training, she just lobs around at the back of the string and has done so well and thrived late summer. This spring, she was looking a bit light and backward but she's put on so much weight and looks tremendous now. She has relaxed and got great confidence in herself.”

The Easterbys are part of the fabric in these parts, with Tim's Habton Grange Stables in Malton built up by his father Peter whose most high-profile horse was the York legend Sea Pigeon who defied top weight of 10 stones to land this meeting's feature Ebor H. in 1979. While his colourful uncle Mick enjoyed glory in this in 1976 with Lochnager (GB), the current licence-holder at Habton Grange had yet to collect in the race that means so much to the family with the filly Pipalong (Ire) (Pips Pride {GB}) third to Nuclear Debate (Geiger Counter) in the millennium edition. By the time Winter Power was having her eighth 2-year-old start in the Listed Harry Rosebery S. at Ayr in September, she was boasting just two wins in a nursery and novice at Redcar and Ripon but it was then that she took off with a black-type breakthrough before storming to a three-length success in Newmarket's G3 Cornwallis S. the following month.

Winter Power's dynamic displays in the Westow and City Walls here this term came either side of a ninth when setting off too fast in the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot June 15, but this was a contrasting display of ideally-measured speed over Britain's minimum trip. Coming up the centre on her own as the fellow Northern-based Liberty Beach (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) kept Golden Pal honest away to her left, the bay was always way beyond the reach of Suesa who was on the fastest ground she had encountered and almost every rival was under the pump after as little as two furlongs. Dragon Symbol was one of them, but he has shown on more than one occasion that he never gives up the chase and he was only robbed of another silver medal late on by the 40-1 shot Emaraaty Ana who has been revived by a Hamilton conditions win at the end of last month. “She's unbelievably fast and when she hits the gates right she's really good,” Silvestre de Sousa said. “She did that here first time this year and I thought I hadn't sat on anything as fast as her.”

“She showed a fantastic turn of foot in the Cornwallis last year and she's just got something special,” Easterby said. “There is no scientific reason why I feel she'll get better, but it's in the way she's developed so much. She is switched off in her brain and chilled out–she gets down to it with no issues. At Ascot, she just went a crazy pace and it's no use doing it all in the first part of the race. She's in the [Oct. 3 G1 Prix de l'] Abbaye [at ParisLongchamp] and I'll speak to [King Power racing manager] Alastair [Donald] and the team and see what they want to do now. She'll need a bit of time after a group 1 race like that, even though she's won nicely. I wouldn't want to get her caught up in the logistical problems that are involved with travelling at this time, so I'm not sure about the Breeders' Cup.”

Emaraaty Ana's trainer Kevin Ryan said of the runner-up, who took the 2018 G2 Gimcrack S. at this meeting, “The Hamilton race gave him confidence. Passing the two-pole I knew they'd gone hard and it was a question of if they could keep it up as I knew he'd stay on strong. Fair do's to the winner, she's incredible. She probably hit a brick wall, but it was too close to the line for us. Ours is a very good horse. This fellow is as good as I've had. He's probably a better six-furlong horse, we've run him over five to get him to relax but it leaves the rest of the season open. He's probably a bit ground-dependent and needs it quick, he's in the Abbaye which might suit but he's also in at Haydock [in the Sept. 4 G1 Sprint Cup] and Champions Day which could come up as bogs so we'll see. He's only young, he'll get better.”

Wesley Ward was unable to shake the Nunthorpe hoodoo and said of Golden Pal, who faded to be seventh, “Frankie said he was waiting for the turn. I made no secret of it that I was very confident coming into the race, but the winner ran a tremendous race and we're disappointed. I think so highly of this colt of course I'm disappointed, it just wasn't his day. I still think he's a tremendous racehorse. We'll see if any answers come up when we get him back and see what we find. From everything I've seen of this colt, he's just awesome so when he runs a race like today it's a head scratcher. We'll see what transpires, I haven't lost faith in him.”

Winter Power is a half-sister to the Listed Land O'Burns Fillies' S. winner Hay Chewed (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) and the Listed Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy runner-up Flying Sparkle (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}). The dam Titian Saga (Ire) (Titus Livius {Fr}) is kin to the dam of the G2 Ridgewood Pearl S. winner and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas third Devonshire (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) and to the fellow Harry Rosebery scorer Hurryupharriet (Ire) (Camacho {GB}), who in turn is responsible for the Listed Kachy S. winner Exalted Angel (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Her 2-year-old filly by Fast Company (Ire) was a £150,000 purchase by Joe Foley at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale eight days before Winter Power's Cornwallis romp, while her yearling full-sister to the winner is catalogued in the upcoming Orby.

Friday, York, Britain
COOLMORE WOOTTON BASSETT NUNTHORPE S.-G1, £400,000, York, 8-20, 2yo/up, 5fT, :56.72, g/f.
1–WINTER POWER (IRE), 132, f, 3, by Bungle Inthejungle (GB)
1st Dam: Titian Saga (Ire), by Titus Livius (Fr)
2nd Dam: Nordic Living (Ire), by Nordico
3rd Dam: To Die For, by Diesis (GB)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€90,000 Ylg '19 GOFOR). O-King Power Racing Co Ltd; B-Newlands House Stud (IRE); T-Tim Easterby; J-Silvestre de Sousa. £226,840. Lifetime Record: 13-7-0-2, $456,553. *1/2 to Hay Chewed (Ire) (Camacho {GB}), SW-Eng; and Flying Sparkle (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}), SP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Emaraaty Ana (GB), 137, g, 5, Shamardal–Spirit of Dubai (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire). O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (GB); T-Kevin Ryan. £86,000.
3–Dragon Symbol (GB), 135, c, 3, Cable Bay (Ire)–Arcamist (GB), by Arcano (Ire). (67,000gns Ylg '19 TAOCT). O-Yoshiro Kubota; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Archie Watson. £43,040.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, 3/4. Odds: 9.00, 40.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Suesa (Ire), Chil Chil (GB), Liberty Beach (GB), Golden Pal, Arecibo (Fr), Chipotle (GB), Dakota Gold (GB), Moss Gill (Ire), Bedford Flyer (Ire), Ubettabelieveit (Ire), Que Amoro (Ire). Scratched: Rohaan (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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