Tag: Top News Europe

1000 Guineas Heroine Mother Earth Retired to Coolmore Stud 

Classic-winning filly Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) has been retired to Coolmore Stud with her trainer Aidan O'Brien describing last year's G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas heroine as “a top-class mare”.

As well as winning the 1000 Guineas under Frankie Dettori, Mother Earth stormed to G1 Prix Rothschild glory at Deauville for Ryan Moore last term but was retired after failing to fire in the G2 Duke Of Cambridge S. at Royal Ascot last week. 

O'Brien told TDN Europe, “Mother Earth was a very good filly. She ran a lot as a 2-year-old and also ran a lot at three. She was a top-class mare.”

He added, “She won the Guineas and the Prix Rothschild and was a filly with loads of speed. She had an unbelievable constitution and is an absolutely beautiful filly.”

Mother Earth won four of her 21 starts on a racecourse, twice at the highest level, and landed the G3 Park Express S.  at the Curragh on her return earlier this season. TDN Europe understands that Coolmore will wait until next year before mating her.

She is a half-sister to G2 Premio Dormello-winning Night Colours (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and will take up residency as a broodmare at Coolmore Stud in Ireland.

 

The post 1000 Guineas Heroine Mother Earth Retired to Coolmore Stud  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Colin Keane to Replace Rob Hornby Aboard Irish Derby Favourite Westover

Colin Keane will replace Rob Hornby aboard the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby favourite Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at the Curragh on Saturday.

Westover endured a luckless run under Hornby to finish third behind Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the Cazoo Derby at Epsom and connections have explained that Keane's experience of riding at the Curragh swung the vote in his favour ahead of Saturday. 

The three-time Irish Champion Jockey has already tasted Classic success in the Juddmonte silks, courtesy of 2020 Irish Guineas winner Siskin, who was trained by Keane's boss Ger Lyons.

Speaking on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon revealed that the agreement with Keane does not extend beyond Saturday's race, and that Hornby may well get back on the colt in the future. 

Mahon said, “We all sat down and felt that the Curragh is a unique track and that the Derby can be quite tactical so we said that experience on the track was going to be important. We've taken the decision to book Colin Keane, who is the three-time Irish champion jockey, to ride him on Saturday.

“There's no arrangement in place. At the moment, it's only for Saturday, and we'll review it afterwards with Prince Khalid's [Abdullah] family but you don't get more experienced around the Curragh than Colin Keane.”

He added, “We're using the best available. As you saw last week [at Royal Ascot], Frankie [Dettori], Ryan [Moore] and Colin [Keane] rode for us. It's a case of using the best available. A lot of the top jockeys have retainers and it's hard to get their services a lot of the time so it's good to have Colin there to stand in for us when we need him.”

Westover is a general 11-8 favourite to gain compensation for a luckless trip in the Derby at Epsom, where Mahon believes Hornby, who has ridden Ralph Beckett's charge in all bar one of his five starts on the track, was a hostage to misfortune. 

Mahon explained, “I thought Rob gave the horse a beautiful ride at Epsom. He was very unlucky and I think it's exactly what it was. He was unlucky that stall two has the hoodoo of never producing a Derby winner and, the reason why it has never produced a Derby winner is because, what happened to Westover is what happens [every year]. 

“You're on the fence and horses come down on top of you and there's nothing you can do about it. But I thought he gave him a beautiful ride and, in fairness to Rob, he has ridden him in all of his work and rode him again yesterday [Monday] morning in his last piece of work. He's been a brilliant team player.”

Mahon added, “Ralph has sat down and had a good talk with him. He's disappointed–of course he's disappointed–but we're definitely not saying that he won't be back on the horse again. This is a one-time thing for the Curragh and we'll see how Saturday goes and the family will review it afterwards and see what they want to do going forward.”

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Arc Bid “Not Out Of The Question” For French Oaks Runner-Up

Plans for G1 Prix de Diane runner-up La Parisienne (Fr) (Zarak {Ire}) to race in America are on hold with connections opening the door to a tilt at the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after their star filly went down fighting behind Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at Chantilly on Sunday. 

It had been suggested that La Parisienne would be trained in America at some point in her career but part-owner Peter Bradley revealed on Monday that the filly will remain in the care of the father and son team of Carlos and Yann Lerner.

Reflecting on Sunday's race, Bradley told TDN Europe, “It was a bit gut-wrenching but, when you lose to a filly like Nashwa, you know it represented a huge step up from La Parisienne.”

He added, “It was amazing how Gérald Mosse rode her and, when he asked her to quicken, she produced a huge run. You really can't ask much more than for horse and rider to do their best and that they did.”

Bradley thinks La Parisienne possesses a lot of the key attributes needed to excel in America but admitted that the lure of some of the top races in France, including the Arc, is enough for connections to leave the star filly in training there.

Kentucky-based Bradley said, “Most of the time when I buy a horse, the plan is for them to come to America in the relatively near future and, judging by her first race, after which we bought her, she certainly looked like she had the turn of foot you love to see in American turf racing. 

“In America, you absolutely need a turn of foot because of our short straights, but in Europe, the straights are much bigger and a horse who grinds it out can get there.”

He added, “She looks like she would be a good fit for America and the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. would have been a good race for her but the timeframe rules that out because there is only three weeks until that race. 

“Coming into the French Oaks, the way she had been training, I really felt that she'd finish top six or seven and, with the talent in the race, said that, if she ran a top three finish, I'd be exceedingly happy. Given the way she ran, finishing a short neck behind one of the best fillies in Europe, she stamped herself as a filly who needs to stay in France.”

La Parisienne will be aimed at the Prix Vermeille at ParisLongchamp next with Bradley revealing that her trainers believe the best is yet to come from the filly.

He said, “We will give her an easy summer and maybe look at the Prix Vermeille then we'll see what October holds. We'll look at the Prix de l'Opéra and the Arc wouldn't be out of the question. 

“Team Lerner think she will be better with cut in the ground. They all think that soft ground is what she needs and, if that is the call, the autumn could be exciting.”

The post Arc Bid “Not Out Of The Question” For French Oaks Runner-Up appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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O’Brien Could Turn to Tuesday in Bid to Win 15th Irish Derby

It hasn't been done in over 25 years, but Cazoo Oaks heroine Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) could bid to become the first filly since Balanchine (Storm Bird {Can}) in 1994 to win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Saturday, her trainer Aidan O'Brien has revealed.

Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who many believed was the ace in O'Brien's three-year-old pack, was sidelined shortly after finishing third in the 2000 Guineas and, after drawing a blank in the Derby, the master of Ballydoyle admitted that he may yet turn to the brilliant Oaks winner Tuesday in his bid to win the Irish Derby for a whopping 15th time.

A decision will be made for definite on Tuesday, according to O'Brien, who said, “It's possible we could supplement Tuesday and we'll decide in the morning.”

Last week's G2 King Edward VII S. winner Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) performed best of the O'Brien-trained colts in the Derby but never landed a blow on the winner Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) back in fifth. 

Stablemate Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), sent off 7-2 and ridden by Ryan Moore at Epsom, could only manage sixth, yet the market suggests he is the number one Irish Derby hope for Ballydoyle at odds of 9-2. 

The Ralph Beckett-trained Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), an unlucky third in the Derby, is a 5-4 favourite to gain compensation in Saturday's Curragh showpiece.

O'Brien enjoyed another successful Royal Ascot last week, once again being crowned leading trainer at the meeting over the five days, which saw him land his 900th Group or Graded race. He also moved within one of Sir Michael Stoute as the leading trainer at the fixture with his 81st winner.

Tuesday's Oaks form also took a boost on Sunday when Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), third at Epsom, stormed to French Oaks glory at Chantilly.

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