Europe

The celebrity teams for Hurling for Cancer Research, set for Netwatch Cullen Park on Monday Aug. 12, were revealed by Jim Bolger and Davy Russell on Thursday. The event, which starts at 7 p.m. aids the Irish Cancer Society and will be broadcast on TG4 for the first time. To date, Hurling for Cancer Research has raised an incredible €1.5m for cancer research. Liam Griffin and Brian Cody wil act as Bainisteoirí. Others signed on include John Kiely, Mark Landers, Jimmy Barry Murphy, Paul Townend, Rachael Blackmore, Bernard Dunne, Cora...

A total of 172 horses, including Group 1 winner Dubai Mile (Ire) (Roaring Lion) (lot 172) have been catalogued for the Tattersalls Online August Sale. The sale begins at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 14 and ends beginning at noon on Thursday, Aug. 15. There are 139 horses in/out of training, 16 broodmares, nine stores, four yearlings, three foals, and the aforementioned Dubai Mile, who will be offered by Martyn Meade's Manton Park Stud, where he stood his first season in 2024. Baroda Stud will consign Useful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot...

Last year's renewal of Leopardstown's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden was garnered by subsequent G3 Gallinule Stakes victor Chief Little Rock (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Thursday's latest edition witnessed the 'TDN Rising Star' performance of Adrian Murray trainee and G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes entry Hill Road (Quality Road--Exotic Notion, by Lemon Drop Kid). Hill Road, a $350,000 Keeneland September yearling who registered a May 27 Naas barrier-trial 'win' between missed engagements at the Curragh in May and June, broke well and raced in a handy third after the initial...

Group 1 winner Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will race for the Al Riffa Syndicate and Masaaki Matsushima beginning in Sunday's G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin. The Joseph O'Brien trainee's long-term goal remains the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Matsushima has already enjoyed some success in Europe as the part-owner of G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}). The 4-year-old won the G1 National Stakes at two, and added runner-up finishes in both the G3 International S. and G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano. Fourth in the...

It's usually the jockeys who dominate the headlines at Ascot's Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup fixture, but the Jim Goldie-trained Jordan Electrics (GB) will be well worth a few column inches of his own should the eight-year-old continue his remarkable winning sequence when he teams up with the British-born, Australian-based Rachel King in Saturday's 'Dash' run over five furlongs. When Jordan Electrics made his first appearance of 2024 at Musselburgh in April, he did so as an admirable sprinter--the sort of horse anybody would love to own as the winner...

Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), who won the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, has received a mark of 125, good for second in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings. Leading the list is G1 Dubai World Cup hero Laurel River (Into Mischief) at 128, while G1 Derby and G1 Eclipse Stakes victor City Of Troy (Justify) and UAE and Hong Kong Group 1 winner Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) are both tied for third on a mark of 123. In a five-way tie for fifth, Group 1 winner...

World Pool will be part of the G1 Irish St Leger Day at the Curragh on Sept. 15 for the first time, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Thursday. It is one of three race meetings the globally commingled pools will be active at across the world that weekend, joining G1 Irish Champions Day on Sept. 14 and Makybe Diva Stakes Day at Flemington in Australia earlier that same day. With this addition, the entire Irish Champions Weekend will be part of the World Pool for the first...

After a bidding battle, the star mare Prowess (NZ) (Proisir {Aus}) was snapped up for NZ$1,452,500 (€796,747) by an entity under the name Downtown from the Gavelhouse Plus standalone auction. The bidding was active between several parties, including underbidders Cambridge Stud, but Downtown responded to the increments and added the dual Group 1 winner to their broodmare band. Prowess retired with eight victories from 12 starts, ranging in distances from 1200 to 2050 metres. She was crowned the Champion Middle Distance Horse in New Zealand and claimed two Group 1...

Ciaran Flynn has been appointed general manager of Navan Racecourse, it was announced by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday. Flynn will take up his position with immediate effect and succeeds Aidan McGarry, who was in May named as the new general manager of Naas Racecourse. Flynn has worked in the sport industry since 2013 and held various operational roles in high performance sport with Paralympics Ireland, Tennis Ireland and the Sport Ireland Institute. He has held the role of operations lead at Navan since 2022. "I'm thrilled to be...

Jean-Claude Rouget, one of the most successful trainers in French racing history, is set to join forces with Jerome Reynier with the pair set to operate from a joint licence from January 1, 2025.  Rouget, 71, has training bases in Pau and Deauville and has managed the careers of some of the game's biggest stars, including  Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners Sottsass (Fr) and Ace Impact (Ire). The four-time champion trainer in France announced back in May that he had been suffering from exhaustion and was set to follow...

John and Thady Gosden have opted to replace Kieran Shoemark with Ryan Moore for the ride aboard Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in Sunday's Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville. The prospect of Shoemark being replaced aboard Inspiral, who was well-held by Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) when last seen in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot was raised earlier this week by the owners Cheveley Park Stud. Confirming the switch, Cheveley Park's Chris Richardson said, "Ryan Moore rides Inspiral in the Prix Jacques le Marois on Sunday."...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred 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 an expensive auction purchase. 18.45 Sandown, Mdn,, £10,000, 2yo, 8fT DUNAMASE (IRE) (Kingman {GB}) debuts in the Wathnan silks in this maiden won in recent times by Too Darn Hot (GB) and Westover (GB), having cost the operation 500,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1. Introduced by Too...