Europe

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...

Thursday's G3 Bahrain Turf Club Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown sees the return of Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}) following her disappointing effort in the Oaks, but this will be no soft reintroduction for Ballydoyle's G1 Fillies' Mile winner with fellow TDN Rising Star Galen (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}) lying in wait. Back at a mile for her comeback, having been injured at Epsom, Ylang Ylang was previously fifth in the 1,000 Guineas and that would normally be a standard-setting performance in this type of race but Galen has caught up quick...

Guy Lavender has been appointed the new chief executive officer of Cheltenham Racecourse, The Jockey Club announced on Wednesday. He will begin his new role early next year, working alongside Cheltenham managing director Ian Renton. The duo will coordinate the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, and Renton, who has served in his role since 2012, will remain involved at the racecourse in an advisory capacity at least through the event. Lavender was previously the CEO and secretary of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) since 2017 and since 2022 has been a committee...

A consultation paper covering the state of New Zealand jumps racing was issued by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), and industry participants and racegoers are all being given a chance to decide the beleaguered sport's future, the New Zealand Herald reported earlier this week. The NZTR is asking for feedback from any interested parties on whether the sport should continue differently or be wound down over the next few seasons. Participation in the sport has halved across most metrics in New Zealand when compared to just 10 years ago. One...

Just two days prior to the second hearing of the inquiry into the proposed sale of Rosehill Racecourse, independent NSW MP Mark Latham called for the resignation of Racing NSW CEO Peter V'Landys during a private member's statement in the upper house on Wednesday, TTR AusNZ reported. V'landys is set to attend the hearing at New South Wales Parliament on Friday, as will other high profile attendees like trainer Chris Waller. Latham's accusations were due to issues of "nepotism, regulatory abuse, and a lack of financial accountability" revealed during a...

The Racing Welfare Jurassic Coast Challenge will be held on Sunday, Sept. 29, and the deadline to register is Friday, Aug. 9. The charity fundraiser features participants following a route along the South West Coast Path beginning at Durdle Door and finish in Swanage. The route covers 20 miles and 1,443 metres of ascent. Open to teams and individuals, this is a fully guided challenge from event partner Large Outdoors. Registration on the day of the event will open at 5:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to complete the trek by...

A galaxy of well-bred potential stars featured in the release of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 catalogue on Wednesday, headed by the Frankel (GB) sister to Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista (GB), which had already been announced last week. The Book 1 catalogue boats 21 yearlings by Dubawi (Ire), 25 Frankels, 26 by Kingman (GB), 29 by Lope De Vega (Ire) while fellow top-notchers Sea The Stars (Ire) [22], Siyouni (Fr) [10] and Wootton Bassett (GB) [23] are similarly well-represented. The catalogue features own or half-brothers...

A majority share in French 2000 Guineas hero Metropolitan (Fr)'s stallion rights has been purchased by Haras d'Etreham, the stud announced on Wednesday. The 3-year-old will stand alongside Almanzor (Fr), City Light (Fr), Hello Youmzain (Fr), Onesto (Ire), Persian King (Ire), and Victor Ludorum upon retirement. Bred by Stuart McPhee and raced by Peter Bradley and Scuderia Scolari, the son of Zarak (Fr) was unbeaten in a pair of juvenile starts, and won the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains second up in May. Third in the G1 St James's Palace...

The annual dispersal of Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud is set to be a highlight of the Tattersalls Online August Sale when it takes place on August 14-15. The full catalogue will be published on Thursday, August 8. The dispersal comprises of eight lots and is headed by the Grade 1 winner Beacon Edge (Ire) (Doyen {Ire}), who was most recently seen finishing fourth in a Listed handicap hurdle at last week's Galway Festival. He gained his sole victory at the top level when winning the Drinmore Novice Chase at...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has published its fixture list for 2025, which, with 1,460 fixtures throughout the year, sees a reduction of eight meetings from those scheduled for 2024. Premier Racedays will receive an extra 10% in prize-money for next year, which is the second of a two-year trial launched in January 2024 in a bid to to "enhance the quality and competitiveness of [British] racing, increase customer engagement and improve the financial returns to those who own, train and run their horses here in Britain" as part of the...

Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes winner Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) "is not finished" for the season, according to trainer Richard Hannon, despite conflicting reports appearing elsewhere in the media. Rosallion was a last minute withdrawal from the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood last week and Hannon admitted to being unsure whether the horse would be seen on a racecourse again this season when asked about the colt's next target. Next month's Prix Du Moulin at ParisLongchamp was mooted as a suitable option for Rosallion's comeback, but that...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victories of Halfway Line and City Exile, both trained by Phil D'Amato, at Del Mar.   Zoffany Gelding Strikes At Del Mar James Downey's stakes-placed Halfway Line (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) took three tries, but came away with his first American win at Del Mar for trainer Phil D'Amato in late July (video). Bred by Juddmonte Farms, the 4-year-old gelding won thrice and placed in the...