Anthony Oppenheimer

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin NEWMARKET, UK--From a muted opening, Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale picked up the pace on Wednesday with a further four seven-figure lots gracing the ring. These sparked some solid bidding wars between established superpowers such as Coolmore, Godolphin and Juddmonte, with a decent representation of newer players from Bahrain and other Gulf nations, and strong participation from American-based Mike Ryan and Chad Brown. The ripples of Frankel (GB) combined with Hascombe & Valiant Stud were felt on the turf of Longchamp...

John and Thady Gosden could have as many as four runners, led by G2 Queen's Vase hero Gregory (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), in the Sept. 16 G1 Betfred St Leger at Doncaster next Saturday. The Wathnan Racing colourbearer was most recently third to St Leger rival Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G2 Great Voltigeur S. at York last month. He will be partnered by the retiring Frankie Dettori, who has already won the Classic six times including twice for Gosden with Shantou (Alleged) in 1996 and Logician (GB)...

Almost a year on from the portentous debut win of Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at Kempton, that recently-crowned king of the staying division's more fleet-footed half-brother Lion's Pride (GB) (Roaring Lion--Crimson Ribbon, by Lemon Drop Kid) surged to TDN Rising Star status at the same venue on Wednesday evening. Having been a highly promising runner-up on debut over 10 furlongs at Newcastle in May, Anthony Oppenheimer's homebred was partnered by Robert Havlin who had also been aboard his illustrious G1 Gold Cup-winning half-sibling in that eye-catching win 10...

ASCOT, UK--Even before the action was underway on Gold Cup day, there appeared to be entertainment aplenty for the King and Queen. Sir Mark Prescott had managed to book the royal version of speedy boarding and was positioned in the first carriage with their majesties for the royal procession. This may well have been a strategic move from them in the middle of a week which requires plenty of stamina, with two processions still to come. It's a long ride by horse-drawn carriage from Windsor Great Park to Ascot Racecourse...

The winners of the Devonshire and Dominion bronzes were announced by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association on Wednesday. Prominent owner/breeder Anthony Oppenheimer was awarded the Andrew Devonshire Bronze, which is awarded for outstanding achievement and contribution to the British Thoroughbred industry. The owner of Hascombe and Valiant Stud, Oppenheimer has celebrated homebreds the likes of G1 Epsom Derby hero Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and MG1SW Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}), as well as G1 Irish Oaks heroine Star Catcher (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), just to name a few. "It...

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. Saturday's Insights features Hopefully Darling (GB), a sister to MG1SW Cracksman (GB). 11.50 Newmarket, Nov, £8,000, 2yo, f, 7fT Anthony Oppenheimer's hitherto unraced HOPEFULLY DARLING (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is a Hascombe & Valiant homebred full-sister to MG1SW sire Cracksman (GB) and represents the John Gosden-Rab Havlin axis responsible for...

John Gosden has earmarked next month's G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks as the first target for MG1SW Star Catcher (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) ahead of a potentially busy autumn campaign. Last year's G1 Irish Oaks heroine is being readied to make her comeback in the 12-furlong contest, which could potentially see her clash with stablemate, and dual G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). The Anthony Oppenheimer homebred established herself as one of the best middle-distance fillies in training after adding to her Curragh Classic success...

Saturday sees racing continue its measured defiance of the chaos around the globe, with the 241st renewal of one of the beautiful races, the G1 Investec Derby, emanating light as a beacon to the world's audience from its traditional home of Epsom Downs in Surrey. As it is, this will likely be the only post-Royal Ascot one, which adds a fascinating new dimension to a dramatically purse-reduced renewal and also to the stage-sharing G1 Investec Oaks. Due to the vagaries of the current situation, only one of the 24 colts...

The Oppenheimer Family's Hascombe and Valiant Studs has bred the winners of each of the British Classics bar one, and next Saturday it has an opportunity to complete the collection with Frankly Darling (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Investec Oaks. Kicking things off in 1982 was On The House (Fr) (Be My Guest), who was campaigned by Anthony Oppenheimer's father Sir Philip Oppenheimer and won the G1 1000 Guineas. The family also bred the G1 2000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand (GB) and G1 St Leger winner Harbour Law (GB), who...

Victor Ludorum. With such a name should we ever have doubted him? Fifteen years after his late sire Shamardal blazed to glory in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains for the first half of his own Classic double, Victor Ludorum (Ire) set up a double of a different kind at Deauville on Monday, passing the Godolphin baton to his fellow colour-bearer and last year's champion juvenile Pinatubo (Ire) to attempt to complete a posthumous Classic double for Shamardal within a week. Should the much lauded Pinatubo resurface in the manner which...

Exactly five years ago, Golden Horn (GB) led home his stable-mate Jack Hobbs (GB) for a John Gosden-trained one-two in the G2 Dante S. at York, foreshadowing the result of the Derby a little over three weeks later. Golden Horn's Classic victory ignited a glorious season for his owner-breeder Anthony Oppenheimer, whose colt by Cape Cross (Ire) represented generations of his family's Hascombe And Valiant Studs' breeding. Golden Horn went on to claim victory in the Coral-Eclipse S., Irish Champion S. and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before narrowly losing...

One of the last longstanding British-based breeding operations, Anthony Oppenheimer's Hascombe and Valiant Studs, is very much enjoying an upswing since the momentous 2015 campaign of Golden Horn (GB). As John Gosden's dynamo performed heroics in the G1 Investec Derby, G1 Eclipse S., G1 Irish Champion S. and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, he brought the red, black and white silks back to the fore. Shortly after, it was the turn of Cracksman (GB), a descendant of the late Sir Philip's 1982 1000 Guineas heroine On the House (Fr)...