Ascot

Storm Babet has decided the final shape of the fields for Saturday's Qipco Champions Day fixture, with the softening ground ruling Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) out of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and making up Aidan O'Brien's mind as to where to point Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}). That four-times group 1 winner takes up his engagement in the QEII, leaving a total of nine to take part in the G1 Qipco Champion S. Heading the list for the 10-furlong highlight is last year's winner Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay...

Multiple Group 1 winner Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will run in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day, owner Blue Diamond Stud announced via X (Twitter) on Wednesday evening. "Confirmed: Nashwa will run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday," Imad Al Sagar's operation tweeted. Al Sagar's homebred won both the G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Nassau S. as a 3-year-old for John and Thady Gosden. She added her third Group 1 in the Falmouth S. this July, and has...

RaceTech and Ascot Racecourse (ARL) renewed a long-term partnership covering an extensive range of services at the Berkshire course. Beginning immediately, the new agreement will see RaceTech continue to provide full outside broadcast facilities, integrity coverage, in-house programming and other essential racecourse services such as photo finish, race timing and the starting stalls operation. John Bozza, RaceTech CEO, said: "We look forward to supporting this next contract cycle and building on our reputation as the technical service provider of choice for UK racing with innovation very much at the forefront."...

Listed winner Purosangue (GB) (Aclaim {Ire}) (lot 5) is a new addition to the upcoming Goffs QIPCO Champions Day Sale at Ascot on Saturday, Oct. 21. The wildcard landed last weekend's Listed Rockingham S. at York. He was previously thrice runner-up in the Listed Rosebery S., the Listed Roses S., and the G3 Molecomb S. Consigned by Andrew Balding's Park House Stables, the 2-year-old is from the family of stakes winners Saigon (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}) and Tabaret (GB) (Bertolini). The sale will begin at 11:10 a.m. on Saturday prior...

Group 3 winner Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) will likely start next in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on British Champions S. Day at Ascot if the anticipated wet weather holds, Team Valor's Barry Irwin said Sunday. The 4-year-old gelding was most recently third behind Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Prix Du Moulin de Longchamp on Sept. 3. "It's the plan and he could run on any type of surface, but he's better with some give in the ground and the wetter the better, like when he...

The Rogues Gallery's Rogue Lightning (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) will be offered at the Goffs QIPCO British Champions Day Sale prior to racing at Ascot on Saturday, Oct. 21. Bred by Airlie Stud, the crack sprinter won the Listed Scarbrough S. over the minimum trip at Doncaster last month, prior to being a fast-finishing fifth in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye at ParisLongchamp on Oct. 1. The 3-year-old gelding is rated 119 by Timeform. The full catalogue for the boutique horses-in-training sale will be available on Monday and entries are still...

Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud silks will be carried by his star filly Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for another year, but the multiple Group 1 winner will skip the Breeders' Cup in favour of competing at QIPCO British Champions Day later this month, The Sun reported on Thursday. Both the one-mile G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. or the 1 1/4-mile G1 QIPCO Champion S. are under consideration for the 4-year-old at Ascot on Oct. 21. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the regular mount of Hollie Doyle was third...

From being branded a bit of a tearaway, Quinault (Ger) is now simply a runaway winner. In fact, he is the winningmost horse in Britain and Ireland this season, with seven victories from his 10 starts in 2023 for Newmarket trainer Stuart Williams. The Oasis Dream (GB) three-year-old racked up an impressive string of six wins from April 27 to July 13 before finishing third in the Shergar Cup Sprint. Last weekend he returned to Ascot, and to the winner's enclosure, in the hands of Williams's apprentice Luke Catton, who...

Four-time Group 1 winner Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) will be freshened until a likely start on QIPCO British Champions Day in October, trainer Aidan O'Brien revealed. After breaking his maiden at second asking at two, the Coolmore partners runner won his first six starts at three, including the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, G1 St James's Palace S., G1 Eclipse and the G1 Sussex S. He suffered only his second career loss when a game third to Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Juddmonte International S. at York on Wednesday....

Coming in off a gate-to-wire victory in the Tyro S. on July 30, No Nay Mets (Ire) (No Nay Never) looks to extend his record to three-for-four in Friday's Skidmore S. at Saratoga. Trainer George Weaver was so impressed with his juvenile pupil's recent performance at Monmouth Park that he decided to send the two-time stakes winner to another start less than three weeks after seeing the winner's circle. "It's hard early on with these 2-year-old races to know exactly what you're running against, but when you win by five...

Team Ladies accumulated 78 point to just edge Team Rest of the World by five points to take the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday. Hollie Doyle and Saffie Osborne each rode two winners on the day, and Doyle scored points with each of her five rides, resulting in her first Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle, awarded to the day's leading rider. Her points total for the day stands at 48. After winning with The Very Man (Ire) (Jeremy) and Regal Empire (Ire) (Farhh {GB}) in the Dubai...

After all that build-up, Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Qipco S. had to live up to the billing and it managed it with a stirring finale provided by Shadwell's Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}--Aghareed, by Kingmambo) and Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) as the older horses ruled the roost at Ascot. Kept away from fast ground after his defeat of Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. at Sandown in May, the Owen Burrows-trained full-brother to Baaeed (GB) would have been any...