Australian racing

Three years ago, Darley's Sales Manager Darren Fox boarded a plane for Australia to see if  Astern (Aus), their highly-rated son of Medaglia d'Oro, could be a good fit for the American roster. "Upon making the trip to Australia to make sure he would work physically, it took all of about three seconds of looking at Astern to say, 'Yes, this horse will work in America,'" Fox recalled. "He has a lot of attributes that we look for and he was, in any jurisdiction, a high-level, high-performing racehorse. So it...

G3 Chester Vase S. winner and G1SP Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) has been purchased by trainer Ciaron Maher and owner Ozzie Kheir and will race Down Under, Racing.com reported on Tuesday. The 4-year-old, who was fifth in the G1 Epsom Derby and fourth in the G1 St Leger at three, will enter quarantine in September and is a potential G1 Cox Plate starter. Resuming in March, the former Coolmore partners' runner was second in the Listed Devoy S. at Naas, second again in the Listed Wolferton S. at Royal...

Greg Fox, a Kentucky-based veterinarian who was also a MGSW Thoroughbred trainer for a stint in the mid-2000s, can trace his fascination with the science behind fitness to his days as a kid growing up near Boston, when he first figured out he was not genetically or physically destined to become the great basketball player he envisioned he would be. Pro basketball's loss just might end up being horse racing's gain, because for the past three decades Fox has committed himself to a better understanding of the Thoroughbred athlete through...

It's a move that has already worked well for Johnny Allen, and swapping Ireland for Australia also seems to be paying off for Robbie Dolan. Champion apprentice last year in Sydney, Dolan is attached to the rising stable of successful jockey-turned-trainer Mark Newnham, who has boxes at both Randwick and Warwick Farm. The pair combined last Saturday to win the G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint with Splintex (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) to give Dolan the biggest win of his career to date during the second weekend of The Championships. "That was my...

Hollie Doyle is keeping herself in the groove to make sure she is ready for the resumption of racing--whenever that might be. Doyle, 23, is riding out every day and will be primed for a return to action once the go ahead is received on the track. "There's not a lot we can do really--we've got to keep the horses going," said the record-breaking jockey. "I'm just riding out every day and getting my exercise--at least we're all in the same position. I rode out for Archie Watson [on Monday]....

British jockey Tom Marquand, who is currently riding in Australia, booted home a pair of Group 3 winners at Rosehill on Saturday-2-year-old colt Holyfield (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) in the G3 Schweppervescence H. (video) and Vegadaze (Aus) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in the G3 Star Kingdom S. (video) later on the card. Marquand earned his first Group 1 win aboard Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) in the G1 Ranvet S. last Saturday. Raced by Aquis Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbred, who secured the G1 Golden Slipper with Farnan (Aus) (Not a...

In this new series we sit down with a selection of Europeans making a significant impression in the Thoroughbred industry on foreign shores. Today we have France's Louis Le Metayer in the hot seat. Position: Astute Bloodstock, an  independent bloodstock agency. Original Hometown: I grew up in a small village in the southern part of Normandy called Colombiers. It's a region where horses are a very big part of the local culture. If you drive from Colombiers to Deauville (130km) you are pretty much guaranteed to see a stud farm,...