Blue Rose Cen (Ire)

As Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}--Queen Blossom {Ire}, by Jeremy) dominated the final 300 metres of Sunday's G1 Prix de Diane Longines, there was time for collective appreciation of the arrival of a new starlet for France. In pounding her peers in Chantilly's 10 1/2-furlong Classic by upwards of four lengths, the early gift from the racing gods to Leopoldo Fernández Pujals's fledgling breeding operation entered revered territory as only the fourth to add this prize to the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Doing...

Beaten only once since her debut and now the proud owner of two Group 1 titles including the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) goes into the unknown on Sunday as she bids to extend her tally in Chantilly's G1 Prix de Diane Longines. So assured at ParisLongchamp, where she also garnered the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day, the G3 Prix d'Aumale in September and G3 Prix de la Grotte in April, Yeguada Centurion SL's prized homebred now has to conquer new territory and...

by Emma Berry & Heather Anderson From homebreds, to pricy auction purchases, the 15 G1 Prix de Diane Longines's contenders run the gamut of backgrounds. G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches victress Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) will try to add another Classic to her resume, but she faces strong competition in the form of the unbeaten Jannah Rose (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), and the Gosdens' Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion) among others.   NOVAKAI (GB), Lope De Vega (Ire)--Elasia (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) Owner/Breeder: Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum Trainer: Karl...

There were the usual winners and losers in equal measure during Thursday's draw for Chantilly's G1 Prix de Diane Longines, with David Howden's Listed Pretty Polly S. winner Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion) receiving stall 12 of 15 in Sunday's 10 1/2-furlong Classic. Despite that unfavourable post position and her antics in the starting gate ahead of the Epsom Oaks, the John and Thady Gosden trainee is deemed the likely favourite ahead of Yeguada Centurion SL's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) who drew...

There were no complications other than a slightly tardy break for Yeguada Centurion SL's Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}--Queen Blossom {Ire}, by Jeremy) in Sunday's G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches as the admirably straightforward as well as high-class 3-5 favourite ruled the roost once again at ParisLongchamp. Needing stoking up at the start by Aurelien Lemaitre to race in the box seat behind the leader Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), the homebred who had mastered the course-and-distance G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G3 Prix de la Grotte attacked that...

   As it was at Newmarket, ParisLongchamp's ground is going to take some getting through for the protagonists in Sunday's G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and it is safe to say that appreciation of give underfoot is essential. That applies to several of the star colts and fillies lining up for the first domestic Classics and it is certain to be no worse than the testing going that Isaac Shelby (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) had to deal with at Newbury last...

by Heather Anderson & Brian Sheerin    Yeguada Centurion's Group 1 winner Blue Rose Cen has already prepped for this race with a 1 1/2-length victory in the G3 Prix de la Grotte in April, however Lindy ran second that day and reopposes on Sunday. The Coolmore partners run Never Ending Story in this fillies' Classic, and she, too, enters off a win--the G3 1000 Guineas Trial S. at Leopardstown.   SWINGALONG (IRE), Showcasing (GB)--Pilates (Ire) (Shamardal) Owner: Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum Breeder: Mountarmstrong Stud Trainer: Karl Burke Sales...

   Sandwiched in between the Derby and Oaks trials of Chester and York, Lingfield stages its own prep races for both Epsom Classics on Saturday before Classic action unfolds again in France on Sunday. It was only four years ago that Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Anapurna (GB) (Frankel {GB}) revived the Listed Derby and Oaks Trials by doubling up on the first Friday and Saturday in June and with the major yards represented close inspection is required. In the Derby Trial, the two colts who went to...

Returning to the same ParisLongchamp course and mile distance over which she had dominated the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day, Yeguada Centurion SL's Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}--Queen Blossom {Ire}, by Jeremy) continued where she left off with an all-the-way success in the G3 Prix de la Grotte on Sunday. Sporting a red hood for the preliminaries, the even-money favourite was sent straight to the front by Aurelien Lemaitre and was asked to extend two out. Responding generously without the need for the whip, the bay had...

After the success for Nurlan Bizakov in the Lagardere, it was the turn of another rising force in French breeding Yeguada Centurion to enjoy the limelight as Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) lit up ParisLongchamp in the G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac, a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland in November. Coming off a course-and-distance win in the G3 Prix d'Aumale Sept. 8, the Christopher Head trainee had the perfect tow in third as Aurelien Lemaitre contained her enthusiasm. Let loose...

Yeguada Centurion's homebred 2-year-old filly Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}--Queen Blossom {Ire}, by Jeremy), who followed up wins at Saint-Cloud in June and at Clairefontaine in July with a runner-up finish in Deauville's Aug. 20 Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage in her latest start, made her experience tell in Thursday's G3 Prix d'Aumale at ParisLongchamp and surged to a career high in the one-mile fillies' test. The 13-5 second favourite was steadied to track the leaders in third after an alert getaway. Coming under pressure to reduce...

Delivering Saxon Warrior (Jpn) with a breakthrough first black-type winner at Deauville on Saturday, Victoria Road (Ire) took the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage at a mile to also crown a memorable afternoon for Aidan O'Brien who had enjoyed a clean sweep of the 2-year-old contests at The Curragh. Always prominent under Ioritz Mendizabal, the 4-1 shot who had broken his maiden at the fifth attempt 10 days previously over seven furlongs at Gowran Park worked his way to the front inside the last 100 metres and mastered...