Campanelle (Ire)

The Fasig-Tipton November Sale, also known as the 'Night of the Stars,' has officially opened nominations for the 2023 edition, which will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7 at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. Nominations can be made by visiting fasigtipton.com. "We advertise the Fasig-Tipton November Sale as the world's premier breeding stock event, and for good reason," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "It provides an atmosphere of electricity unlike any other Thoroughbred auction in the world, providing sellers with the strongest market for quality out there." The top-class sale is always...

Globe-trotting MG1SW and highweight Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) matched the top price paid (so far) at Fasig-Tipton November Sunday when Coolmore's M.V. Magnier came out on top of a spirited duel to land the Stonestreet colorbearer for $5 million. Seventh in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, the Wesley Ward-trained millionaire was consigned as hip 272 by Eaton Sales and offered as a racing or broodmare prospect. She was purchased for the equivalent of $243,773 by Ben McElroy as a Tattersalls October yearling.

To say that trainer Wesley Ward knows his way around turf sprinters is an understatement. To underscore the point, Ward has annexed the last three editions of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and will try to add a record fourth consecutive win in the race with Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), Arrest Me Red (Pioneerof the Nile) and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Adding even great importance to this year's renewal, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg Ltd.'s 4-year-old--already a two-time Breeders' Cup winner following victories in the...

Tuesday's G1 King's Stand S. was a reminder, if it was needed, that Antipodean sprinters operate at an elevated level compared to the majority of their European counterparts and the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. which dominates the closing day of Royal Ascot 2022 could serve to underline that. While he may have been lucky to defeat stablemate Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) in the Feb. 19 G1 Black Caviar Lightning, Home Affairs (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) who had earlier captured the G1 Coolmore Stud S. also at Flemington still...

The well-established team of Wesley Ward and Irad Ortiz Jr. will joins forces for the upcoming Royal meeting, which begins June 14. Ward, who became the first American-based trainer to saddle a winner at the Royal Ascot in 2009, confirmed that Ortiz will partner all five of his contenders next week. A three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey in the U.S., the Puerto Rican native will be making is debut at the meet. "He's won all over in America and he's just a phenomenal rider who rides with extreme patience," explained Ward....

Since he won his first ever race at Royal Ascot in 2009, trainer Wesley Ward has attacked the meeting with quantity and quality and the result has been 12 wins. But he says this year's group, which will consist of at least seven horses, is the best he has ever sent overseas for what is the U.K.'s premier race meeting. "I have never been as strong as this," he said. The surprise is that Ward's group of 2-year-olds, usually his strong suit, is not deep. He only has two, 'TDN...

Deauville stages the G1 LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest on Sunday, where David Ward's G1 July Cup hero Starman (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) has to tackle testing ground as he bids to put his marker down on the sprinting division. Beaten only once when encountering soft going in Ascot's G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint S., the 4-year-old nevertheless carries significant stable confidence into the 6 1/2-furlong highlight. "He's in cracking form and we're super excited, so fingers crossed," trainer Ed Walker said. "Everything has gone very well since the July...

Royal Ascot 2021 cannot be accused of lacking melodrama, especially in the 24 hours from Thursday's Gold Cup to Friday's G1 Commonwealth Cup, with the monstrous monsoon and grim skies the backdrop for an epic renewal of the meeting's premier 3-year-old sprint. As the TDN Rising Stars Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) drove past the post, it was the former who was announced the winner by a head but after an agonising spell for connections of the transatlantic duo the stewards duly reversed the...

When Napa Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) won Friday's first race at Keeneland, bloodstock agent Ben McElroy was more relieved than ecstatic. Some six months earlier, he purchased Napa Spirit at the Goffs Orby Yearling sale in Ireland with a set goal in mind. He was looking for a unique type of horse, one that could win in the U.S. and Europe, would be fast and precocious, like the grass and be a good fit for the Royal Ascot meet. Friday's win was the latest sign that he had more...

Group 1 winner Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Breeders' Cup victor Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) are both targeting the 2021 Royal Ascot meeting trainer Wesley Ward has announced. The filly, a Stonestreet Stables colourbearer, will line up for the G1 Commonwealth Cup during the Royal Meeting. In 2020, Campanelle captured the G3 Queen Mary S. and then returned to Europe to add the G1 Prix Morny to her haul later in the summer. Although she has been entered in the G1 1000 Guineas and Irish equivalent, it is more likely...

Breeders' Cup hero Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) is targetting the G1 King's Stand S. as his long term goal. Second on debut, the Ranlo Investments colourbearer filled that position again in the G2 Norfolk S. at this year's Royal Meeting before returning Stateside to take the Skidmore S. at Saratoga in September. Brought back to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup, he turned in a solid effort to win the G2 BC Juvenile Turf Sprint on Nov. 6. Another likely Royal Ascot contender is Stonestreet Stables' G1SW Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB})....

Undefeated Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) will head straight to the Nov. 6 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland after connections decided to forego next weekend's G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket. Campaigned by Stonestreet Stables, the Wesley Ward-trained filly broke her maiden at Gulfstream Park May 31 before taking the G2 Queen Mary S. during the Royal meeting at Ascot June 20. In her latest start at Deauville Aug. 23, she gave her trainer his third victory in the G1 Darley Prix Morny. "We took her out of...