Coolmore

For the second year running, the G1 Epsom Derby winner was bred from one of Coolmore's countless Galileo (Ire) mares outcrossed to an American sire line. But whereas Sunday Silence's son Deep Impact (Jpn) gave Auguste Rodin (Ire) further turf genes from his mother's European family, City Of Troy's sire is a conduit for virtually unadulterated dirt blood. Justify's first four dams are, respectively, by grandsons of Deputy Minister, Seattle Slew, Northern Dancer and Bold Ruler. The third of those names, of course, transformed the European breed, albeit alongside other...

EPSOM, UK -- Ryan Moore wouldn't admit to sleepless nights ahead of the Derby despite some intense speculation regarding his mount but he did concede, "It's the one race of the year that you want to win." Moore kept the faith, kept his head, and just like that Coolmore has another enticing stallion prospect.  The legend of Galileo still stalks the Epsom Downs some three years after the horse's death, and there he was again, as the broodmare sire of this year's Derby winner City Of Troy, just as he...

Almost certainly bred for further than the five furlongs she started over on Tuesday evening, Ballydoyle's regally-bred Truly Enchanting (Ire) (No Nay Never--Alluringly, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) duly overcame in the style of a top-class prospect to earn TDN Rising Star status in the Visit Tipperary Fillies Maiden at the Limerick Junction track. Niggled along early by Ryan Moore to keep tabs on more precocious rivals, the daughter of the Oaks third Alluringly and half-sister to the G2 Kilboy Estate S. winner Lily Pond (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) really began to...

Day two of the Curragh's Irish Guineas Festival concluded with a bang when Coolmore and Westerberg's hithero unraced 3-year-old colt Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Devoted To You {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}) outclassed nine rivals in imperious fashion to garner the €20,000 McDonnells Bar Newbridge Irish EBF Maiden and a 'TDN Rising Star' rosette. He becomes the 43rd Rising Star for the Coolmore icon. The June 21 G2 King Edward VII and June 30 G1 Irish Derby entry was swiftly away and raced in a close-up second through halfway in...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Scintilating {GB}, by Siyouni {Fr}) was usurped by Sparkling Sea (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) on debut at Naas last month and returned over the same six-furlong strip to exact revenge on that reopposing rival in Sunday's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint. Ryan Moore was keen to settle the 6-5 favourite into a smooth rhythm and anchored his mount at the tail of the six-runner field through the initial exchanges of this straight dash. Easing closer onto the heels of the...

2nd-Churchill Downs, $116,625, Msw, 5-16, 2yo, 5f, :57.98, ft, 1 length. ENDURING SPIRIT (c, 2, Tiz the Law--Life Starts, by Into Mischief) was let go at odds of 16-1 with an educational debut run under his belt and became the first winner for his freshman sire (by Constitution) with a front-running success in Thursday's second race from Churchill Downs. Seventh after showing some early dash in his Apr. 10 unveiling over a sloppy Keeneland main track, the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate got drier underfoot conditions this time around and was...

Bet down from a 9-2 morning line into a 'they-knew' 7-5 at the off, Donegal Racing's Donegal Momentum (c, 3, Uncle Mo--Moon Dash, by Malibu Moon) never truly looked like losing his racetrack debut Thursday afternoon, kicking on full of run into the final furlong and a half to score by 8 1/4 lengths to become the latest 'TDN Rising Star' for his exceptional Coolmore-based stallion. Having flashed a fair bit of ability as far back as March when training at Tom Morley's winter base at the Fair Grounds, he...

Juddmonte's G1 Irish Oaks and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares runner-up Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}--Emulous {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) had failed to get her nose in front since attaining 'TDN Rising Star' status at Salisbury in September 2022, but bounced back from six straight stakes defeats to outshine all four rivals with a dominant display in Thursday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Fillies' S. at York. Positioned in a handy third through the halfway mark of this extended 10-furlong contest, the 5-2 second favourite loomed large racing hard...

Peter Harris's 4-year-old Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}--Swirral Edge {GB}, by Hellvelyn {GB}), who ran second to the reopposing Washington Heights (GB) (Washington DC {Ire}) in last month's G3 Abernant S. at Newmarket on seasonal return, stepped forward to claim a last-gasp victory in a dramatic renewal of Wednesday's G2 1895 Duke of York Clipper S. at York. The Jane Chapple-Hyam trainee annexed Deauville's G3 Prix de Meautry and Listed Prix Moonlight Cloud in seven sophomore starts before undergoing a wind operation at the end of last year. Mill Stream...

Having long served as Champion Bore regarding the schism between gene pools either side of the Atlantic, I always find it curious that Europeans so readily shed their inhibitions about American stallions once a 2-year-old is introduced to their domestic market by a compatriot pinhooker. That's presumably because they are nowadays so enslaved by the clock--whatever their contrary claims--that pedigree has almost been neutralized at 2-year-old sales. Functionality is all. Admittedly an elite sire will put a premium on a bullet time. But just as unfashionable local stallions have achieved...

Norman Williamson set a new record for the highest-priced horse sold at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale when his Justify colt was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for €2.3 million on what was a banner day for the stallion.  The result came less than an hour after Eddie O'Leary broke his own personal record for the highest priced achieved at a breeze-up sale when his Lynn Lodge Stud-consigned Justify colt went the way of Alex Elliott on behalf of Amo Racing for €1 million before the same...

Coolmore's Capulet (Justify--Wedding Vow {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) followed up an Aug. 15 debut victory at Dundalk with placed efforts in September's G2 Golden Fleece S. and G2 Royal Lodge S., and went postward for Thursday's Listed Boodles Raindance Dee S. at Chester coming back off a third over one mile at Chelmsford, behind the reopposing Bracken's Laugh (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), on sophomore return last month. Sent into an immediate lead by Ryan Moore, the 7-2 chance held sway throughout the extended 10-furlong test and stayed on relentlessly under continued...