Coolmore

Yuesheng Zhang's Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Night Lagoon {Ger}, by Lagunas {GB}) displayed a willing attitude when annexing last month's G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot and her determination was to the fore again as she refused to yield and battled gamely to a career high in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh. Last term's G3 Flame of Tara S. victrix went off as the 5-4 favourite, in the absence of Epsom's G1 Oaks exacta Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), and...

Westerberg and Coolmore's 450,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling Hans Andersen (GB) (Frankel {GB}--Shadow Hunter {Ire}, by Arcano {Ire}) gained much benefit for his debut run, tackling an extended seven furlongs at Tipperary last month, and earned a 'TDN Rising Star' badge with a dominant display down to seven furlongs for Saturday's Juddmonte Farms Expert Eye Irish EBF (C&G) Maiden at the Curragh. The 10-11 favourite was sharply into stride to gain immediate control. Nudged along when the pack threatened approaching the quarter-mile marker, he held a comfortable buffer entering...

Already off to a hot start with his first-crop runners that includes a Group 2 winner in Ireland, Triple Crown winner Justify wasted no time putting an American graded stakes win on the board as his daughter Just Cindy kicked clear late to take Thursday's opening-day GIII Schuylerville S. at Saratoga, the first graded event for juveniles run in North America in 2022. Unveiled as a poorly-kept secret at 6-5 going 5 1/2 furlongs June 17 at Churchill Downs, the Clarkland Farm homebred settled off the pace professionally and drew...

Delivering the potent acceleration that had seen her claim joint-champion status among the juvenile fillies in the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket in September, TDN Rising Star Tenebrism (Caravaggio) was firmly in command under optimum conditions in Deauville's seven-furlong G1 Haras d'Etreham Prix Jean Prat on Sunday. Able to draft in mid-pack early, Ballydoyle's 13-2 shot who sports the Westerberg silks was unleashed between Lusail (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Rozgar (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and after gaining the lead 100 metres from the line stayed on strongly to...

If this is seeing the future, then maybe it really will work. Among all these tiny, straggling groups negotiating the arid wastes of the dirt stakes program, we finally reach a true oasis in the GI Caesars Belmont Derby Inv. Here is a field that matches quality with quantity: a win for the owners, and a win for the bettors. It is also, lest we forget, staged on a benign surface. As such, it is also a win for a whole community that needs to present its way of life...

Wielding great might in Europe, the Aidan O'Brien arsenal has also proven one to be respected in many of the nation's top turf contests. That influence will once again be in evidence this weekend with the appearance of Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Concert Hall (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who arrived in New York Wednesday and are slated to contest Saturday's 10-furlong first legs of NYRA's Caesars Turf Triple series. The former, bred and co-owned by Peter Brant with Coolmore partners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg,...

Most Mondays are utterly forgettable. Not in the case of Ian Thompson, manager at Tinnakill House Stud who, along with his boss Dermot Cantillon, kick-started the week in style after Dornoch Castle (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), bred by the pair, confirmed himself a hugely promising colt in winning unchallenged at Ayr.  Shortly after Dornoch Castle coasted home to win for the second time from as many outings, his trainer Mark Johnston revealed that he has some major ambitions for the 2-year-old, mainly the G2 Vintage S. at Goodwood.  If you thought...

Hamburg's new starting stalls, wider than before, were the reason for a near 30-minute delay to Sunday's G1 IDEE 153rd Deutsches Derby and course technicians worked furiously on making necessary adjustments to the running rail so that they would fit the track. In the €650,000 contest itself, it was a matter of millimetres at the finish too as Gestut Park Wiedingen's G2 Union-Rennen victor Sammarco (Ire) (Camelot {GB) denied the Markus Klug-trained duo Schwarzer Peter (Ger) (Neatico {Ger}) and So Moonstruck (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) in a thrilling conclusion...

Bernd and Ute Schone may sound an unlikely couple to be putting County Offaly in lights. However, the husband-and-wife team, who hail from Germany but have based themselves in the village of Rhode for over a decade, boast the rare achievement of breeding a Group 1 winner after their graduate La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}) stormed to Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. glory at the Curragh on Sunday.  Ute Schone, who runs the farm alongside her husband Bernd, described La Petite Coco's Group 1 victory as "a...

Kept at home as Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) went to Royal Ascot, TDN Rising Star Statuette (Justify--Immortal Verse {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) was able to comfortably follow her stablemate's lead by taking Sunday's G2 Airlie Stud S. at The Curragh. Already the focus of attention on breeding, the chestnut put fuel on the fire with a fluent win on debut over an extended five furlongs at Navan May 28 and travelled easily throughout the early stages of this six-furlong contest formerly known as the Balanchine. Asked to take closer...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Aikhal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Diamond Fields {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who ran fourth in last term's G3 Autumn S. and G1 Criterium International, came back off a 234-day sabbatical to finish last of 11 in this month's G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot and bounced back in style to register a career high in Saturday's G3 ARM Holding International S. on the G1 Irish Derby undercard. Stalking the pace in second until sent to the fore approaching the quarter-mile pole, the 20-1 chance quickened in...

Keeneland, which is preparing to host its third Breeders' Cup championship weekend in November, will offer 22 stakes races worth a record $8.75 million at its upcoming Fall Meet, which runs from Oct. 7-29. The Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund is contributing $1.3 million to Fall Meet stakes purses, pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, and purses for every stakes race have increased for 2022. "Keeneland has planned a Fall Meet that promises to be better than ever," Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. "Adjustments made to the...