Coolmore

Aidan O'Brien trainee The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}--What A Home {Ire}, by Lope De Vega {Ire}), a €375,000 Goffs Orby yearling, attained 'TDN Rising Star' status with an impressive debut display tackling seven furlongs at the Curragh last month and stepped forward to deliver a track-record performance over the same trip in Wednesday's G3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes at York. The 2-1 second favourite was swiftly into stride and raced on the front end from flagfall in this one-turn test. Nudged along when threatened passing the quarter-mile...

Coolmore's G1 Derby and G1 Eclipse hero City Of Troy (Justify) is set to face one dozen rivals from stall five in Wednesday's G1 Juddmonte International after 13 were declared for the £1.25-million feature on the opening day of York's Ebor Festival. Trainer Aidan O'Brien will also be represented by Hans Andersen (GB) (Frankel {GB}) after trimming weekend winner Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and G1 Irish Derby victor Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) from his overnight team of four. The home defence is headed by G1 Derby runner-up and...

By Brian Sheerin and Adam Houghton DEAUVILLE, France - Talk about a fitting finale. After what could only be described as a patchy opening two days to the August Yearling Sale, a St Mark's Basilica (Fr) filly (lot 270) out of Ecurie des Monceaux's blue hen Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) topped Sunday's concluding session at €1.7 million when sold to Coolmore's MV Magnier. Prudenzia is the gift that keeps giving for Henri Bozo's powerful breeding operation in France. Who could forget her daughter Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who became...

He's been a bit hit-and-miss so far in his brief career, but Ballydoyle's Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never--Adventure Seeker {Fr}, by Bering {GB}) was in front where it mattered to master his peers in Sunday's stallion-making G1 Sumbe Prix Morny at Deauville. Breaking fast to get the stands' rail, the 27-10 favourite was able to force the pace without the kind of pressure he had endured during last Sunday's G1 Phoenix Stakes. The G2 July Stakes winner kept finding for Ryan Moore to get to the line 3/4 of a...

Stamping his authority on Saturday's G3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes, Grosvenor Square (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Wadyhatta {GB}, by Cape Cross {Ire}) added serious ballast to Ballydoyle's Doncaster Classic team with a scintillating 20-length romp. Out on his own from the outset, the 1-2 favourite, who had been overhauled in dramatic fashion late on by his top-class stablemate Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G2 Curragh Cup over this 14-furlong trip last month, gave Ryan Moore an armchair ride as he came home on his own with the yawning...

Getting back on the winning trail in the G3 Royal Whip Stakes at The Curragh on Saturday, Ballydoyle's G1 St Leger hero Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}--Fluff {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) served notice that he is ready for some serious autumn action with options open. Badly needing his reintroduction when fifth in a strong renewal of Royal Ascot's G2 Hardwicke Stakes in June, the 4-7 favourite shadowed the leader Trustyourinstinct (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) before edging ahead three out and forging a workmanlike half-length success under Ryan Moore in a fast...

Joseph O'Brien trainee Apples And Bananas (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Simannka {Ire}, by Mastercraftsman {Ire}) followed up a June 29 debut sixth at the Curragh with a breakthrough score at Killarney last month and continued on the upgrade with a career high in Saturday's Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage at Deauville. Breaking well to assert for an early lead, the 2-1 favourite was comfortable on the front end until coming under pressure in the straight and kept on strongly under continued rousting inside the final 300 metres to withstand...

The Isa Salman Al Khalifa-William Haggas axis, fresh from celebrating the victory of Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) in Thursday's G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano, added lustre to that success as connections' Jewelry (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Simply A Star {Ire}, by Giant's Causeway) made an impressive debut in Friday's Tom Mitchell 70th Birthday Celebration British EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes at Newbury. The 280,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 graduate delivered a decisive closing burst to register a 2 1/2-length win from Toomuchforme (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) in the six-furlong test....

Baron Edouard de Rothschild's four-time Group 1 winner Mqse De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), who successfully defended her G1 Prix Rothschild title at Deauville last month, will return to the Normandy venue in an attempt to register back-to-back victories in Sunday's G1 Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet. She will encounter four rivals after all five overnight contenders stood their ground for the €250,000 10-furlong contest. Opposition includes 'TDN Rising Star' Left Sea (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who was supplemented at a cost of €18,000, and the enigmatic Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Bernard Shaw (Into Mischief--Princess Haya, by Street Cry {Ire}), a $550,000 Keeneland November foal turned $1.8-million Keeneland September yearling, backed up a June 29 debut fourth at the Curragh with a breakthrough score in Thursday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Dundalk.   🤌 Lovely $1.8 million buy Bernard Shaw (Into Mischief) opens his account at the second time of asking in fine style at @DundalkStadium pic.twitter.com/wj4HmLU7O0 — Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 15, 2024 4th-Dundalk, €18,000, Mdn, 8-15, 2yo, 8f (AWT), 1:39.27, st. BERNARD SHAW (c, 2,...

So what became of the likely lads and lassies? Since 2011, there has been a seven-figure top lot each year at the Arqana August Sale.  We are talking about some of the best-bred horses in Europe here. Yearlings that have been given the best possible chance of being good from the day that they were born. But did time prove them worthy of their top lot status? We all know that, in this business, money doesn't guarantee anything. If that was the case, what a boring sport this would be....

The colt crowned Cartier Horse of the Year in 2021 when he retired as a five-time Group 1 winner; an elite miler who also won five races at the top level, notably at Royal Ascot in both 2020 and 2021; and the GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero of 2021, speedy enough to win the previous year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over six and a half furlongs. Those three summations alone should give some idea of the calibre of racehorse we're dealing with when it comes to the 2025 crop...