Deauville

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features a daughter of pricy auction grad Toinette (Scat Daddy). 14.33 Deauville, Debutantes, €50,000, 2yo, f, 7 1/2fT ULTRAFRAGOLA (IRE) (Sottsass {Fr}) is a notable runner for White Birch Farm on this Deauville August opening card, being a daughter of Peter Brant's $800,000 Keeneland November purchase Toinette...

KHK Racing's multiple Group 1 winner Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) is "extremely well" after his G1 July Cup third and will head to the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest next month, co-trainer Ed Crisford confirmed on Friday. "He's come out of the July Cup extremely well, we're really pleased with him," said Crisford, who trains with his father Simon. "It's all systems go at the moment for the Prix Maurice de Gheest. He wasn't really right that first day on that heavy ground at Haydock, the July Cup was...

The G1 July Cup winner Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) will bid to maintain his unblemished Deauville record when he returns to the Normandy seaside for a crack at the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest on August 4. "He loves travelling so there are no worries there," says his trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam, who has once again demonstrated her skills in guiding the four-year-old through the grades to the very top. He is currently the co-highest-rated sprinter in Europe with a Timeform mark of 122, and it was at this time...

Next week's G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes looks set to be the highlight of Glorious Goodwood, with a clash of the Guineas winners on the cards as Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) clashes once more with Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Rosallion, who was second to Notable Speech in the 2,000 Guineas and then won both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace Stakes, is currently the highest-rated miler in the world and is said by trainer Richard Hannon to be "peaking". At Goodwood, he is also likely to...

Following on from the August Yearling Sale, the v.2 Yearling Sale will take place on Tuesday, August 20 in Deauville. The catalogue, that offers a total of 189 lots, is now available on the Arqana website. Since its inception, the v.2 Yearling Sale has produced a number of top-class performers, including the Classic winners Coeursamba (Fr), Teppal (Fr) and Olmedo (Fr). This year the catalogue of 189 lots, "selected for their precociousness" according to the sales company, includes yearlings by leading sires such as Havana Grey (GB), No Nay Never,...

Up in trip to seven furlongs for Sunday's Listed Prix Roland de Chambure at Deauville, Magne Jordanger and Finn Blichfeldt's TDN Rising Star Tiego The First (Fr) (Blue Point {Ire}--Kotama {Fr}, by Siyouni {Fr}) needed every bit of the new trip to register his black-type breakthrough. Held up early by Mickael Barzalona behind the pace set by the British raider Assertively (Ire) (Acclamation {Fr}), the Pia and Joakim Brandt-trained 19-10 favourite got that long-time leader just in time for a short-head success, with Madero (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) a...

Springing a 35-1 shock in Sunday's G1 Haras d'Etreham Prix Jean Prat at Deauville, Alain Jathiere's TDN Rising Star Puchkine (Fr) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}--Vadyska {Ire}, by So You Think {NZ}) led his peers a merry dance with everything falling perfectly into place up the seven-furlong straight. Tacked on to the tail of the Juddmonte pacemaker Zandy (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) from the outset by Ioritz Mendizabal, the homebred was allowed rope by the remainder who sat and waited but two out the damage was already done. Left in front there, the Jean-Claude...

Deauville's six-furlong Prix de Lisieux for unraced 2-year-olds can throw up a smart filly and Sunday's edition looked full of promise as Yeguada Centurion's Epson Blue Cen (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}--Epsom Icon {GB}, by Sixties Icon {GB}) mastered her peers. Sent off at 10-1, the homebred daughter of the G3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes winner travelled strongly on the wing behind the leaders before being unleashed by Christophe Soumillon to take control 300 metres out. Staying on strongly as the eye-catching Wertheimer homebred Iron Bird (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) produced a rattle...

Providing a boost to the form of TDN Rising Star Polyvega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Juddmonte's Apollo Fountain (GB) (No Nay Never--Fount {GB}, by Frankel {GB}) made light work of Saturday's five-furlong Listed Prix Yacowlef at Deauville. Runner-up to that Wertheimer blueblood at Chantilly last month, the 3-1 favourite was keen early in the hands of Alexis Pouchin as he opted to drop out last. Delivering a dramatic surge to hit the front passing the furlong pole, the Andre Fabre-trained daughter of the operation's G3 Prix de Lieurey winner...

For the third consecutive year, Arqana's Summer Sale broke the €10-million barrier by gross, with 326 lots (67%) marked as sold from 488 offered in Deauville. Buyers, more selective than in 2023 when the sale boasted an 83% clearance rate, paid €10,711,000 across the three day stand. However, the 2024 catalogue was bolstered by an additional 113 horses compared to the 2023 version. The average closely tracked last year's edition as well at €32,856 (-3%), while the median dropped 19% to €16,000. Thursday's session, which featured breeding stock, added €1,142,500...

The G1 Prix Morny at Deauville on Sunday, August 18 has been identified as the "obvious target" for Rashabar (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) after he defied odds of 80-1 to gain a first career victory in the G2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. Beaten in two previous starts at Newbury and Chester, Rashabar found significant improvement to come out on top in a field of 22 for Ascot's premier two-year-old contest, showing a good attitude to hold on by a nose having raced away from the other principals. It...

An additional six wildcards have been added to the Arqana Summer Sale in Deauville on July 1-4. On the Flat, Nardaran (Fr) (Waldgeist {GB}) (lot 478) will sell after a debut third at Saint-Cloud. He is out of multiple group winner Narniyn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Another Flat-bred horse is Fang Mich (Ger) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) (lot 503), who has a win and a placing from two starts. The half-sister to G1 Deutsches Derby hero Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon Ger}) is joined by jumps horses Policasta (GB) (National Defense {GB})...