England

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that lockdown restrictions will ease on July 19, paving the way for racecourses in England to receive their full complement of spectators. The UK Government will no longer require social distancing and wearing face coverings, but the public is still advised to utilise them in crowded spaces. Some COVID-19 safety protocols will remain in place at racecourses, with Ascot slated to host the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. on July 24. The Prime Minister said in a Downing Street...

A limited number of spectators will be allowed on certain English racecourses as of Dec. 2, the British Horseracing Authority announced. Spectators are permitted in some areas of England, according to the latest guidelines revealed by the UK government. Owners are able to attend fixtures across all three tiers, while regular spectators are allowed only in Tiers 1 and 2. Spectators and owners are both permitted in the Amber Zone (formerly the Owner Zone) at racecourses, but there will be specific areas reserved for owners only. Pre-registration is essential for...

David Lanigan has recently joined Four Star Sales as bloodstock advisor, emphasizing on the private purchase of horses in-training and racing management. Lanigan closed his Newmarket training operation this spring to prepare for his family's planned return to Lexington. Training under Sir Henry Cecil for five years before going out on his own 13 years ago, he retired from training with over 200 winners including top stakes horses, Main Sequence, Meeznah, Interception and Worth Waiting. Prior to working for Cecil, he worked with Four Star Sales' Kerry Cauthen at John...

HALF TO GOLDEN HORN DEBUTS AT NEWMARKET 1.15 Ascot, Novice, £10,400, 2yo, f, 7fT SNOW LANTERN (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is the first filly bred by Rockcliffe Stud out of their four-times group 1-winning 1000 Guineas heroine Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}). Likewise a grey in training with Richard Hannon, she encounters some similarly blue-blooded rivals in the race her stable won last year with the subsequent Guineas runner-up Cloak of Spirits (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). 1.40 Newmarket, Mdn, £6,400, 2yo, 7fT DHAHABI (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) understandably caused a sensation...

Anthony Van Dyck (Ire), who was to be one of three Aidan O'Brien-trained sons of Galileo (Ire) to tackle two-time defending champion Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in Saturday's G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond S. at Ascot, has been declared from the race. "We weren't 100 per cent happy with Anthony Van Dyck's bloods when they came back this evening and as a result we're not going to run him at Ascot tomorrow," the conditioner told Racing Post. "It's disappointing but we have to do the right thing...

With so few options immediately available for 3-year-old fillies, trainer Ken McPeek may get adventurous with Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), the winner of Friday's GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn. McPeek told the TDN that he is considering running his filly next in the G1 1,000 Guineas in Newmarket, England. "We're going to nominate her to the 1,000 Guineas and do our due diligence," McPeek said. "She might be at a competitive advantage because she has been running.  It would be a historic trip. I don't think anybody has ever done it....

Champion Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), G1 Investec Derby hero Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and MG1SW Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) have all had their first mares scanned in foal, Darley announced on Wednesday. A winner of the G1 Dewhurst S., Too Darn Hot stands alongside French G1SP Masar at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud near Newmarket, while 2019 Cartier Champion Sprinter Blue Point, who won four Group 1 races and two at Royal Ascot last term, is at Darley's Irish base, Kildangan Stud. They command fees of £50,000, £15,000...

Plans are currently on hold for dual G1 Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) after he was scratched from the GI Whitney H. on the day of the race as he spiked a temperature. He returned to Saeed bin Suroor's stable in Newmarket on Tuesday--and while the Breeders' Cup is still on the agenda, where he runs before then is up in the air. "He got back from Saratoga today," said Bin Suroor. "The horse ran a temperature, which was why we had to scratch him from...

Arc runner-up and MG1SW Sea of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}-Holy Moon {Ire}, by Hernando {Fr}) was euthanized after developing complications following colic surgery on Monday, Racing Post reported. The chestnut, who carried the same Sunderland Holdings silks as her sire to victory in both the G1 Darley Irish Oaks and the G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks, was only four. She underwent colic surgery in early July. "The reason for colic surgery on Sea Of Class in the first place was to remove an abdominal mass sitting between the spleen...