Europe

Stick or twist? That's the question faced by many breeders this year. Anecdotally, it appears that some will be pulling back and not covering certain mares, which is understandable after a tricky sales season, not to mention the constant reminders from racecourse managers regarding the "significant headwinds" faced by racing. Unlike America, the foal crop in Britain and Ireland has been gently on the rise in recent years, up to 13,438 in 2023, compared to 12,778 in 2020, though within that combined number for last year, the Irish crop rose...

Having started with the new stallions for 2024, we are continuing the series with those in the lower price tier beneath the fee of 10,000, whether in euros or sterling. For the benefit of this piece we are treating them as one and the same, despite the current exchange rate of £1 = €1.16. This is the territory inhabited by many small breeders, and in plenty of cases the margins between operating at a profit and a loss are very tight indeed.  I am reminded here of a particularly interesting...

For this final part of the series, we are looking at stallions who have retired to stud since 2021 and will thus have either first foals or yearlings at the sales this year or are about to cover their first book of mares. There is plenty to digest from three years' intake and of course prices can often drop after a stallion's first year at stud, so there could be some value to be found for breeders willing to roll the dice on a stallion about to embark on his...

Wesley Ward worked five of his Royal Ascot contenders over the Keeneland turf Friday led by GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo). He covered five panels in a bullet 1:02.80 (1/8) (video). Winner of the GII Shakertown S. last out Apr. 9, the bay is being pointed at the G1 King's Stand S. at the Royal meeting June 14. "I thought he had an unbelievable breeze today," Ward said. "The turf was soggy, and I love to breeze on a deep, soft turf. They come in...

A record number of broadcasters will showcase the $30.5-million Dubai World Cup night card on Mar. 26. Eight of the nine races are for Thoroughbreds, anchored by the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline, one of six Group 1s on the evening. The presenting team at Meydan includes Nick Luck, Britney Eurton, Rishi Persad, Michelle Yu, Tom Stanley, Angus McNae and Nick Lightfoot, plus commentator Alistair Cohen. Dubai Racing Club, with its appointed distribution and production company, Racecourse Media Group (RMG), and HBA Media, will broadcast to...

Godolphin's Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a Group 1 winner in Australia, Germany and Dubai, will not compete in either the Dubai World Cup Carnival or the Saudi Cup. The 7-year-old entire will instead make his next appearance in Europe according to his trainer Saeed bin Suroor. The bay signed off last year with a third in the G2 Joel S. at Newmarket on Sept. 25. "Benbatl will not run in Dubai or Saudi Arabia this year--we'll keep him for a European campaign and look to get him out in May,"...

The start of the Flat season may be more than two months away but there is already plenty of interest in the freshman sires of 2021, and Darley's Profitable (Ire) has been made 3/1 favourite by Fitzdares to take the championship. Ed Guiver, Head of Racing for Fitzdares, said, "We love pricing this market, which would be impossible to price were it not for the Weatherbys Stallion Book used alongside the Weatherbys Return of Mares. "It was hard to split the front four in the market but Profitable by the...

The Juveniles The dark clouds had gathered come Ireland's opening turf fixture of the year at Naas in March, with the meeting held behind closed doors and giving rise to now customary scenes. As the curtain was raised, an oft-repeated sketch unfolded with Jim Bolger homebred Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) annexing the first juvenile event of the year, a feat which the trainer had previously achieved on multiple occasions including with Poetic Flare's sire in 2012. Normal service resumed but, then again, not. The global pandemic soon tightened...

All sporting events in Ireland have been suspended following an announcement from the Irish Government. Racing has been continuing to stage meetings behind closed doors since Mar. 13, as countries around the world try to limit the spread of the coronavirus. However, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced on Tuesday that all sporting events, even those without spectators, would be cancelled. Racing in Britain was suspended from last Wednesday, with no action anticipated before May 1 at the earliest. Racing had been due to take place at Dundalk on Wednesday. The Board...

With the doors of breeding sheds about to swing open for yet another season, we bring you the sixth and final installment of TDN Europe's Value Sires series. No longer are we judging stallions on their promise alone or their preliminary racetrack merits: these are the proven battlers, with real numbers behind them. No hiding places anymore. For this installment, we will focus on proven sires standing for £/€20,000 and below. This can be a tricky segment of the market to stand a proven horse in, with many sires in...

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. Thursday's Insights features an expensive KEESEP graduate. 3.00 Newcastle, Novice, £8,050, 3yo, 8f 5y (AWT) PITCHER'S POINT (Medaglia d'Oro) is a noteworthy newcomer from the John Gosden stable whose all-weather runners during the winter continue to fascinate. Owned by Godolphin, the February-foaled bay who fetched $800,000 at Keeneland September...