G3 Brigadier Gerard S.

Thursday's G3 Brigadier Gerard S. was one for the comeback kids, but not the one most expected as Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}--Aghareed, by Kingmambo) overhauled Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) fair and square up the Sandown hill. As last year's Derby hero loomed large on the front end under Richard Kingscote two out, Jim Crowley was in a pocket on the Shadwell homebred who had over a length to make up as he gave pursuit a furlong later. While the 2-5 favourite Desert Crown put a healthy margin...

If there were one race you could have bet that TDN Rising Star and unbeaten Derby hero of 2022 Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) would make his comeback in it would have been the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. which carries Sir Michael Stoute's stamp more than any other in the British Pattern. One of his record-setting dozen successes in the key Sandown staging post was the yard's penultimate Blue Riband hero Workforce (GB) (King's Best), so with all the stars aligning the stage is set for the return of Saeed...

Last year's G1 Derby winner Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) will make his first start since winning the Blue Riband in Sandown's G3 Brigadier Gerard S. in late May, according to Saeed Suhail's racing manager Bruce Raymond. Successful in a Nottingham maiden at two, the 4-year-old won the G2 Dante S. at York in his first outing at three before rolling to a 2 1/2-length victory at Epsom. An ankle injury derailed any more starts in 2022, and the Brigadier Gerard will be his first start back. Trainer Sir Michael...

Saeed Suhail's G1 Derby victor Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), missing since a minor ankle injury derailed his season after Epsom, is pleasing connections after being returned to light training a few days ago. "Desert Crown is in good shape," said owner Saeeed Suhail's racing manager Bruce Raymond. "He was turned out for a bit at Darley. He was there for about eight weeks and it did him really good. "He came back in around mid-November and I saw him last week. He looks a million dollars--you'd think it was...

There is something for everyone on a frantic Thursday afternoon and evening across Europe, with five pattern races at Baden-Baden, ParisLongchamp and Sandown and four of them condensed within less than two hours. Perhaps the most crucial comes at the latter venue, where the G3 Coral Brigadier Gerard S. sees a pair of colts with big potential in Shadwell's Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and James Wigan and Ballylinch Stud's Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}) measured against Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's solid veteran yardstsick Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). Bay Bridge...

Breeders' Cup winner Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will skip an intended start in the G2 Prix Corrida in France on Wednesday and the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. a day later has also been mooted, according to trainer James Fanshawe. "She's fine," he said. "She was just a bit quiet at the weekend, and it's a long trip to France, so that's why we decided not to go. We decided to give her a bit more time. It's just looking at her--she was just not her usual bouncy self. So...