Happy Romance

by Brian Sheerin in Riyadh, Heather Anderson & Alan Carasso Wherever and whenever horses from Japan show up on the world stage, recent history dictates that they are to be taken very seriously. As recently as 12 months ago at the Saudi Cup meeting, horses representing the island nation accounted for four of the evening's six big races, and a month later in yet another desert destination, they somehow managed to one-up themselves with a spectacular five-timer on Dubai World Cup night. The nation has yet--repeat, yet--to break through in...

Sean Levey has already set several notable benchmarks in British racing--being the first black jockey to ride in the Derby in 2016 when fifth on Humphrey Bogart (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) and, two years later, the first black jockey to win a British Classic when steering Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) to victory in the G1 1000 Guineas-and next week Levey hopes to earn a belated first Royal Ascot victory. The 33-year-old Swaziland-born rider, who will partner the likes of Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy...