Iberian (Ire)

Godolphin made their first purchase at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Tuesday when Anthony Stroud struck the winning bid of 2,200,000gns on their behalf for a colt by No Nay Never offered by Ballylinch Stud. Lot 92 is out of the Listed winner Bella Estrella (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and a half-brother to last year's G2 Champagne Stakes scorer Iberian (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). Bella Estrella is in turn a full-sister to the G3 St. Simon Stakes winner and G1 Oaks third High Heeled (Ire)....

Team Ballydoyle's crack colt City Of Troy (Justify) has 10 peers to overcome in Saturday's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in his quest to follow the hoofprints of the wonderhorse with which he has drawn early comparison. With the stable removing all of his understudies including the similarly-unbeaten Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) on Thursday morning, the assembled cast will be the smallest for the time-honoured Rowley Mile Classic since 2017 when Ryan Moore enjoyed his last winning ride on Churchill (Ire). Three of the colts dispatched by Coolmore's...

Newmarket's wet spell would not have been what connections of City Of Troy (Justify) would have wanted, so all credit to "the lads" for their full commitment to running their new "big horse" in Saturday's G1 Native Trail's Dewhurst S. We already know what we are dealing with in terms of talent, with his performance in the G2 Superlative S. an adequate barometer, and luckily we will now get to measure his versatility and character as well with conditions as well as classy peers offering a sticking point. As with...

A son of Lope De Vega (Ire) (lot 260), a full-brother to G2 Champagne S. hero Iberian (Ire), became the latest seven-figure lot during Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale when selling to Sumbe for 1.1 million gns. Consigned by Ballylinch Stud where his sire stands, the colt is out of Bella Estrella (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), who won the Listed Cairn Rouge S. and is a full-sister to G3 St Simon S. victress High Heeled (Ire), who ran third in both the G1 Oaks and the G1...

Teme Valley and Ballylinch Stud's Iberian (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}--Bella Estrella {Ire}, by High Chaparral {Ire}) backed up a debut success at Newbury in June with a second in last month's G2 Vintage S. at Goodwood and continued on the upgrade with a decisive victory in Saturday's G2 Betfred Champagne S. at Doncaster. Racing fourth of five behind a modest pace through halfway, the 3-1 chance powered forward inside the final quarter mile to gain a narrow advantage passing the furlong pole and was driven out to easily assert...

While the 2023 English summer staggers on in dour misery, Britain looks to the Qatar Goodwood Festival which in terms of the weather is a far cry from its prior "Glorious Goodwood" standing but in terms of thoroughbred quality is up there with any of its counterparts. This week, we get to see the Royal Ascot heroes Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) and the likes of Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) and Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), to name a few. If the rain...