Ioritz Mendizabal

Springing a 35-1 shock in Sunday's G1 Haras d'Etreham Prix Jean Prat at Deauville, Alain Jathiere's TDN Rising Star Puchkine (Fr) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}--Vadyska {Ire}, by So You Think {NZ}) led his peers a merry dance with everything falling perfectly into place up the seven-furlong straight. Tacked on to the tail of the Juddmonte pacemaker Zandy (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) from the outset by Ioritz Mendizabal, the homebred was allowed rope by the remainder who sat and waited but two out the damage was already done. Left in front there, the Jean-Claude...

Haras d'Etreham's first-season sire Hello Youmzain (Fr) (by Kodiac {GB}) was off the mark on Tuesday as his daughter Allee De Bercy (Fr) scored on debut in Chantilly's five-furlong Prix de la Mere Marie. Sent off at 16-1, the Alessandro and Giuseppe Botti trainee raced behind the leading pair early for Ioritz Mendizabal before finding her way to the front inside the last 150 metres. Driven out from there, she recorded a short-neck success from Cendre (GB) (Goken {Fr}). The winner is so far the only foal out of a...

Providing another boost to TDN Rising Star Pensee Du Jour (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Haras de Saint-Julien and Regula Vannod's Crown Princesse (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}--Lovemedo {Fr}, by Zafeen {Fr}) stepped up on two prior efforts to capture Friday's G3 Prix Cleopatre at Saint-Cloud. Four-lengths second to that Fabre giant on debut over 9 1/2 furlongs on Chantilly's Polytrack in February, the Fabrice Chappet-trained homebred went back to the same track, trip and surface to break her maiden last month and entered this 10 1/2-furlong Prix de Diane pointer only as a...

Delivering Saxon Warrior (Jpn) with a breakthrough first black-type winner at Deauville on Saturday, Victoria Road (Ire) took the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage at a mile to also crown a memorable afternoon for Aidan O'Brien who had enjoyed a clean sweep of the 2-year-old contests at The Curragh. Always prominent under Ioritz Mendizabal, the 4-1 shot who had broken his maiden at the fifth attempt 10 days previously over seven furlongs at Gowran Park worked his way to the front inside the last 100 metres and mastered...

Nailed in the dying strides of last month's G2 Railway S. at The Curragh, Aidan O'Brien trainee Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never--Muirin {Ire}, by Born To Sea {Ire}) bounced back in style to lead home a Ballydoyle exacta in Sunday's G2 Darley Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly. In so doing, he provided trainer O'Brien with a first winner of the six-furlong contest this century and, adding to Rossini's win in 1999, a second overall. The February-foaled bay had earlier backed up an Apr. 28 debut triumph at Dundalk with wins...

Gemini Stud's Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}--High Heel Sneakers {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) posted a career high in October's G3 Prix de Flore at Saint-Cloud and lined up for Tuesday's G3 Prix Corrida back over the same 10 1/2-furlong distance at the Paris venue returning off a second in April's Listed Prix Lord Seymour at ParisLongchamp. The 5-2 second favourite adopted her usual patient tactics and was positioned off the tempo in fifth for the most part. Nudged along to close with 500 metres remaining, she quickened in...

Already well-acquainted with France, with two prior visits culminating in a success in the nine-furlong G3 Prix de Conde at Chantilly Sept. 29, Nas Syndicate and Anne O'Callaghan's El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) made all to provide up-and-coming trainer James Ferguson with a first top-level win in Saturday's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. Dominating the mile-and-a-quarter contest under 2021's supersub jockey Ioritz Mendizabal, the 9-1 shot shook off the threat of Goldspur (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in early straight and hit the line with 1 1/2 lengths to spare over Ballydoyle's Stone...

Things may not have gone to plan in all of the English Classics for Ballydoyle so far in 2021, but the stable continued their charmed existence in France on Sunday as Joan of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) provided Classic number three for the season and a first renewal of Chantilly's G1 Prix de Diane Longines for Aidan O'Brien. Combining again with Ioritz Mendizabal, who had steered St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) to glory in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix du Jockey Club, the master of...

As far as passages around Chantilly's circuit go in the 10 1/2-furlong G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) enjoyed one as perfect as is possible on Sunday as he toyed with his rivals in the 181st edition of the Classic. Hardly breaking sweat to become the fourth colt to complete the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains-Prix du Jockey Club double since 2005, Ballydoyle's 14-5 favourite was slotted behind the pace-setting Normandy Bridge (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) from his ideal draw by Ioritz Mendizabal and...

In February, the inevitable announcement came that Pivotal (GB) was to be pensioned at Cheveley Park Stud at the age of 28. David and Patricia Thompson's homebred son of Polar Falcon has been one of the great British breeding stories of the last few decades and the sturdy chestnut has been a great friend to small and major breeders alike through his magnificent stud innings.  As he continues his retirement, so does his legacy gain momentum. A few months before Pivotal was retired, his son Siyouni (Fr) had been crowned...

St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) had sidestepped the G1 2000 Guineas in favour of ParisLongchamp's G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains and the decision paid off handsomely on Sunday as the Ballydoyle colt made his mark in the testing conditions. Whether the ground put paid to the chance of the Newmarket Classic hero Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) is uncertain, but he appeared to be struggling some way out as Ioritz Mendizabal swooped to conquer on the G1 Dewhurst S. winner. Despite one moment when he was squeezed...

Last Saturday at Keeneland was a banner day for the European Breeders' Cup raiders, who won all four of the races on turf. While Aidan O'Brien, who trained the first three home in the Breeders' Cup Mile, has enjoyed his fair share of success at the meeting over the years, there was first-time victories for Dermot Weld, James Fanshawe and Kevin Ryan. Fanshawe's Pegasus Stables welcomed home Alison Swinburn's Filly & Mare Turf winner Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) on Thursday and, while she will soon be off on her...