Ireland

On the wall of Kieran Lalor's office is the photo of the 1965 Irish Derby winner Meadow Court, his celebrity co-owner Bing Crosby in shot, presumably just before, as legend has it, the great crooner serenaded the crowds at the Curragh with a rendition of When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. The success of the colt, who was also runner-up to the great Sea-Bird in the Derby and went on to give Lester Piggott his first success in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., prompted his legendary trainer Paddy...

Italy's major races will see the most significant downgrades among European countries after the European Pattern Committee announced alterations to the 2023 Flat programme Wednesday, as a host of that country's major races are set to be demoted in status. There will be 827 black-type races run in Europe this year, compared to the 852 in 2022, while group races have been cut by 13 to 412 and listed races drop to 415 from 427. One of the most significant changes to the Irish programme comes in the case of...

Dual Group 1 winner Victor Ludorum (GB) was represented by his first reported foal, a colt, on Thursday, Jan. 12. Out of Ever Sun Shine (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), the colt was described by breeder Guilaume Vitse as "a strong colt, of good size and muscular like his father. He is a good-looking colt and I am very, very happy with him." The Kildangan Stud resident stands for €15,000 in 2023.

Two of Ireland's leading jockeys--Ben Coen and Mike Sheehy--will be plying their trade in New South Wales, Australia for the next few months. Coen, who is the number one jockey for conditioner Johnny Murtagh, and last year won the G1 Irish St Leger aboard Sonnyboyliston (Ire) (Power {GB}), will spend his time in Sydney with the Chris Waller stable. "This opportunity gives me the chance to experience another style of racing," he said. "I've never ridden trackwork with times as well, so that's an experience and something you can obviously...

Better than 30 stallion farms in Ireland are set to greet the public during Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM)'s Irish Stallion Trail, to be staged Friday and Saturday, Jan. 13 and 14, 2023. The Trail was limited to the breeding industry only in 2022 due to COVID-19, but will offer breeders, racing professionals, and racing fans the opportunity to view some of the world's leading Flat and National Hunt stallions at Ireland's outstanding thoroughbred breeding facilities free of any restrictions. "We are delighted that the ITM Irish Stallion Trail will once...

2.05 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, c/g, 8fT BERTINELLI (Justify) is one of two from Ballydoyle in a race the stable won two years ago with Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and which has served as a stepping stone to the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. A son of the G1 Fillies' Mile heroine Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is a full-sister to the Oaks heroine Forever Together (Ire), the half-brother to the G3 Tyros S. winner Military Style (War Front) joins the yard's Naas runner-up Peking Opera (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})...

Newmarket's three-day Cambridgeshire meeting's titular event, the annual nine-furlong cavalry charge boasting a purse of £200,000, is overshadowed by two Group 1 championships on a bumper Saturday of juvenile action at Headquarters and beyond. First of the elite-level heats is the six-furlong G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S., with ante-post markets pointing to an effective match between Coolmore and Westerberg's Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Rockcliffe Stud's homebred Trillium (GB) (No Nay Never). In reality, it is an open edition which also features G2 Lowther S. victrix Swingalong (GB) (Showcasing...

7th-Naas, €16,000, Mdn, 9-15, 2yo, 7fT, 1:31.33, g/y. BOLD DISCOVERY (c, 2, Bolt d'Oro--Caribbean Babe, by Arch), sent off at 15-2, quickly established a clear advantage. Maintaining the gallop in game fashion in the straight, the bay hit the line strong with 2 1/2 lengths to spare over Peking Opera (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). "That was very impressive and he's a gorgeous horse," Kate Harrington said. "He only came to us in June and has always done everything so easy. Obviously his sire is a sensation in America on the dirt...

1.20 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, c/g, 8fT GULF OF MEXICO (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) debuts for Ballydoyle in the maiden won by Saxon Warrior (Jpn) and Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in recent times and, at 1.1 million gns was the joint-second highest-priced colt at the Book 1 Sale in October alongside stablemate Age Of Kings (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). A son of the G2 Queen Mary S. winner and G1 Cheveley Park S. runner-up Anthem Alexander (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), the May-foaled bay encounters experienced opposition including his stable's eye-catching course maiden runner-up...

The Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale ended with 163 horses sold of 250 horses offered (65.2%) during the Part II session on Thursday. The gross came in at €1,074,300, with an average of €6,591 and a median of €5,000. Topping Thursday's proceedings was lot 506, a dark bay gelding by Stormy River (Fr) named Karisto (Fr) at €30,000. James Doyle of Baltimore Stables signed for him under the D/J Bloodstock banner from the draft of Mocklershill Stables. A gelding by Affinisea (Ire) (lot 534) was next at €25,000 from the...

Breeders' Cup has entered into multi-year agreements with ITV, Sky Sports Racing and Racing TV to continue their live broadcast coverage of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in the U.K. and Ireland. "The Breeders' Cup World Championships is a premier international event and we're delighted that fans in the U.K. and Ireland will once again be able to watch the most talented horses, jockeys and trainers in the world compete during our two days of championship racing," said Breeders' Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming. "ITV, Sky Sports Racing and...

The 2022-2024 Godolphin Flying Start Class was announced on Tuesday. The 12 trainees for the two-year Thoroughbred Industry Management and Leadership Programme are from five different countries and will begin the course on Aug. 15, 2022. They will spend time in Ireland, the UK, the USA, Australia and Dubai throughout the programme. In addition, the course is accredited by University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Business School as a Graduate Certificate in Management. The dozen trainees are as follows: Annabel Adams, New Zealand Liam Cunningham, New Zealand Sarah Kelly, Ireland Orlaith...