Kieran Cotter

Trainer Kieran Cotter says that he is optimistic his stable star Matilda Picotte (Ire), a filly he has continuously turned down big-money offers for, will put her best foot forward in the valuable Group 2 Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint on February 24. The daughter of Sioux Nation developed into a high-class three-year-old last season, finishing third in the G1 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket before landing the G3 Sceptre S. and G2 Challenge S. in the autumn. The 1351 Turf Sprint will be the filly's first start of the...

Trainer Kieran Cotter was fined €27,500 by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board Referrals Committee and must pay a further €7,500 in legal costs. One of his runners, Slade Runner (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}), tested positive for cobalt and the IHRB found further misconduct by the trainer following a yard inspection. Slade Runner won a Dundalk handicap in January and returned a cobalt reading higher than the international threshold. After the cobalt positive, there was a joint inspection of Cotter's yard by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) and...

No amount of money will persuade the owners of impressive Curragh maiden winner Matilda Picotte (Ire) (Sioux Nation) to give up on their dream of walking into the winner's enclosure at Royal Ascot, according to the filly's trainer Kieran Cotter, who said "everyone wants a slice" of the Queen Mary-bound speedster. Matilda Picotte maintained the flying start of Coolmore's first-season sire Sioux Nation by making all to score on debut at the Curragh on Monday and, in doing so, she landed some hefty wagers. The owners of the filly are...