Kirsten Rausing

DEAUVILLE, France--Back at Arqana's yearling sale in August, Tim Donworth had just left the employment of Jean-Claude Rouget with a view to setting out his own stall from Sept. 1. The racing gods have smiled kindly in the meantime, and the 27-year-old is now almost eight weeks into his training career with three winners and a second from just five starters.  Those three victories have all come during this week's sale at Arqana, starting on Sunday at Le Mans with Cotai Hero (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) and, like buses, the...

Multiple Group 1 winner Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will remain in training next year and her trainer Sir Mark Prescott has decided to aim the grey at the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. The Kirsten Rausing-owned filly defeated subsequent Arc hero Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in Hoppegarten's G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin in August. She then doubled up at that level in the G1 Preis von Europa at Cologne on Sept. 26. All being well, the filly could also take in November's G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern...

KILDARE, Ireland--There's no denying that bloodstock sales are an important part of the business but it is what happens on the racecourse that truly counts and recent events have put an extra spring in the step of a number of breeders at Kildare Paddocks ahead of the start of the Goffs Orby Sale. Standing outside her draft of six from Staffordstown on Monday morning was Kirsten Rausing, chatting happily with her staff and brand new director of the stud John Oxx. Rausing broke off every now and then to accept...

It's been a season like no other for Kirsten Rausing's Lanwades Stud operation and, fresh on the heels of Zaaki (GB)'s cakewalk in Saturday's G1 Underwood S., the Sir Mark Prescott-conditioned 4-year-old filly Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) made it a quickfire elite-level double for the nursery, sporting her owner-breeder's colours, in Sunday's G1 59th Preis von Europa at Cologne. The February-foaled grey, second in last term's G1 Yorkshire Oaks, was unbeaten in three prior black-type starts this term and lined up as the 11-10 favourite for this latest outing returning...

Staffordstown Stud Manager Julian Lloyd, who runs the yearling operation for Lanwades Stud's Kirsten Rausing, will retire at the end of 2021. Lloyd's current role will then be split between retired trainer John Oxx as Director and long-term Stud Groom Paddy Moloney, who will be the new Manager of Staffordstown. "After 30 years at Staffordstown, with my 75th birthday on the horizon, it is time for my work here to come to a close and for me to change gear for the last couple of furlongs of my allotted span,"...

Among the current top ten trainers in France are two graduates of the Godolphin Flying Start course: Francis Graffard and Jerome Reynier. These are big footsteps in which to follow for the latest former Flying Start student to try his hand at training, and what sets Tim Donworth apart is that France is not his native country. He was, however, born to a life with horses. The 27-year-old grew up on Round Hill Stud in Co Limerick, which is owned by his parents Bobby and Honora and has also been...

Coping with easy ground well enough to record a workmanlike success in the G2 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock last time July 3, Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) relished the slicker surface available at a sun-baked Hoppegarten to continue her owner-breeder Kirsten Rausing's annus mirabilis by garnering Sunday's G1 Longines 131st Grosser Preis von Berlin. Settled fourth early by Luke Morris as Godolphin's G2 Dubai City of Gold scorer Walton Street (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) cut out the running, the 19-5 shot was launched in early straight to swamp her neighbour passing...

Lanwades stallion Bobby's Kitten (Kitten's Joy), whose daughter Sandrine (GB) added last week's G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. to her victory in the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot, was represented by his first winner from his lone Southern Hemisphere-sired crop when the debuting Cecil Street Lad (Aus) ran out a 3/4-length winner Wednesday at Sandown in Victoria. Bred and raised by Olly Tait's Twin Hills Farm in New South Wales, the gelded son of Just A Girl (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) was the $4.40 (17-5) second favorite...

Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}), whose granddam Albanova (GB) (Alzao) won the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin in 2004, is under consideration for the same race at Hoppegarten on Aug. 8. Another potential target for the July 3 G2 Lancashire Oaks heroine is the G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. at Glorious Goodwood on July 31. The Kirsten Rausing silksbearer also captured the Apr. 30 Listed Daisy Warwick Fillies' S. "She's fine," said trainer Sir Mark Prescott. "She'll either go for the Lillie Langtry at Goodwood or she might go to Germany...

One horse overshadowed all other news items of the past week as the bloodstock world came to terms with the death of Galileo (Ire) at the age of 23.  Fulsome tributes have been paid to him from across the globe with the overwhelming feeling being that we will never see his like again. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that many of us felt the same when his own extraordinary sire Sadler's Wells died 10 years ago. That colossus of the breeding world appeared in the third or fourth...

Confirming the form of Royal Ascot's G3 Albany S., Kirsten Rausing's Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) was in a dominant mood as she brought up a notable pattern-race double in Friday's G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. at Newmarket. Held up behind a duo racing far side throughout the early stages, the 11-5 favourite moved to the lead approaching the furlong pole and readily drew away to beat Desert Dreamer (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) by 1 3/4 lengths, with the Albany runner-up Hello You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) half a length back...

Hailing from the Andrew Balding stable already successful at the Royal meeting with the 2-year-old Berkshire Shadow (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Kirsten Rausing's Kempton winner Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) doubled Kingsclere's tally as she mastered both the heavy ground and 14 rivals in Friday's G3 Albany S. Showing stamina as well as speed on her debut over this six-furlong trip on the Polytrack May 19, the homebred raced wide initially behind the leading group. Sent forward by David Probert passing halfway, the 16-1 shot was briefly stopped in her run...