Kyprios

When Aidan O'Brien resurrected City Of Troy (Justify) to win the Derby, he was rightly hailed as a genius. Sadly, it didn't take long for that piece of brilliance to be overshadowed by an expose-style documentary carried out by Ireland's national broadcaster [RTE] which concentrated on horses being sent to slaughter.  Admittedly, the documentary featured mostly non-thoroughbreds but the build-up and reaction to the programme has dominated the mainstream coverage of this sport in recent times. Not O'Brien's moment of magic that arguably should have been celebrated more than it...

ASCOT, UK -- It takes a good one to overcome adversity, and there can be no argument brooked when it comes to the talent of Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). It is writ large in form figures which predominantly feature the figure 1. But those bare statistics frame a year-long gap in which the horse was missing in action, with those around him fearing the worst as he battled to overcome an infection in a hind joint which nearly claimed his life.  "I saw him all the way through it and...

Reigning Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will not defend his crown at Royal Ascot after suffering a setback. The five-year-old was bought privately by Wathnan Racing ahead of last year's meeting, having won each of his three previous starts for breeder Anthony Oppenheimer. Courage Mon Ami then provided one of the moments of the meeting as he took the stayers' crown in the hands of Frankie Dettori, before going on to disappoint in the Goodwood Cup and having to settle for second in the Lonsdale Cup...

While the G1 Irish St Leger is officially the feature race on The Curragh's second part of the Irish Champions Festival, Sunday's fixture is really first and foremost about Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star City Of Troy (Justify) who graces the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. Of all the stable's 2-year-old stars over the past 25 years, he already looks at home accompanying the same metaphoric space as the likes of Johannesburg, Fasliyev, Air Force Blue, Hawk Wing, Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) and Little Big Bear (Ire) which is an...

Kirsten Rausing's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Shadwell's outstanding colt Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) head the nominations for the 32nd Cartier Racing Awards, which will be held at London's Dorchester Hotel on Wednesday, November 9. Both trained in Newmarket throughout their careers, Alpinista and Baaeed have won 11 Group 1 races between them. They are joined on the short list for Cartier Horse of the Year by John Fairley's treble Group 1-winning sprinter Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Moyglare...

The latest edition of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (WBRR) were released Thursday, with winners from Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend climbing into prominent positions on the list. Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) ran his seasonal record to six wins from as many appearances with a spectacular performance in the G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran over 4000 metres, where he had some 20 lengths between him and the next-nearest competitor. Also victorious this term in the G1 Gold Cup, G1 Goodwood Cup and G1 Irish St Leger, the 4-year-old...

Stradivarius, the three-time Gold Cup winner and the undisputed champion stayer of his generation, has been retired to stud.  Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) won three Yorkshire Cups and two Doncaster Cups but will be best remembered for those epic Gold Cup triumphs at Ascot. Owned by Bjorn Nielsen, who told TDN Europe about his intention to support the popular chestnut at stud upon his retirement, Stradivarius will join the roster at the National Stud.  The 8-year-old bows out from the game as...

Where to begin? The past week has been so wrought with emotion that by the time Sunday arrived with its 15 group races in England, Ireland and France only the dourest of stayers made it through to Doncaster's Mallard Handicap. This is a racing publication, of course, but before we reflect on the action on the racecourse, it would be remiss not to mention the heartbreaking human loss which was so intrinsically entwined with the sport.  Grief engulfed two nations. Wednesday brought the indelibly sad image of Henry de Bromhead...

Slap bang in its 60th year, Moyglare Stud has come up trumps with Homeless Songs, one of the most impressive Irish 1,000 Guineas winners of the modern era, who is on course to run in Saturday's G1 Coolmore America "Justify" Matron S. at Leopardstown. The stud also has Irish St Leger hotpot Kyprios (Ire) Galileo (Ire), Blandford S. hope Trevaunance (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) and Boomerang Mile contender Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) to look forward to on Irish Champions Weekend but, according to Moyglare's Fiona Craig, Homeless Songs...

Shadwell's Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) remains the world's top-rated racehorse according to the most recent edition of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings which were published Thursday. The homebred colt, trained by William Haggas, has built on a perfect six-race 3-year-old campaign with a trio of additional victories on the trot this term, including the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury in May, the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot in June and a facile defeat of Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Qatar Sussex S....

Goodwood's trio of Group 1 races all went the way of owner-breeders, results that are both pleasing to see for the people who invest so much thought and money into the sport over generations, and which also highlight how hard it can be for prospective owners to get into horses at the top level. This season, ten European Classics have been won by homebreds, with two of those, Sammarco (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), having been offered for sale by their breeders but bought back. Only...

GOODWOOD, UK--The banner on Trundle Hill overlooking Goodwood read, 'Thank You Stradivarius'. Inside the racecourse the message was repeated on branded flags, readied to wave him on his way. But it would seem that Stradivarius is not for retiring. And hurrah to that.  It is almost poetic, in a bloodstock kinda way, that two of the best horses of the modern era, Derby-winning half-brothers no less, should feature in an epic battle between their two sons for a race that was so much more than just the Goodwood Cup.  For...