Kyprios (Ire)

Crack stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) leads a 12-strong field for the 2 1/2-mile G1 Gold Cup, as next Thursday's Royal Ascot fields take shape. A winner of this event in 2022, the chestnut sustained an injury last term that forced him to make just two starts. However, he has put that hiccup behind him and has won the Listed Vintage Crop S. and the G3 Levmoss S. in succession. This race's entries read like a who's who of some of the best stayers in Europe, and, although Wathan Racing's...

The G1 St James's Palace S. is shaping up to be one of the hottest races at Royal Ascot this year and both Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) received positive reports from their respective trainers on Tuesday as they prepare to try and topple Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the day one highlight. Trained by Charlie Appleby, Notable Speech heads the ante-post betting for the St James's Palace following his striking success in the G1 2,000 Guineas, but Richard Hannon has not given...

If Ballydoyle's Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was disappointing at York earlier on Friday, the stable was able to rely on Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to make amends in the G3 Saval Beg Levmoss S. at Leopardstown. While the win was far from flashy, it at least confirmed the 2022 Gold Cup hero to be on track for a tilt at the Royal Ascot crown he was forced to give up through injury 12 months ago. Tracking the leading pair throughout the early stages, the 1-12 favourite was sent...

Aidan O'Brien's Gold Cup picture will be a lot clearer by Friday night, with the 2022 hero of that Royal meeting's feature Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the G3 Red Sea Turf H. and G2 Dubai Gold Cup winner Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in action across the Irish Sea. The latter, who is beginning to fulfil his TDN Rising Star tag over staying trips, takes aim at the York Dante festival's G2 Boodles Yorkshire Cup before Ryan Moore flies to Leopardstown to steer Kyprios to an almost inevitable...

As if conjuring the renowned Babet as a personal Tempest for his [probable] European goodbye, racing's true Duke of Milan rides back into his beloved Ascot on Saturday as the eye of the storm for a suitably dramatic instalment of the Qipco Champions Day. While this fixture has fast become a resounding success, despite its mid-October nook being that bit too far into the wet season to deliver a fair playing field, it always needs at least one dynamo per year to power it into the headlines. Officials are lucky...

Storm Babet has decided the final shape of the fields for Saturday's Qipco Champions Day fixture, with the softening ground ruling Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) out of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and making up Aidan O'Brien's mind as to where to point Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}). That four-times group 1 winner takes up his engagement in the QEII, leaving a total of nine to take part in the G1 Qipco Champion S. Heading the list for the 10-furlong highlight is last year's winner Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay...

Connections of Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) can be satisfied that Sunday's G1 Irish St Leger went by without drama, but the glory was with KHK Racing's TDN Rising Star Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}--All At Sea {GB}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) as he returned to form to provide his sire with a group 1 double on the Curragh's star-studded card. Putting a largely underwhelming summer behind him, having been seventh in the G1 Gold Cup and fourth in the G1 Goodwood Cup, the 16-5 second favourite enjoyed a perfect...

Trainer Aidan O'Brien indicated MG1SWs Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) would return in Leopardstown's G1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion S. on Sept. 9. The stablemates were last seen in the G1 King George and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on July 29, where Luxembourg was a hard-fought fourth while the dual Derby winner came home a distant 10th. Their conditioner could find no obvious reason for the poor showing but remained hopeful the son of the late Deep Impact could bounce back at Leopardstown....

Aidan O'Brien confirmed TDN Rising Star River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) remains on track for Sunday's G1 Prix Morny at Deauville despite missing a piece of work two weeks ago. Campaigned by Tabor, Smith, Magnier, Westerberg and Brant, the juvenile was last seen winning the June 20 G1 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot. "The plan is to run River Tiber [this weekend]," O'Brien told Sky Sports Racing. "He had a setback a couple of weeks ago so there will be a cloud over him when we do run him...

Dual Classic runner-up Mojo Star (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is targeting the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June, Tom Pennington, the racing and operations manager for owner Amo Racing, revealed on Friday. Pennington said of the Richard Hannon trainee, "I saw Mojo Star last week and he looks fantastic. He's working away and, touch wood, he's sound and in great form. "He's moving well and Richard couldn't be happier with him at the moment, so hopefully it's going to be an exciting season for him." Second in...

Shadwell homebred Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was named the Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Older Horse at the 32nd Cartier Racing Awards at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Wednesday evening. The first Shadwell colourbearer to earn the Horse of the Year accolade, the William Haggas trainee added another four Group 1 victories to his pair earned in 2021, posting wins in the Lockinge S., Queen Anne S., Sussex S., and International S. in succession. His only loss in an 11-start career was a fourth-place finish...

A total of 36 nominations across seven categories have been made for the 2022 Horse Racing Ireland Awards, which will be presented in Dublin in December. The categories and their respective nominees are as follows: Horse of the Year: Kyprios (Ire) State Of Rest (Ire) Honeysuckle (GB) A Plus Tard (Fr) Allaho (Fr) Energumene (Fr) National Hunt Award: Henry de Bromhead Willie Mullins Rachael Blackmore Paul Townend Patrick Mullins  National Hunt Achievement Award: Paddy Corkery, who joined an illustrious list of Grade 1 winning trainers; John "Shark" Hanlon for his...