Michael Bell

Tour of Royal Yards to Celebrate Platinum Jubilee

Royal trainers William Haggas, Michael Bell and John and Thady Gosden will open the doors of their stables for a series of Royal Yard Tours this summer to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Discover Newmarket will host the tours, which offer visitors a behind-the-scenes look at Somerville Lodge, Fitzroy House, and Clarehaven, where Her Majesty has horses in training. The royal trainers will also take guests to the Gallops-- the training grounds around Newmarket. The full-day tour includes a visit to the National Stud, where a stallion parade will be...

[ Read More ]
Bell and Moore Join Forces With Ace Rothstein in Bahrain

Ace Rothstein (More Than Ready) is one of 12 horses signed on in Friday's Listed HRH The Crown Prince's Cup, sponsored by Howden. The Michael Bell runner has won three times, including over the Sakhir turf course in a 1800-metre local Group 2, the Al Adiyat Racing Cup, on Jan. 7. With that effort, he defeated the reopposing duo of Medal Winner (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) and Macaque (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Ridden by Charlie Bishop in that effort, Bell has engaged the services of 2021 Longines World's Best...

[ Read More ]
Bahrain Turf Series Begins on Friday

Fields have been confirmed for the first two races of the £550,000 Bahrain Turf Series on Friday. One of 16 in the seven-furlong £50,000 Al Manama Cup is Natural Path (Ire) (Toronado {Ire}), one of two from Michael Bell for the opening card. His stablemate Ace Rothstein  (More Than Ready) is bound for the £50,000 1 1/4-mile Al Muharraq Cup later on the card, which features 15 horses. Bell's son Nick is on hand to oversee the five-time winner and dual scorer, respectively. Nick Bell said of Natural Path, "He...

[ Read More ]
Bahrain Turf Series Draws UK Raiders

The inaugural £550,000 10-race Bahrain Turf Series begins in the Kingdom of Bahrain on Dec. 10, and several UK trainers are sending runners to compete. Consisting of 10 £50,000 handicaps, the series will last through Feb. 18, 2022. Based in Lambourn is trainer Jamie Osborne, who will ship in the pair of Brains (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) and Peerless (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). His daughter Saffie will help manage the horses with Osborne's assistant trainer Jimmy McCarthy. Jamie Osborne said, "Brains will run at the first meeting on Dec. 10 in...

[ Read More ]
Team TalkSPORT Triumphs as Racing League Concludes

The William Hill Racing League ended at Newcastle on Thursday evening with Team talkSPORT crowned the winner. A total of 12 teams competed in the weekly Thursday races that began six weeks ago, with Gosforth Park, Doncaster, Windsor and Lingfield (twice) all hosting a night. Each race carried a £50,000 purse, with 25 points awarded to the winner, with points available through 10th place. Besides the £1.8 million in prizemoney on offer throughout the contest, another £200,000 in bonuses was on off with £150,000 going to the winning team. At...

[ Read More ]
Tardis A Stakes First For Time Test at Newbury

Wood Hall Stud's 2-year-old filly Tardis (GB) (Time Test {GB}), who hit the board contesting five-furlong heats at York and Haydock in June, graduated in a July 13 maiden tackling an extended five furlongs at Bath last time and continued on the upgrade with a first black-type win for her freshman sire (by Dubawi {Ire}) in Friday's Listed BetVictor St Hugh's S. at Newbury. Breaking with the tailenders and in rear through the initial fractions, the 11-1 chance made relentless headway from halfway to go seventh entering the final furlong...

[ Read More ]
Racing League Teams Taking Shape

John Gosden, alongside fellow Newmarket trainers Sir Mark Prescott, Robert Cowell and David Simcock, will make up one of the dozen teams of the Racing League tournament which begins next summer. Another Newmarket team is comprised of Michael Bell, Ed Dunlop, James Fanshawe and Roger Varian. Clive Cox, Nicky Henderson, Charlie Hills and Jamie Osborne are representing Lambourn. Another team is Mick Appleby, Michael Dods, David O'Meara and Paul Midgley. Mick Channon has joined Paul and Oliver Cole, Eve Johnson Houghton and Hughie Morrison. France will also send a team...

[ Read More ]
Lir Can Fly, But Can He Go The Mile?

LEXINGTON, KY--Tuesday brought about another bright but cool morning in Lexington, and the European Breeders' Cup contingent-all bar the Ballydoyle brigade, which touched down in Lexington late on Monday evening and will be ensconced in quarantine until Thursday-had another opportunity to stretch their legs at Keeneland. The English and Irish Guineas winners Kameko (Kitten's Joy) and Siskin (First Defence) were among those who took to the training track for the second straight day, with Kameko once again catching the eye in a light gallop just as dawn broke. Siskin once...

[ Read More ]
Demand Remains Strong For Form Horses

NEWMARKET, UK—The concept of a horses-in-training sale in August had already been welcomed and the initial response to the new three-day Tattersalls fixture seemed solid enough on Monday as, once again, a decent clearance rate of 84% was the most promising statistic of the day. With 200 horses put through the ring, 167 found new homes, bringing a first-day aggregate of 1,871,800gns. This is not the level of trade once normally associates with the higher-profile Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale, but it served a purpose and once again fed a consistently voracious...

[ Read More ]
The Lir Jet Headed To Phoenix

G2 Norfolk S. winner The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}), beaten a head when second in the July 19 G2 Prix Robert Papin, is set for next Sunday's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. at The Curragh. The Qatar Racing colourbearer was originally slated for the Aug. 21 Nunthorpe S. against elders, but trainer Michael Bell said that is likely off the table now. "The Lir Jet worked well this morning," Bell said. "He is likely to go to Ireland now for the Phoenix S. as plans have been made...

[ Read More ]
Nunthorpe Next Port of Call for The Lir Jet
Nunthorpe Next Port of Call for The Lir Jet

Royal Ascot hero The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}), second by only a nose in the G2 Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly on Sunday, will make his next start against elders in the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. in August. Originally campaigned by Nick Bell and trained by Michel Bell, the bay sparkled on debut at Yarmouth on June 3 and was subsequently purchased privately by Sheikh Fahad's Qatar Racing. The acquisition proved a shrewd one, as The Lir Jet captured the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot on...

[ Read More ]
Prince of Lir's The Lir Jet Wins the Norfolk
Prince of Lir's The Lir Jet Wins the Norfolk

Having broken the all-aged track record on debut at Yarmouth June 3, The Lir Jet (GB) was a temptation that Qatar Racing couldn't resist and the operation's acquisition proved on the money as he emulated the 2009 G2 Norfolk S. success of his first-season sire Prince of Lir (Ire) on Friday. Registering the breakthrough first win for that freshman on fast ground at the East Anglian venue, the 9-2 shot had easier conditions to deal with here and also a trailblazing Wesley Ward runner as Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) powered...

[ Read More ]
X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.