Night of Thunder (Ire)

Bedtime Story (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) leads the Timeform juveniles as the highest rated this season with a 116p, and the fillies are dominating the pecking order. A 9 1/2-length winner of the Listed Chesham Stakes at the Royal Ascot meeting, and producing another dominating display July 25 en route to victory in the G3 Jockey Club of Turkey Silver Flash Stakes, the 'TDN Rising Star' is the highest rated 2-year-old and her stablemate multiple Group-winning Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) picks up the joint second spot with a...

Brought along quietly by the Gosdens so far this term, Godolphin's Ombudsman (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Syndicate {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) let the cat out of the bag on Sunday with a command performance in Deauville's Listed Prix Nureyev. Sent off the 1-2 favourite for the 10-furlong contest, the 340,000gns Tattersalls Book 2 purchase who had been educated at Newmarket and Leicester followed the leading trio under Ryan Moore before being stoked up turning for home. Storming to the front a furlong from home, he had opened up a 3...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a son of Tepin (Bernstein). 13.45 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 2yo, 7fT DELACROIX (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the first big Ballydoyle runner on a big day for the stable and looks certain to start at prohibitive odds given the promise he showed when second on his Leopardstown...

Carrying a large weight of expectation along with TDN Rising Star status into Saturday's Turners EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes at Newmarket, Godolphin's Desert Flower (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Promising Run, by Hard Spun) made what looked an easy assignment an extremely facile one to fully justify odds of 1-4. Always travelling smoothly for Billy Loughnane, the Charlie Appleby-trained daughter of the operation's five-time group 2 winner took control approaching two out, surged clear down the dip and tanked to the line for a 6 1/2-length success from Dash Of Azure...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features the return of a 'TDN Rising Star'. 15.15 Newmarket, Novice, £8,500, 2yo, 7fT DESERT FLOWER (IRE) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) became another Godolphin TDN Rising Star at the July Festival here and returns to the scene of that impressive debut to bid to defy a seven-pound...

Newmarket's G1 July Cup card began in style when Godolphin's hitherto unraced Desert Flower (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Promising Run, by Hard Spun) powered away from nine rivals to earn a 'TDN Rising Star' rosette in Saturday's £21,000 Rossdales British EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes over seven furlongs. The homebred daughter of four-time Group 2 victrix Promising Run (Hard Spun) was a touch hesitant at the break and chased the leaders in fourth through the initial fractions. Nudged along soon after passing halfway, the 5-2 second favourite bounded to the fore...

The Curragh's Barronstown Stud Irish EBF Maiden that opened Saturday's rain-hit card is a race with a rich history and despite the failure of Ballydoyle's trio to make the frame there was no reason to believe this year's renewal was not up to scratch. Emerging best was the Aga Khan's Hazdann (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Hazmiyra {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}), who had no space to express himself in the straight when a non-representative ninth in the seven-furlong Gowran Park maiden won by Ballydoyle's The Parthenon (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) 13 days...

His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen's 3-year-old filly Rainbows Edge (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Memory {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}), a John and Thady Gosden trainee, backed up a debut victory at Newcastle in March with a taking 2 3/4-length success under a seven-pound penalty in Friday evening's Long Shot Seltzer Spring Fillies' Novice Stakes at Newmarket. 3rd-Newmarket, £10,000, Nov, 6-28, 3yo/up, f/m, 8fT, 1:40.11, g/f. RAINBOWS EDGE (GB) (f, 3, Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Memory {Ire} {MGSW-Eng, $127,136}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who carried a seven-pound penalty...

Coolmore's G3 Naas Fillies Sprint victrix Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Scintilating {GB}, by Siyouni {Fr}) looked booked for the also-ran slots in Friday's G3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, but unleashed a spectacular burst inside the final furlong to double her pattern-race tally in impressive fashion. The 425,000gns October Book 1 yearling and well-backed 15-8 favourite raced off the pace, nestled in the pack, through halfway in this straight six-furlong dash. Bustled along passing the quarter-mile marker, she made an exaggerated manoeuvre to the stands' side approaching the...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features a half to Intello (Ger). 13.30 Chantilly, Debutantes, €50,000, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT BUZY (IRE) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) is a daughter of the Wertheimers' G2 Prix de Sandringham winner and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches second Impressionnante (GB) (Danehill), who provided the operation with their...

York's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. played host to one who put some pyrotechnics into the current season on Thursday, but there was a twist in the tail at the end of the Derby's premier trial as the impressive Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--La Pomme D'Amour {GB}, by Peintre Celebre) will not be at Epsom on the first Saturday in June. Off the mark over a mile at Newbury last month, Isa Salman Al Khalifa's 160,000gns Tattersalls Book 2 purchase had been removed from the Blue Riband...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Pipsy during the Belmont at the Big A meeting in New York. Pipsy Soars In New York  Pipsy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who races for Woodford Throughbreds, LLC, earned the first graded win of her career in the GIII Soaring Softly S. during Belmont's spring meeting at Aqueduct on Sunday (video). Trained by Will Walden, the filly is now three-for-four. The Noel Finegan-bred was a...