Ralph Beckett

Following a quiet few days in the aftermath of Ascot and Chantilly, things get moving again on Saturday with The Curragh staging one of the most interesting renewals of the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby for some time. A race that has from time to time in recent years been under the shadow of the European Pattern Committee's guillotine has pulled a trick out of the hat this year to ensure it keeps its exalted status for the immediate future at least. Aidan O'Brien has come to tick off...

Overnight contenders for Saturday's G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish were reduced by half, leaving eight declared for the Curragh's €1,000,000 12-furlong Classic. Aidan O'Brien took the most drastic measures and reduced his team of six to just one with G1 Cazoo Oaks heroine Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) set to depart from stall one in her bid to become the first filly to prevail since Balanchine (Storm Bird) in 1994. Her chief rival, Juddmonte's G1 Cazoo Derby third Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), has drawn stall five.

Colin Keane will replace Rob Hornby aboard the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby favourite Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at the Curragh on Saturday. Westover endured a luckless run under Hornby to finish third behind Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the Cazoo Derby at Epsom and connections have explained that Keane's experience of riding at the Curragh swung the vote in his favour ahead of Saturday.  The three-time Irish Champion Jockey has already tasted Classic success in the Juddmonte silks, courtesy of 2020 Irish Guineas winner Siskin, who was trained...

Ralph Beckett trainee Prosperous Voyage (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) has been withdrawn from Sunday's G1 St Mark's Basilica Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary due to travel issues en route to France. Second in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas on May 1, the filly and Beckett's staff are stranded in Dover. The market leader for the 10-furlong contest prior to her defection, the race is now wide open and sees Charlie Appleby and Godolphin hunting for their second edition of the race with Wild Beauty (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Appleby saddled Sobetsu (GB) (Dubawi {Ire})...

Dual Group 1 winner Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) will pass on the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas on Apr. 30 and wait for the May 15 G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains in France. Successful in the G2 Vintage S. in July, the grey earned a pair of Group 1 wins in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp and in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud, both in October. The Marc Chan silkbearer resumed with a third-place effort in the G3 Greenham S. at Newbury on Apr. 16. Trainer Ralph Beckett...

Banstead Manor Stud's first-crop sire Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) notched his first winner when the Ralph Beckett-trained debutant Sunny Orange (Ire) raced to an ultimately snug victory in Saturday's Madri Excepcional Maiden S. over five furlongs at Leicester. Juddmonte's 70,000gns Tattersalls December Foals acquisition went postward as the well-backed 2-1 second choice for the straight dash and was well away from an outer gate to track the leaders in fifth through the initial fractions. Making smooth headway from halfway, he was ridden to launch his challenge approaching the final...

Last year's G3 Sandown Classic Trial was a momentous renewal and Friday's is another to keep a close eye on after a trio of likely types finished clear led home by Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Last seen finishing runner-up in Pontefract's Listed Silver Tankard S. in October, Juddmonte's imposing bay raced freely for Rob Hornby tracking the 6-5 favourite Goldspur (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) throughout the early stages. Edging ahead a furlong from home, the 5-1 shot was initially wayward but honest enough to give extra and hold off the late...

If Ralph Beckett was ever in danger of becoming a victim of his own success, having patiently developed three staying fillies to win Classics, then the precocious achievements of Angel Bleu (Fr) have surely taken care of that pretty unequivocally. The Dark Angel (Ire) colt made his debut a year ago this week, and was still on the go in October when he exported two Group 1 prizes from France inside 20 days. In between, he had won the G2 Vintage S. at Goodwood three days after finishing second at...

Trainer Ralph Beckett has been elected the President of the National Trainers Federation (NTF) for 2022 and 2023 at the NTF General Meeting on Feb. 24. He replaces Emma Lavelle, who served two terms from 2020 to 2022. In addition, Hugo Palmer was appointed the third member of the NTF Presidential Triumvirate alongside Nick Alexander. The British Horseracing Authority's Chief Regulator Officer Brant Dunshea and Director of Integrity and Regulation Tim Naylor addressed the assembly after the meeting proper. They discussed the BHA's strategy for regulation and also took part...

Last orders are being called for the European Flat turf season. Cheltenham and Aintree have been knocking loudly on the door but there are still some important scores to settle on the level, and in Paris, where this correspondent was fortunate enough to be billeted this weekend, the major Group 1 action was conducted in a blaze of life-affirming autumnal glory that may almost sustain us until the spring. The four Group 1 races around the world on Saturday, in England, France and Australia, went to the offspring of Irish-based...

Unsurprisingly, 3-year-olds have come to assume dominance of late in ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix Royal-Oak and it was a case of more of the same on Sunday as Julian Richmond-Watson's Scope (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) made the eight-pound weight-for-age pull count in the testing conditions he loves. Following a staying-on sixth in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster Sept. 11 with a powerful 7 1/2-length success in Ascot's Listed Noel Murless S. also over a mile and a quarter at the start of the month, the 15-2 shot was sent up to...

Marc Chan's 2-year-old colt Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) backed up a win in Goodwood's July 27 G2 Vintage S. in July with a career high in this month's G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp and doubled his elite-level tally with a game victory in Saturday's G1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud. The Listed Pat Eddery S. runner-up had earlier collected wins at Salisbury and Pontefract and, in the absence of late scratching Glounthaune (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), went postward as the 17-10 second choice for the one-mile test. Steadied...