Ramatuelle

Like Saturday's 2000 Guineas winner Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) introduced on the all-weather during the winter, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's blueblood Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) arrived late on the scene to emerge triumphant in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas and cause a second weekend surprise in Newmarket's mile Classics. Coming off her debut success at Southwell in late November to finish a staying-on third in the seven-furlong G3 Fred Darling S. at Newbury last month, the Roger Varian-trained daughter of the G1 Prix de l'Opera and GI Flower Bowl...

Juvenile group 1 winners Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) head a field of 16 fillies for Sunday's G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. TDN Rising Star Ylang Ylang, winner of the course-and-distance G1 Fillies' Mile, will be the sole representative for Ballydoyle and is drawn 12 next to Godolphin's G3 Oh So Sharp S. winner and G3 Nell Gwyn S. runner-up Dance Sequence (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in 13, while Clipper Logistics' G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Fallen Angel...

Twenty-one colts have stood their ground at the latest forfeit stage for the G1 Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday, May 4. They include the outstanding juvenile of 2023, City Of Troy (Justify), last seen winning the G1 Dewhurst S. on the Rowley Mile by three and a half lengths. City Of Troy is one of four entries left in the 2,000 Guineas for Aidan O'Brien, the most successful trainer in the history of the Classic with 10 wins. The potential challenge from Ballydoyle is completed by Diego Velazquez...

Godolphin's Romantic Style (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) made her seasonal return a successful one and downed 'TDN Rising Star' Ramatuelle (Justify) to become her connections' first winner, in a thrilling renewal, of Deauville's G3 Prix Imprudence. The 37-10 third favourite, who shed maiden status at Great Yarmouth in September before winning the Listed Bosra Sham S., was positioned second in the far-side group and raced in an overall fifth through halfway in this seven-furlong distaffers' Guineas trial. Looming large out wide with 300 metres remaining, she quickened to the...

With the European Classics around the corner, expect an explosion of activity over the next few days beginning at Deauville on Tuesday with the G3 Prix Imprudence and G3 Prix Djebel. TDN Rising Star Ramatuelle (Justify) lines up in the former, stepping up to seven furlongs for the first time after a storming juvenile campaign that saw her take the G2 Prix Robert Papin and G3 Prix du Bois and finish a narrow second to Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) in the G1 Prix Morny here in August. Godolphin's Listed...

The entries for the first two Classics of the season have been released, with 49 horses entered in each of the Qipco 2,000 Guineas and Qipco 1,000 Guineas. The colts will line up at Newmarket on Saturday, May 4 when it is likely that much of the attention will focus on the unbeaten City Of Troy (Justify), who at this stage is the ante-post favourite for the 2,000 Guineas. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, he has left Ireland for two of his three starts to win the G2 Superlative S. at...

Christopher Head won his first Classic last season with Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) and he is now eyeing a possible run un the Qipco 1,000 Guineas for Ramatuelle (Justify), who was the top-rated juvenile in France in 2023. The winner of the G2 Prix Robert Papin, and runner-up in the G1 Prix Morny, Ramatuelle is also entered for the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and she will begin her preparations for the Classics in Deauville on April 9. "Ramatuelle has been a tremendous filly for us as a...

Coolmore's Ashford Stud will enter breeders who have booked mares to Corniche, Epicenter, Jack Christopher, or Tiz the Law into drawings to award four no-guarantee nominations to Justify in a promotion called "THE JUSTIFY 4." There will be a separate drawing for each of the four stallions, with one no-guarantee nomination awarded among each pool, for a total of four. The drawing will be held on Apr. 26. The farm said that the event was being held "to celebrate Justify's phenomenal year in 2023." Justify is the cumulative leading third-crop...

Aidan O'Brien hailed City Of Troy as the most exciting two-year-old he's trained as the son of Justify was named Europe's champion juvenile for 2023 when the classification was released on Tuesday. He becomes the 13th European champion two-year-old to have been trained by O'Brien, with only Johannesburg (126) achieving a higher rating among the previous 12. A Coolmore homebred out of the G1 Fillies' Mile winner Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), City Of Troy went unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, culminating with a dominant display when winning...

Christopher Head's two star three-year-olds of 2023, dual Classic winner Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) and Saturday's sensational Queen Elizabeth II S. winner Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), will both remain in training for next season. Timeform has awarded Big Rock a rating of 129 for his six-length romp on QIPCO British Champions Day, which is the highest figure recorded by a miler in Europe this season. The winner of two Group 3 Classic trials in the spring, Big Rock was second to Ace Impact (Fr) in...

Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) has exited the G1 Prix du Moulin in good order and will aim for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on QIPCO British Champions Day, according to trainer Christopher Head. Successful in a listed race in March, the Yeguada Centurion homebred added the G3 Prix la Force and G3 Prix de Guiche in successive months. He has finished second in his last three races, all at Group 1 level--the Prix du Jockey Club, the Prix Jacques le Marois, and the Prix du Moulin,...

Sunday's G1 Sumbe Prix Morny looked a deep one beforehand and it didn't disappoint as KHK Racing's Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}--Mosa Mine {GB}, by Exceed And Excel {Aus}) reeled in Infinity Nine Horses' TDN Rising Star Ramatuelle (Justify) close home for the bragging rights at Deauville. As he had on his winning debut at Nottingham and the G2 Richmond S. at Goodwood, the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained 625,000gns Tatts Craven Breeze Up joint-topper travelled easily throughout with Andrea Atzeni notably still. Allowing the G3 Prix du Bois and G2...