Rosallion

The Sussex Stakes and the Prix Jacques le Marois are likely targets for G3 Jersey Stakes winner Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}), according to Richard Brown, advisor to the colt's owners Wathnan Racing.  After placing in the 2,000 Guineas followed by a gallant effort to finish a narrow second to his Richard Hannon-trained stablemate Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) in the Irish equivalent, Haatem was deserving of his big day in the sun back over seven furlongs at the royal meeting.  Haatem is now set to return to the...

It was a day that had everything. From Rosallion landing the St James's Palace S. to yet another Australian sprinter showing the Euros how it's done, day one of the royal meeting did not disappoint. Here are some of the talking points.   Faux Pas For The French Anyone who backed the French raiders Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) in the Queen Anne knew pretty early that they were not going to get off to a winning start at the royal meeting....

ASCOT, UK--A wishlist for the first day of Royal Ascot would certainly have included the hope that a Classic-winning colt would step forward and announce himself as a proper horse, a major win for an international traveller, and the sight of the inimitable Sir Mark Prescott in the winner's enclosure. Tick. Tick. Tick. We'll throw in to the mix a tearful Mark Loughnane proclaiming the 80/1 Coventry S. victory for his jockey son Billy as "the best ever moment of my life", and Sam Sangster, equally tearful as his father's...

They say that good things come in threes. The team at Dalham Hall Stud could be forgiven for bending that old adage a little to say that good things come from Reem Three.  This time 12 months ago one of the breeding stories of Royal Ascot week came in the very first race when Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred Triple Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}) won the Queen Anne S. to become not just the second Group 1 winner for his dam, Reem Three (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}), but...

If you are a racing tragic, and I'd like to think that most TDN readers fall into this celebrated bracket, it is impossible to have a day off at the moment. Trials, Classics, they come thick and fast in these heady weeks of spring. We've waited winterlong, starved of any meaningful action, and now it's hard not to feel a little queasy at the veritable feast of racing which is set before us, course after course after course. There's barely even room for the Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding Maiden Hurdle. ...

The Curragh could be next for Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) after the Richard Hannon-trained colts finished second and third respectively behind Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Qipco 2000 Guineas on Saturday.  The Hannon stable last recorded victory in the Irish 2,000 Guineas when Canford Cliffs (Ire) ran out a hugely impressive scorer back in 2010. "I'm immensely proud of both horses," Hannon reflected. "They ran good races and we'll have a lot of sport with them through the year. He...

Six homebreds take on five sales graduates for the opening Classic of the British season. The spotlight will very much rest on odds-on favourite City Of Troy, who is one of five Classic runners for his Triple Crown-winning sire Justify in Newmarket and Kentucky in the space of three days. Shamardal, his sons Lope De Vega and Blue Point, and grandson Phoenix Of Spain are each represented by a runner, as is Dubawi and his two sons Night Of Thunder and Too Darn Hot. For the complete field, please click...

Richard Hannon has said there is not one horse that he would swap Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) for and reported the Group 1 winner to be firmly on course for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 4.  Previously described as "right up there with the best we've ever had" by his handler, Rosallion is a general 8-1 chance for Classic glory at Newmarket.  His big day in the sun last year came when storming to G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere glory and confidence is clearly high in the camp...

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...

Anyone who bets on racing will know too well the perils that come with predicting the outcome of a sporting event. But what if we take it a couple of steps further and, for a bit of fun, try and gaze into the crystal ball and see what could be in store for 2024? From Frankie Dettori returning to the saddle in Europe to Wathnan Racing continuing its march in Britain, here are 10 predictions-some fun and some serious-for the new year.  Dettori's Groundhog Day To Continue Into 2024 We've...

With Dubawi as its lynchpin, there have of course been plenty of red-letter days for Darley in recent years, but the results from the Arc meeting at Longchamp on Sunday can nevertheless be deemed to be extra special. Best of all was the victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for the unbeaten Ace Impact (Ire), a member of the first crop of Cracksman (GB). That stellar performance was backed up by a first-crop Group 1 winner for Blue Point (Ire), who is leading the first-season sires' table and...

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid's Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) will target next month's G2 Betfred Champagne S. at Doncaster in bid to keep his perfect record as well as bolster his growing reputation. The Richard Hannon charge beat a next-out scorer at Newbury on debut in June before stepping up to the listed level with a victory in the Flexjet Pat Eddery S. at Ascot last out on July 29. His conditioner has also been eyeing a run in the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. in October, but is not confident Rosallion...