Royal Ascot

Varian Has Royal Ascot Plan For Brilliant 1,000 Guineas Winner Elmalka

Roger Varian has confirmed that Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) will be given the chance to join the select band of fillies to claim the 1,000 Guineas and Coronation S. when she heads to Royal Ascot for her next start. The daughter of Kingman provided the Carlburg Stables handler with his first triumph in the fillies' Classic when coming home strongly in the hands of Silvestre de Sousa earlier this month and Varian has been delighted with how she has responded since her big-race triumph at Newmarket. With no rush to...

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Joseph O'Brien's Big Royal Ascot Player Snapped Up By Stonestreet Stables

Royal Ascot-bound Cowardofthecounty (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) has been snapped up by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables and other American-based partners. Cowardofthecounty made a scintillating start to his career when scoring on debut for Joseph O'Brien over 6f at the Curragh.  The form has since been franked with the runner-up, the Aidan O'Brien-rained Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never), landing the First Flier S. over 5f at the Curragh in similarly impressive fashion.  Cowardofthecounty is prominent in the betting for the Coventry S. at odds of 5-1 and, according to O'Brien, the...

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How a Rangel Earned His Wings

So what happens when you keep pursuing the dream, keep persevering, only to find that it's taken you right to the cliff's edge? At some point you quit, right? Not if you're Ramon "R.J." Rangel, you don't. He was still working with yearlings at Dixiana when he leased his first 10 acres. His wife at the time had quit her own job at Dixiana to care for their little farm and he would come back in the afternoons to put in a second shift on the heavier work. Gradually they...

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Gabaldon, Son Of Gone Astray, Earns Ascot Bid In Royal Palm Juvenile Upset

Earning a $25,000 stipend and an automatic berth into one of the juvenile stakes during next month's Royal Meeting at Ascot, it was longshot Gabaldon (Gone Astray) who snagged the voucher in the final race Saturday at Gulfstream Park--the Royal Palm Juvenile S. Overlooked at odds of 16-1 for this debut, the Jose D'Angelo trainee flashed his speed from the bell as he moved to the rail to take on Governor Sam (Improbable) up the backstretch. The juveniles distanced themselves from the rest of the field around the far turn...

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War Front's Bullet Earns Trip To Royal Ascot In Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies

A rocket ship late in the lane, aptly-named Bullet (War Front--Marlinspike, by Tapit) flew home to win the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies S. and earned a trip to Royal Ascot in the process. Debuting for Mark Casse and D J Stable and off a step slow, the grey sat off the speed in seventh as 44-1 longshot You Need Me (St. Patrick's Day) rolled through :22.01 and :44.84 splits. Four wide passing the five-sixteenths, she swung even farther out coming for home and uncorked a rally which sailed her in...

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Partnerships: Ironhorse Racing Stable, Presented by Taylor Made Partnerships

If you consider yourself a baseball fan and are of a certain vintage, the term Iron Horse will conjure up thoughts of one of the most legendary baseball players to ever grace the diamond: The Iron Horse himself, Lou Gehrig. Jonathan Eig, author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, described the term Iron Horse as "a type of courage to persevere and to keep yourself going and to never give up." Harlan Malter, Founder and Managing Partner of Ironhorse Racing Stable is a self-proclaimed sports fanatic...

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Vandeek Primed For Sandy Lane

Unbeaten colt Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) continues to progress in his preparation for the G2 Sandy Lane S. at Haydock on May 25. The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained colt's long-term goal is Royal Ascot's G1 Commonwealth Cup S. next month. A winner of all four of his starts including the early August G2 Richmond S., G1 Prix Morny later that month, and the G1 Middle Park S. in September, the colt is pleasing his connections. "He's coming along nicely now, so we're hoping we'll be all systems go at...

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'My Hero Of The Year' – O'Donovan Hails King Of Change After Guineas Sale

Danny O'Donovan described first-season sire King Of Change as his 'hero of the year' after the young consignor topped the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale at 180,000gns with a filly by the Starfield Stud-based stallion.  King Of Change may have emerged as something of the surprise package from the breeze-up circuit so far but O'Donovan has never been afraid to push his chest out when it comes to the capabilities of the Group 1-winning miler and was duly rewarded when Oliver St Lawrence signed for the filly who posted one of...

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Positive Update On Internationals Entered For Royal Ascot

At least seven countries are set to be represented for the Group 1 races and early-closing Group 2 contests for Royal Ascot, the racecourse announced on Tuesday. Worth a record £10 million in prize-money this year, the meeting boasts purses of at least £650,000 for the Group 1 races, and all races are worth at least £110,000. Aussie sprinter Chain Of Lightning (Aus) (Fighting Sun {Aus}) is one of the leading lights for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S., and her co-trainer, Peter Moody, won the race in 2012...

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Breeder James Cloney Excited By Royal Ascot Prospect Camille Pissarro

During a time where rising costs and a shaky underbelly to the yearling and foal market is causing many producers to rejig their approach to the breeding season, James Cloney certainly did his bit to provide smaller breeders either side of the Irish Sea with some much-needed encouragement when Camille Pissarro (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) entered the Royal Ascot picture by making a winning debut for Aidan O'Brien at Navan last weekend. Sold by the breeder to Coolmore's MV Magnier and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm for 1.25 million gns...

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Wathnan Chart Path Towards Gold Cup With Courage Mon Ami And Gregory

The Ascot Gold Cup is the main priority for defending champion Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and St Leger third Gregory (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), according to Richard Brown, racing advisor for owners Wathnan Racing.  The John and Thady Gosden-trained duo gave the Qatar-based operation the perfect start to their ownership enterprise last season. Both horses hold entries for the Boodles Yorkshire Cup on May 17, while Sandown's Henry II S. a week later is another possible option for the duo to tune up for their main summer assignment....

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McGivern In Dreamland As Vandeek's Owners Spend 420k On Havana Grey Filly

DONCASTER, UK--Royal Ascot dreams abound for the connections of Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), who not only have that unbeaten star to look forward to, but a host of high-class two-year-old prospects as well after Anthony Stroud snapped up speedy fillies by Havana Grey (GB) and Sioux Nation (lot 119) to the tune of £720,000 on behalf of the ownership group at the Goffs Breeze-Up Sale. But Doncaster was dominated by the Derryconnor Stud-drafted diamond by Havana Grey, who led the way at £420,000 to provide top consignor Katie McGivern...

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