Royal Ascot

Ascot Racecourse is set to return record prize-money of £17.5 million to the sport in 2024, having announced on Monday its financial results for the 12 months ended December 31, 2023. Turnover for that period rose by 9% to £110.9 million, with a pre-tax profit of £5.9 million--up from £3.4 million in 2022. The 2023 business summary highlighted several other points of interest: Gross profit percentage fell from 34.5% to 33.8%, reflecting increased costs and general inflationary economic conditions. Profit before tax increased by £2.5 million but EBITDA (Earnings Before...

Having resisted the urge to take up an assignment at Royal Ascot after making a successful racecourse debut in the May 11 Royal Palm Juvenile Turf, D J Stable's Bullet  (War Front) switched to a synthetic surface for Saturday's My Dear S. and posted an equally eyecatching success. Drawn gate seven, the $425,000 Keeneland September yearling raced in a share of fourth and four off the inside into the turn. Forced to concede ground as Carlisle Bay began to get away at the five-sixteenths, Bullet easily gathered that one up...

Inglis Digital USA's July Sale catalogue is now available online and lots are open to bidding, the group announced via release Friday. The debut sale has in-foal broodmares, broodmares prospects, yearlings, and horses of racing age. Bidding is currently live and lots will begin closing Wednesday, July 17 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern in three-minute increments. Interested parties must register via an account on the Inglis Digital USA website and request a bidding limit in order to participate. All verified bidders and sellers in the July sale will be entered into...

Nestled in the heart of Kentucky's rolling hills, Taylor Made Farm has been a cornerstone of the Thoroughbred industry for almost 50 years. Having been the leading consignor in the world 28 times in the last 30 years, Taylor Made is an operation that lives at the epicenter of the horse racing industry. When the idea of putting together a racing division was being batted around, it was a no-brainer for Mark Taylor and his family to begin to construct what is now monikered as Medallion Racing. "You could say...

   The X-Ray Files series, now in its second year and presented in cooperation with the Consignors and Breeders' Association, uses conversations with buyers and sellers to contribute to the discussion on the sales and training process. Joseph O'Brien, the son of legendary trainer Aidan O'Brien, has steadily built up an impressive reputation of his own, first as a jockey with 31 top-level wins worldwide and now as a trainer with Group 1 wins from Ireland to Australia, France, England and the U.S. O'Brien became the youngest jockey to win...

Gabaldon (Gone Astray), most recently runner-up in the listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, has been added to the catalogue for the inaugural Inglis Digital USA July Sale. Trained by Jose D'Angelo on behalf of Soldi Stable, the juvenile earned a trip to Royal Ascot with a win in the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes at Gulfstream Park in his racetrack debut May 11. "Gabaldon is everything you look for in a racehorse," D'Angelo said. "He is fast, classy, and loves his job. His precocity and mindset make him one...

Connections of Moqadama (Ire), a winning sister to back-to-back Royal Ascot scorer Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), say that they want to "strike while the iron is still hot" with the broodmare in the upcoming Tattersalls Online Sale.  Consigned by Castleton Lyons, Moqadama will become the first US-based horse to sell on the Tattersalls Online platform. Bidding opens on Wednesday with the sister to the dual Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer being sold in foal to American Pharoah.  Kerry native Pat Hayes, who is the farm manager at the...

A good week for the Charlton family became a great deal better after Tom, who married his fiancé Alana in Sicily last Tuesday, launched into a training partnership with John O'Shea in Australia.  The announcement comes after Charlton, son of multiple Group 1-winning handler Roger and brother to the recently Royal Ascot-winning handler Harry, spent over five years working as an assistant to O'Shea. In his 24 years operating with a licence, O'Shea has managed the careers of many classy types, including Charge Forward, Racing To Win, Foxwedge and Hartnell,...

The Cloudy Dancer (GB) Flash Sale on Fasig-Tipton's Digital platform ended Friday afternoon with a bang as a bidding war stopped the clock at 2:04 pm with the mare sold for $430,000 to David Hutson. On June 20 of this year, Cloudy Dancer (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) 's second foal--Shareholder (Not This Time)--captured the G2 Norfolk Stakes for 2-year-olds at prestigious Royal Ascot to remain undefeated. His victory was the third fastest time in the last 40 years of the race's history. Cloudy Dancer's connections opted to offer her on...

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...

Bidding is now open for the "Cloudy Dancer Flash Sale," a one-horse online auction on Fasig-Tipton Digital. Cloudy Dancer (GB) is the dam of Shareholder (Not This Time), the impressive winner of the G2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot this past Thursday for Wathnan Racing and trainer Karl Burke. Bidding on Cloudy Dancer (GB) will close this Friday, June 28, at 2 PM ET. A two-year-old colt by leading sire Not This Time, Shareholder is now undefeated in two career starts. He won his debut on June 8 at Beverley,...

Rashabar (Ire) rewarded World Pool punters with a Win dividend of 129.90 when landing Tuesday's G2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, identifying him as the highest-priced winner of any World Pool race since it was launched in 2019. World Pool paid nearly 50 points more than the 80-1 SP returned by Rashabar, who also helped Billy Loughnane to open up a commanding advantage in the World Pool Jockeys' Championship with his Coventry win. Riding his first Royal Ascot winners this week, Loughnane claimed 129.90 points for his success on Rashabar...