Soul Sister

Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale, which begins its three-day run this Monday, marks a welcome return to the consigning ranks of Daylesford Stud. Daylesford is a name synonymous with quality and it is not just the organic farmshop and luxury goods brand to which that label can be applied. The stud's owner, Lady Bamford, has long been a breeder of top-tier horses, her maroon colours having been carried to glory by two homebred Oaks winners since 2009 - Sariska (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Soul Sister (GB) (Frankel {GB})....

John and Thady Gosden had some of their star fillies on the July Course early on Saturday morning with their former stable jockey William Buick replacing Frankie Dettori on Emily Upjohn (GB) for the first time ahead of their engagement in next Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse S. The Coronation Cup winner was joined by her fellow Epsom heroine, the Oaks winner Soul Sister (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and they were led in their mile-long gallop by last season's G2 Park Hill Fillies' S. winner Mimikyu (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).  Emily Upjohn, whose sire...

So begins the campaign for Auguste Rodin (Ire) to meet Desert Crown (GB) and Adayar (Ire) in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. This column has precisely zero influence over anything at all, but as a racing fan increasingly concerned at the sidestepping of the greatest prize of high summer then it would be remiss of me not to bang the drum and rattle the tambourine a little.  How often have the last three winners of the Derby all still been in training? (We can make that four,...

EPSOM DOWNS, UK--It was a chill wind, rather than an ill wind, that blew across the Downs as the early birds arrived at Epsom. The drive to Surrey had been peppered by racing popping up on the Radio 4 news, and that's rarely a good sign. Animal Rising may be chaotic in its reasoning but, with its threats of disruption, the protest group has done a good job of grabbing attention in the run-up to the Derby. Sure enough, there it was again, on repeat on the hourly bulletins. The...

Looks can be deceiving, but it is hard to argue with Savethelastdance's 22-length winning margin in the Listed Cheshire Oaks. The Coolmore filly faces 10 rivals in Friday's G1 Betfred Oaks, among them G3 Musidora S. heroine Soul Sister for Lady Bamford. BE HAPPY (IRE), Camelot (GB) - Frequential (GB) (Dansili {GB}) Owner: M Tabor, D Smith, Mrs J Magnier & Westerberg Breeder: Lynch Bages Ltd & Longfield Stud Trainer: Aidan O'Brien A 340,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase, she is a sister to the Group 3-placed Hector De Maris...

For all that the annual parade of TDN Rising Stars is generally a formidable one, there are always those that just miss the cut and who forge on to bring that familiar sense of regret and longing from our team here. Of the Europeans who were closely considered but ultimately left out of the picture, none stings more than Ballydoyle's rugged Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never), who first appeared in the five-furlong Dundalk maiden in early April won in the past by Scat Daddy's high-achieving Caravaggio and Skitter Scatter. Mostly...