Stone Age

It's a bit of Christmas in August Saturday at venerable Saratoga Race Course, which plays host to no fewer than five Grade I events for horses of all ages--on dirt and on turf--topped by the main event on the summer calendar, the $1.25-million GI Travers S. While the fields are short on numbers, they are long on quality, as three of the races have attracted reigning Eclipse Award winners, none of whom are anything close to a cinch in their respective heats. Champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) has...

His 22 career victories is an all-time record in Hong Kong racing history. His HK$116 million (£12.2 million/US$14.7 million) in career earnings makes him not only the richest racehorse to look through a bridle in the Special Administrative Region, but also one of the richest Thoroughbreds, ever. Stanley Chan's Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) can make even more history this Sunday when he starts a long odds-on proposition in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile, a victory in which will tie Good Ba Ba (Lear Fan) with three straight wins...

Two-time reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) was allotted barrier four in a field of 10 mile specialists from Japan and Australia in addition to the locals as he shoots to equal the record of Good Ba Ba (Lear Fan) with a third consecutive victory in Sunday's G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse. Winner under a five-pound penalty of the G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Mile when making his seasonal debut three weeks ago, the 7-year-old has won 22 of his 25...

Aidan O'Brien is preparing a twin assault on the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase, a race he has won three times in the past, and Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) are set to represent the Ballydoyle maestro in Sunday's race. Globetrotting sensation Highland Reel (Ire) won the Hong Kong Vase in 2015 and 2017 before Mogul (GB) bolstered O'Brien's record in the race when landing the Group 1 contest in 2020. Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who tasted high level success on the international...

Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will not make the trip to Hong Kong for Sunday week's G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m), South China Morning Post reported Friday. Ninth to Japan's Loves Only Your (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in last year's G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m), the last of an eight-race campaign that saw him compete on three continents, the bay was given a chance to make a return trip to Hong Kong in the Listed Churchill S. at Lingfield Nov. 12, but he failed to shine, finishing fourth...

Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) began his 4-year-old season as Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's best hope for the G1 Dubai World Cup, what with his towering success in the G2 UAE Derby as a sophomore. When things on the main track went belly-up over the winter at Meydan, trainer Charlie Appleby and team were compelled to call an audible and switched the gelding--clearly bred to handle the turf--to that surface. The decision has paid off in spades, as the lanky dark bay ran his grass record to five...

   One of racing's biggest supporters, Peter Brant's colours can be spotted not only in his home country of America, but in Britain, Ireland and France.     The renowned owner-breeder, who spent over 20 years away from racing before returning with a bang in 2016, has quickly re-established his operation and in 2020 he reached the pinnacle when Sottsass carried his familiar double green silks to victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.    With a full-brother to Sottsass catalogued for the August Yearling Sale at Arqana, Brant makes...

If this is seeing the future, then maybe it really will work. Among all these tiny, straggling groups negotiating the arid wastes of the dirt stakes program, we finally reach a true oasis in the GI Caesars Belmont Derby Inv.

Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will sidestep Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse S. at Sandown in favour of a trip to America the following weekend. The Aidan O'Brien-trained colt is now being aimed at the GI Belmont Derby, where he is likely to clash with Charlie Appleby's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and GI French 2000 Guineas winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is set to be ridden by Frankie Dettori. O'Brien won last year's Belmont race with Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) confirmed that plans were in place for a...

David Menuisier has provided an upbeat bulletin on G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby hope Lionel (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) after the colt delighted the trainer in a recent racecourse gallop at Kempton. A winner of the Listed Cocked Hat S. when last seen, Lionel is a general 10-1 chance for the Curragh Classic and is reported to be in rude health by his trainer. Menuisier said, "All is in place for Saturday-so far so good. He keeps on developing and [is] getting stronger and stronger. He did a...

With Godolphin supplementing the impressive Listed Newmarket S. winner Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Saturday's G1 Cazoo Derby which it was announced on Monday will be run in honour of Lester Piggott is beginning to form a more complete picture. William Buick confirmed on Monday that he will be on the newly-added colt over the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial runner-up Walk of Stars (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Apr. 19 Listed Blue Riband Trial scorer Nahanni (GB) (Frankel {GB}). "I ride Nations Pride, all being well, so I'm looking forward to...

For Aidan O'Brien it had been a week of mostly ups, with one major down. On Friday morning, the winter favourite for the Derby, Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), was found to be lame behind after exercise, having been shortened in the betting for Epsom following his third-placed finish in the 2000 Guineas. By Sunday he had been ruled out of the Derby completely, just as another potential star emerged from the Ballydoyle battalions in the hugely impressive Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). A maiden until the end of March on...