Stradivarius (Ire)

The unbeaten Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), the world's top-rated turf horse, will return to the racecourse on July 27 for the G1 Qatar Sussex S., in which he looks set to face the 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace S winner Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). The clash of the Shadwell and Godolphin stars will be one of the highlights of the five-day Glorious Goodwood meeting, which gets underway next Tuesday. William Haggas, who has trained Baaeed to eight straight victories, including four Group 1 wins, said on Tuesday...

Thursday's G1 Gold Cup maintained its place at the heart of Royal Ascot with a thrilling and dramatic finale as Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Ryan Moore outgunned Mojo Star (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), with the latter falling foul to ill fortune for the second consecutive year. Sent off the 13-8 favourite on the back of his wins in Navan's Listed Vintage Crop S. Apr. 23 and Leopardstown's G3 Saval Beg Levmoss S. May 13, Kyprios who represents the consortium of Moyglare...

If Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) could talk, and by now it's almost as if he can, he would probably sound like Ali as he approaches his own version of the legendary "Rumble In the Jungle" at an Ascot with a suitably high reading on the thermometor. "I'm gonna dance!" he would shout. "There's nothing to be scared of." Whether he's been busy handcuffing lightning or chopping down trees ahead of his great hour fighting to regain his title in Thursday's G1 Gold Cup only connections know, but his...

Charlie Appleby calls it "the Olympics" and few would challenge that claim. Royal Ascot has been too long enmeshed in the fabric of British culture to be anything other than a truly special occasion, but in the Platinum Jubilee year it has even greater allure, a higher purpose. Four of the top nine horses in the World's Best Racehorse Rankings, including the one who sits atop, will be here this week and several more that have yet to reveal themselves as members of that exclusive club. We will know them...

Twenty career wins, 18 in group company. Those that wrote off Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) had to think again on Friday as Bjorn Nielsen's legendary chestnut popped up to keep his unbeaten tag on York's Knavesmire intact with a third G2 Paddy Power Yorkshire Cup. Travelling with all the gusto of his earlier days, the 6-4 favourite who was largely dogged by unsuitable ground and a dash of bad luck in 2021 sliced between younger rivals heading to two out with the crowd in raptures. Taking the measure...

There will be time to reflect on the career of Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) at a later date, but for now his is a story still unfolding with perhaps the best yet to come. Whatever happens in Friday's G2 Paddy Power Yorkshire Cup, the horse that took to acquiring millions with the same aplomb as his hedge fund trader and investor owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen is heading to his own personal crescendo. Odds-on for the race he garnered in 2018 and 2019, the Gosdens' beloved chestnut may be attracting...

High-class stayer Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and G1 Cazoo Derby hopeful Reach For The Moon (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will both be in action at York in mid-May, co-trainer John Gosden revealed. The former holds an entry in the G2 Paddy Power Yorkshire Cup S. on May 13. After winning the G2 Doncaster Cup S. in September, the Bjorn Nielsen-owned chestnut ran second in the G1 Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp a month later, and finished his season with a third in the G2 British Champions Long...

Adding to his fast-accumulating haul of big-race wins on Saturday, Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) justified even-money favouritism to bring up a repeat in Ascot's G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup. While not as demonstrative as 12 months ago, when the deeper ground saw him excel with a 7 1/2-length success, the subsequent G1 Goodwood Cup and G1 Prix du Cadran hero had a tactical affair to deal with this time but Hollie Doyle refused to be flustered anchoring him in mid-division. Despite his early exuberance, the 5-year-old had plenty...

Godolphin's June 5 G1 Epsom Derby and July 24 G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) will be one of the 10 starters in Saturday's G1 QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot after Charlie Appleby pushed go on Thursday morning. Fourth in last Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp, the homebred has given all the right signals in the interim period and adds substance to a renewal robbed of Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) who has been re-routed to take the...

With his stayers' division dominance seemingly on the wane this term, Bjorn Nielsen's talisman Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) assuaged any doubts that the old lustre had been lost by outclassing a reduced field in Thursday's G2 Doncaster Cup. Shorn of G1 Goodwood Cup hero Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) in the build up, the 18-furlong marathon was led by The Grand Visir (GB) (Frankel {GB}) as Frankie Dettori anchored Stradivarius five lengths off the tempo passing the judge first time. That margin had nearly doubled by halfway, but it...

With the drying ground ruling out the G1 Goodwood Cup hero Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}), Friday's G2 Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup at York was teed up perfectly for Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) to register an inspiring third success in this marathon. Open to questioning following his fourth in the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot June 17, Bjorn Nielsen's staying star was settled in second early by Frankie Dettori as The Grand Visir (GB) (Frankel {GB}) set off in isolation. Joined by Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}) approaching...

Bjorn Nielsen's triple G1 Gold Cup hero Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) halted the longest losing streak of his career with a first success in Wednesday's G3 Longines Sagaro S. tackling two miles of his favoured Ascot stomping ground. Backing up another Royal triumph by snaffling a fourth G1 Goodwood Cup in July, the homebred chestnut was edged out by ill-fated G1 Epsom Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in ParisLongchamp's G2 Prix Foy in September and was not disgraced when seventh back over the same course...