Switzerland

GSW West Saratoga (Exaggerator) was sold privately to Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi's RRR Racing for $375,000 following the Inglis Digital USA December Sale, according to a Friday press release issued by the auction company. The gray will be sent to the Dubai barn of trainer Doug Watson, where he will undergo an evaluation to determine his future racing plans. "I'm very excited with the purchase of West Saratoga," Watson said. "He looks like a horse with a really nice future in the upcoming years in the UAE. He...

5th-OP, $115K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 3:22 p.m. ET. A $700,000 Keeneland September purchase by Willis Horton Racing and trained by Eddie Milligan Jr., WILL TAKE IT (Tapit) is the first to the post out of unraced Lady Take Charge (War Front). The latter was the top-priced foal at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale when she was hammered down to Whisper Hill Farm for $3.2 million. Eclipse Award winner Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway), a daughter of Lady Take Charge's half-sister Charming (Seeking the Gold), was the overall topper when...

For the last three or four years, bloodstock agents Ramiro Restrepo, Bo Bromagen, and Clay Scherer had talked about attending the White Turf races in St. Moritz, Switzerland as fans. The races are among the most unique in the world. They're held every February and run over a frozen lake that is packed down with snow, creating a spectacle unlike anything, anywhere in the world of horse racing. The races have been held since 1907. "We always thought that the St. Moritz white turf races were so cool, so appealing,"...

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 575 entries for its upcoming Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, to be held Monday and Tuesday, May 22-23, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland. "Buyers will be presented with the strongest Midlantic catalogue in recent memory when they arrive in Timonium this year," said Midlantic Sales Director Paget Bennett. "We purposefully tightened up our numbers just a bit, while adding increased quality. We have strong sire power, quality individuals, and from what I hear from our consignors, horses that have showed very promising ability in...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- It would be difficult to imagine that anyone has embraced and enjoyed their time in the Emirates more than trainer Jeremiah O'Dwyer, his wife Alison and exercise rider Chelsie Raabe. From the perspective of the 130 or so horses taking part on World Cup Night, the same could perhaps be said for Sibelius (Not This Time), who would make his way to the Meydan main track about the same time the sun was peeking over the horizon, then would just stand there, like class horses...

The Best Turned Out Award at Meydan Racecourse will be sponsored by Fasig-Tipton in 2023, the Dubai Racing Club announced on Friday morning. There will be a cash prize presented to the groom of each award winner prior to each race as well as other merchandise throughout the season. Graduates of the American sales company to find success in Dubai include G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Switzerland (Speightstown), as well as dual Golden Shaheen winner Mind Your Biscuits (Posse). "Fasig-Tipton are hugely influential across the world of Thoroughbred sales and...

by Heather Anderson and J.N. Campbell With New Year's celebrations firmly in the rearview, racing eyes turn to Dubai, as the $7.5-million Dubai World Cup Carnival kicks off at Meydan Racecourse. The DWCC culminates on Super Saturday, Mar. 4, the warmup for the $30.5-million Dubai World Cup card slated for Mar. 26. Of the seven races carded, five are black-type level and there are a quartet of stakes contests set to be decided in the desert on Friday. Anchoring the action is the $250,000 G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1...

Former jockey Lester Piggott, who had been hospitalised in Switzerland on May 22, is improving, daughter Maureen Haggas revealed at Haydock on Saturday. Now 86, the legendary reinsman and 11-time champion jockey has ridden nine G1 Derby winners. A member of the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, the retired rider boasts 30 Classic victories among his 4,493 total winning rides. Haggas, who is married to Derby-winning trainer William Haggas, said, "I went to see him earlier in the week and he's improving, which is good news. He's much...

There was much cause for Irish celebration at Meydan on Saturday night when A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) and Ronan Whelan shot to glory in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint for Ado McGuinness. But a victory that meant just as much for one Irish jockey was that of Switzerland (Speightstown) in the other major sprint on the card, the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, which provided Tadhg O'Shea with his first Group 1 winner at the age of 40. O'Shea has not, however, been devoid of success throughout...

RRR racing's Switzerland (Speightstown) showed that age is merely a number with an emphatic victory in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan Saturday. Jockey Tadhg O'Shea wisely stationed the 8-year-old just behind a sharp pace, carved out by the American duo of Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) and Wondrwherecraigis (Munnings) who were shadowed by Al Tariq (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Turning for home, Drain the Clock shook clear from the others as Switzerland began to pick up the tempo confidently while in the five path. Sat down for the...

MGSW Switzerland (Speightstown) caused an upset in the G3 Dubawi S. at Meydan on Thursday, the first group race on the opening card of the Dubai World Cup Carnival. Breaking in the air, the new gelding soon recovered and punched the breeze out six deep in the rush to the bend. Waady (Ire) (Approve {Ire}) led while glued to the fence under pressure from favoured Gladiator King (Curlin) and Good Effort (Ire) (Shamardal). Those three were soon tackled by Switzerland out in the middle of the track with a quarter...

The 2021 White Turf meeting at St. Moritz in Switzerland will not take place due to COVID-19, the St. Moritz Racing Association (SMRA) announced on Thursday. The unique winter event has been postponed to Feb. 6, 13, and 20 of 2022, instead. As it stands, there have been an increasing number of coronavirus infections according to the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health (BAG). The Snow Polo World Cup was also postponed earlier this month, and, as the SMRA share the costs of building the tent city on the lake...