The Platinum Queen

Over 50 horses connected to John Dance's Coverdale Stud and Titanium Racing Club will provide an extra smattering of interest to the horses-in-training section of the two-day Tattersalls Guineas Sale, which kicks off on Wednesday. First Ambition (GB) (lot 151), an Invincible Spirit colt out of Dance's six-time Group 1 winner Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), will spearhead the draft that is being offered by The Castlebridge Consignment.  Dance was arrested almost a year ago and is involved in an ongoing Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) investigation into allegations of fraud and...

It never bodes well when a trainer starts an interview with the words, "I don't really like doing interviews." This, from Richard Fahey, was far less intimidating, however, than when TDN went to interview David Elsworth some years ago to be greeted by him marching across the yard and stating, "I'm in a murderous mood." I Having mercifully escaped from Egerton House Stables unscathed to live to annoy many more trainers, our recent mission to Malton was a comparative cakewalk.  For a start, it would be impossible for either interviewer...

Twelve years have passed since Roger Varian became a licensed trainer as the health of his much-loved former boss and mentor, Michael Jarvis, declined. One softly-spoken but calmly assured man took over from another after Varian had served a decade as Jarvis's assistant. By that stage he had clearly proved himself a worthy successor, and the rise of the Varian stable in the intervening years has only served to underline Jarvis's judgement in this regard. Last year was Varian's best to date. There haven't been many seasons during his term...

Hollie Doyle will maintain the partnership with The Platinum Queen (Ire) as the pair bid to follow up on their brilliant Prix de l'Abbaye success with victory at the Breeders' Cup. Oisin Orr, who joined The Platinum Queen's trainer Richard Fahey earlier this year, does most of the work with the speedster. However, Orr was unable to do the weight about the daughter of Cotai Glory (GB) in France. With the Middleham Park Racing-owned youngster set to carry just 8st 7lb in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland, the Irishman...

NEWMARKET, UK-It is going to require a Herculean effort to plunder the best of what is on offer at Tattersalls, according to leading bloodstock agent Alex Elliott who, on the eve of the eagerly-anticipated Book 1 session, described the stock on offer as being "the cream of the crop".  With Sheikh Mohommad, Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum, Aidan O'Brien, John Gosden, Yoshito Tahagi, Chad Brown and a host of American and foreign buyers in attendance at Newmarket on Monday, Elliott is expecting more mayhem in the sales ring this week. ...