winter break

Multiple Group 1 winner Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), who won the G1 Prix de l'Opera and booked her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf as a result, will skip that engagement and is being freshened prior to being prepared for a 4-year-old campaign, Jour de Galop reported on Friday. The Yeguada Centurion homebred is trained by Christopher Head. In 2022, she won the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, and then completed a rare triple when adding the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix...

Group 3 winner and Classic-placed Desert Hero (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who races for The King and The Queen, will not travel to Australia and contest the G1 Melbourne Cup in November. Instead, he will be given a break and will return as a 4-year-old. Trained by William Haggas, the son of Desert Breeze (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) won the G3 Gordon S. in August and was third to Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster on Sept. 16. John Warren, racing adviser to the...

Wathnan Racing's Gregory (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), who won the G2 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot, is headed for some time off, with connections opting for a 4-year-old staying campaign, according to racing advisor Richard Brown. The John and Thady Gosden trainee won his first three starts, before running third in the G2 Great Voltigeur S. and fifth in the G1 St Leger, both times to Heart's Cry (Jpn) colt Continuous (Jpn). "I think he's going to be better on top of the ground and he still ran an admirable...

G1 Middle Park S. third Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who won the G2 Gimcrack S. in late August for Shadwell and trainer Owen Burrows, will not be seen the rest of the year and instead will be pointed at the G1 Commonwealth Cup S. at Royal Ascot next June. A winner at second asking at Salisbury on Aug. 9, the bay quickly added the Gimcrack 12 days later and was not disgraced when third in the Middle Park on Sept. 26. "Minzaal ran well in the Middle Park and he...