Youth Spirit

In racing, as in life, it's always good to have a dream, and for owner Ahmad Al Shaikh, it's a simple one. "It has always been my dream to win the Derby," says the Dubaian businessman.  To that end, he is not doing too badly, especially not for an owner with a relatively small string of horses. Al Shaikh has been represented in the last two Derbys, with the 2020 runner-up Khalifa Sat (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}), and last year by the G3 Chester Vase winner Youth Spirit (Ire) (Camelot...

By Chris McGrath NEWMARKET, UK--This has already been another record-breaking auction, even if they decide to release the whole of Thursday's closing catalogue into the high street--and a significant one, in terms of underwriting a yearling market that had appeared so curiously immune to the challenges of domestic prizemoney and a volatile economic environment. Once again, the third session of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale was defined by twin channels of export traffic: one to the Middle East, with investment seemingly driven not just by the Saudi Cup but by...

With the major yearling sales now in the rear-view mirror, the focus turns briefly to horses in training before the breeding stock sales, and Park Paddocks this week hosts the four-day Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale. One of the strongest indicators of the global nature of the racing industry, the Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale routinely sees participation from purchasers around the world, and its graduates keep them coming back by winning key races internationally. Salute The Soldier (Ger) (Sepoy {Aus}) was bought for 380,000gns in 2019 and he picked up Meydan's G3...

Is the Derby picture clearer or murkier after the last week? We probably can't say for sure until after Thursday's Dante S., which may or may not feature Ballydoyle's erstwhile favoured one High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). At the moment, of those currently at 20/1 or shorter in the betting, there's certainly the potential for there to be a good story attached to the winner and, let's face it, the great old race in its first year of Cazoo sponsorship, certainly could do with that. Who wouldn't love to see...