Things to know today
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Hotazhell won the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday, holding Wimbledon Hawkeye by a nose with Constitution River three quarters of a length away in third. Eight ran and the four year old, trained by Jessica Harrington and ridden by Shane Foley, came home in two minutes 2.53 seconds. Harrington said he is entered in the British Champion Stakes, that he will probably go there and that he will then be retired to stud. Earlier on the card Blue Bolt took the Coolmore America Justify Matron Stakes by two and a quarter lengths for Andrew Balding, Colin Keane and Juddmonte, a fifth win in a row, with City Of Memphis second and last year’s winner Fallen Angel third. Darkness Falls won the HKJC World Pool Golden Fleece Stakes by four and a quarter lengths under Ryan Moore for Aidan O’Brien, in its first running as a Group 1 (Racing Post, Shropshire Star, Thoroughbred Daily News, The 42) |
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More Thunder returned to his best in the Group 2 Betfred Park Stakes at Doncaster, beating Flora Of Bermuda by a length and three quarters with Qirat a neck back in third. Eight ran over seven furlongs and the winner, trained by William Haggas and ridden by Tom Marquand, was timed at one minute 24.31 seconds. In the Group 2 Betfred Champagne Stakes the Godolphin homebred Desert Castle, a Frankel colt trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by Billy Loughnane, drew three lengths clear of Sergei Diaghilev with a further length and a quarter back to Breacher. Five ran, and Appleby said the colt will head to the Dewhurst now (Racing Post, Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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The Curragh staged four Group 1 races today on the second day of the Irish Champions Festival. Sun Goddess opened the sequence in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, six and a half lengths clear of Green Empress with Dancing Destiny a length and three quarters away in third. Six ran and the Aidan O’Brien filly, ridden by Ryan Moore, was timed at one minute 27.68 seconds on yielding ground. O’Brien said she looks a freak, that she is a Guineas filly and that she could go back for the Cheveley Park. Comanche Brave then took the Flying Five for Donnacha O’Brien and Billy Loughnane, beating American Affair by a length and a quarter with Rumstar half a length back in third. Seventeen ran after Charles Darwin came out and the winning time was 58.80 seconds. Folsom Blues won the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes for Joseph O’Brien and Joey Sheridan, leading a furlong out and going clear of his stablemate Monogram, with Ballydoyle’s Florida Bay third of the eight. Scandinavia completed an Aidan O’Brien one two three in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger, two lengths clear of Queenstown with Jan Brueghel third and his winning run extended to eight. Seven ran, and O’Brien said the Prix du Cadran is possible but that he does not want to abuse a made Gold Cup horse. In the Group 2 Moyglare Jewels Blandford Stakes, Thundering On won by a length and a half from Lilt, with Red Letter a nose away in third and ten running (Thoroughbred Daily News, At The Races, GG.co.uk, Ireland Live, Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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Pina Sonata won the Group 3 Japan Racing Association Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes on the closing day of Doncaster’s Leger Festival, beating Touleen by a length and a half with The Prettiest Star a further half a length away in third. The four year old, trained by James Fanshawe and ridden by Danny Muscutt, was winning in Group company for the first time after being dropped back to seven furlongs. Muscutt said the drop in trip had helped, that she had not seen out the mile at Ascot, and that she got a nice tow into the race and put them to the sword nicely. Elsewhere on the card Valedictory took the Betfred Mallard Handicap for John and Thady Gosden under Robert Havlin, just under two lengths clear of Ernst Blofeld, and Callum Rodriguez rode a double on Ancient State and Blue Brother (Express and Star) |
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Musical Times has moved to the top of Timeform’s two year old rankings on a mark of 114p, level with the Prix Morny winner Senorita Bonita, after her seven and a half length win in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes on Thursday. The Charlie Appleby filly, a daughter of Lope De Vega, is unbeaten in three starts, and the lower case p denotes a horse Timeform expects to improve. Its senior racing analyst Kieran Clark said she is the one to beat in the Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket next month and can become the fourth to follow up there since 2017 (Thoroughbred Daily News) |
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Arqana has catalogued 668 yearlings for its October sale at Deauville, which runs from 20 to 23 October and has been compressed from five days to four by taking 80 boxes at the nearby Cour Morny yard. Lot 43, offered by Haras de la Cour Blanche, is a full sister to this year’s Grand Prix de Paris winner Maltese Cross, and her catalogue page could gain a significant update shortly before she is offered. First season sires represented include Ace Impact, Chaldean, Little Big Bear, Mishriff, Modern Games and Vadeni (Thoroughbred Daily News) |
Six items against a cap of fifteen. There was no Europe edition yesterday, so Saturday’s racing is reported here for the first time. The St Leger itself is in The lead above and is not repeated. Leopardstown on Saturday is carried as one item because it was one meeting, and the Curragh and Doncaster today are separate meetings on a separate day.
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