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Turfling
Europe
Tuesday 22 September 2026
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The lead
Dubai mourns Sheikh Ahmed, owner of Mtoto and Addeybb
Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the younger brother of Dubai’s Ruler Sheikh Mohammed, died on Monday aged 76. Dubai has declared an official ten day mourning period, and his horses are not expected to run while it lasts. The British Horseracing Authority said his famous yellow and black silks had been commonplace on British racecourses for decades and had been carried to victory in some of the sport’s most historic races (Thoroughbred Daily News, Racing Post).
Mtoto won the Eclipse twice and the 1988 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and was second in the Arc. Addeybb won the 2020 Champion Stakes and three Group 1s in Australia, and this year Sheikh Ahmed bred two more Group 1 winners in Almaqam, in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, and Saddadd, in the Grosser Preis von Baden. Godolphin’s Hugh Anderson called him “a simply outstanding owner and breeder whose contribution to our sport will be felt for many years to come” (Racing Post, Sporting Life, Godolphin).
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Things to know today
| 1 |
Handani won the John McGuire Premier Handicap over a mile and a half on day two of the Listowel Harvest Festival for Dermot Weld and Chris Hayes. The handicap debutant, in the Aga Khan colours, held Alphecca by three quarters of a length with Sir Jeremy close up in third, and Kris Weld said he comes from Harzand’s family and should improve (Irish Examiner, GG) |
| 2 |
Billy Lee reached 80 winners in the Irish title race with a Fairyhouse double on Monday, completed when Big Negotiator got up late to beat Livenka by half a length in the Listed Castlebridge Consignment Blenheim Stakes for Paddy Twomey. Lee began the day seven clear of Colin Keane, who rode Livenka, with reigning champion Dylan Browne McMonagle sidelined on 61 (Irish Examiner, Irish Times) |
| 3 |
Lazy Griff, second in the Derby at Epsom and third in the Irish Derby, has been put down following complications from an injury sustained at Chester last month. He was Middleham Park’s first Classic placed horse, and Mike Prince said that to be placed in two Derbys was an absolutely fantastic achievement (GG, GaloppOnline) |
| 4 |
Tattersalls Ireland’s September Yearling Sale opens today, with 540 yearlings offered over two days before 220 more in Part II on Thursday. Rabbah Bloodstock’s David Ryan said the sale will provide a proper barometer for the industry (Tattersalls Ireland, Thoroughbred Daily News) |
| 5 |
Eight fillies were confirmed on Monday for the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, among them Senorita Bonita, Sun Goddess and Libertango, and ten colts for the Middle Park. Charlie Appleby said the unbeaten July Stakes winner Inner City Blues, dormant since, is definitely back on his A-game after working well at Newmarket last week (Express & Star, GG) |
| 6 |
George Scott will run Coronation Cup winner Bay City Roller in the Arc only if the ground is not watered, with the Champion Stakes at Ascot on 17 October the alternative. Pearled Majesty, half owned by Christiane Head, runs in the Arc only if rain comes, and otherwise waits for the same Ascot race (Express & Star, GaloppOnline) |
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International
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America
Appleby, Beckett and Walker send a trio to the Joe Hirsch
El Cordobes heads a field of seven for Saturday’s Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic over a mile and a half at Belmont Park, his first run since February, with Flavien Prat riding for Charlie Appleby. Ralph Beckett’s Pride of Arras, under James Doyle, and Ed Walker’s Fort George complete the European challenge against Grade 1 winner Far Bridge, and Walker said the dream is to win and head on to the Breeders’ Cup (Paulick Report).
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Australasia
Caulfield review finds the track was safe
The Melbourne Racing Club’s review of Saturday’s Underwood Stakes meeting found the Caulfield track was safe and its turf plugs correctly installed, that jockeys were wrong to call it unsafe, and that moving the rail out four metres before the first race was unnecessary. Chief executive Tanya Fullarton said the jockeys clearly did not understand how turf plugs work, and former champion jockey Damien Oliver will now inspect tracks the day before feature meetings (Breednet).
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Asia
Lovcen takes the Kobe Shimbun Hai on the way to a Triple Crown bid
Lovcen won the Grade 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai over 2400 metres at Hanshin on Monday by a nose from Altramuz, with Sea to Summit half a length away in third on good ground and the time 2:25.9. K. Matsuyama rode the World Premiere colt for H. Sugiyama. Already the winner of Japan’s versions of the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, he aims for the Japanese St Leger on 25 October (netkeiba, Racing Post).
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Markets overnight
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FTSE 100 10,739.01, up 0.75 per cent (Yahoo Finance) |
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DAX 25,575.01, up 1.07 per cent (Yahoo Finance) |
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CAC 40 8,139, up 0.92 per cent (Trading Economics) |
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EUR/USD 1.1473, down 0.11 per cent (Trading Economics) |
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GBP/USD 1.3367, down 0.21 per cent (Trading Economics) |
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Brent crude 100.34 dollars a barrel, down 3.4 per cent, November futures settlement (Yahoo Finance) |
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Bitcoin 85,613.16 dollars, up 5.24 per cent over 24 hours, read at 12.05am New York time on Tuesday 22 September (CoinDesk) |
Indices and Brent are the Monday 21 September closes, the most recent with European markets yet to open on Tuesday, and the currencies are the 21 September daily figures. Bitcoin trades around the clock and carries the time it was read. Gold is omitted from this edition because no confirmed Monday close could be read from a live source when it was assembled. Nothing above is rounded from memory, interpolated, or carried forward from a previous day.
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The week ahead
| Wednesday |
The Listed Foundation Stakes at Goodwood |
| Thursday |
The Cambridgeshire meeting opens at Newmarket with the Group 3 Somerville Tattersall Stakes |
| Friday |
The Rockfel Stakes and the Joel Stakes, both Group 2, and the Group 3 Princess Royal Stakes at Newmarket |
| Saturday |
The Cheveley Park Stakes and the Middle Park Stakes, both Group 1, the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes and the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket, and the Goffs Million at the Curragh |
| Sunday |
The Group 1 Preis von Europa at Cologne, and the Group 3 Renaissance Stakes and the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh |
| 28 September |
The Goffs Orby Sale Book 1 opens, running over two days |
| 3 October |
Arc weekend opens at ParisLongchamp with the Prix du Cadran and the Prix de Royallieu, the Sun Chariot Stakes is run at Newmarket, and the Arqana Arc Sale takes place |
| 4 October |
The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp, with the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère, the Prix Marcel Boussac and the Prix de l’Abbaye |
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This week
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Reported from official race-day materials, racecourse and regulator publications, and sales results, verified against trade press. Where a fact originates elsewhere, we say so. Market data as of the most recent close, sourced separately from racing content and linked at each figure. Drafted with AI assistance to Turfling’s published editorial standard. Picks are percentages, never odds. Not affiliated with any track, tote board, regulator or wagering product.
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