Europe

The UK Tote Group has announced the appointment of John O'Reilly as a non-executive director of its Board, effective from May 1. O'Reilly has over 35 years of experience in the horse racing, betting and gaming sectors, having most recently served as CEO of the Rank Group plc - the UK's largest casino and bingo operator. He was formerly a non-executive director of William Hill plc and, between 2011 and 2015, managing director of Coral's digital business. Prior to joining Gala Coral, O'Reilly was an executive director on the board of...

G2 Rockfel Stakes heroine Zanthos (Sioux Nation) will skip the G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 3 in favour of a start in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches on May 10, according to co-trainer Ed Crisford. Crisford said, "I think she'll go straight to France. We're thinking France more than Newmarket, just because the mile at Newmarket does take some getting and I think France will suit her well. "Obviously we've had cool weather, it hasn't quite hit proper spring yet and a lot of the fillies are...

Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett) is likely for the G1 2000 Guineas with Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) eyeing the French equivalent, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien. A start for Saturday's G3 Greenham Stakes third Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett) is still undecided. Puerto Rico has won his last three starts, with tallies in the G2 Champagne Stakes, the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and the G1 Criterium International. A winner of the G2 Coventry Stakes and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Gstaad was also second in a trio of Group 1s: the Prix Morny,...

Last year's G1 Hopeful Stakes hero Lovcen took the G1 Satsuki Sho field pillar-to-post and set a new record of 1:56.50 in the process for the 2000 metres over firm turf on Sunday. The Forest Racing runner brought up a Japanese Guineas double for jockey Kohei Matsuyama, who'd won the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) aboard Star Anise (Drefong) last Sunday. Although the winner was bred in Japan by Northern Farm, there was a distinct European flavour in the pedigrees of the top three finishers. The winner is out...

Yann Barberot trainee Lapotheose (Wootton Bassett) enjoyed market confidence heading postward for Sunday's Listed Prix Caravelle and followed up earlier victories at Angers and Toulouse with a narrow verdict back at the latter venue. Positioned several lengths off the clear leader in third until easing closer on the home turn, the 19-10 favourite and G2 Prix Saint-Alary entry was shaken up to launch her bid with 300 metres remaining and came under a late drive to deny the persistent Hatanka Fal (Hathal) by a head for a black-type breakthrough. Lapotheose...

Whether the Classic picture is any clearer this week than last is debatable but what the last seven days have brought us is some truly impressive performances to savour. And it is hard to pick just one, though it has to be said that Portcullis's Wood Ditton run was visually the most spectacular for all that you could see the colt learning with every stride he took, from being left at the start, to bounding through then clear of his rivals.  His maiden success for the King and Queen played...

All the rage for Sunday's six-furlong maiden at The Curragh, Ballydoyle's Great Barrier Reef (No Nay Never) proved the buzz was spot-on with a command performance to become the first two-year-old of the 2026 crop to become a TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard. Always travelling easily tracking the pace under Ryan Moore, the 4-9 favourite loomed on the front end approaching the furlong pole and opened up for a six-length success from the 100-1 outsider Ischgl (Inns Of Court). He is the second colt to sport the title for Coolmore, with...

Star miler Charyn will shuttle to Cambridge Stud in New Zealand in partnership with Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe, for the upcoming Southern Hemisphere season. Based at Haras de Montfort et Preaux in the Northern Hemisphere under the Sumbe banner, the son of Dark Angel's fee will be NZ$35,000.  The 2024 World Champion Miler and Cartier Champion Older Horse's first foals arrived this year. "The acquisition of Charyn for the Cambridge Stud stallion roster is the beginning of another exciting chapter for the stud and a very important relationship with Nurlan Bizakov's...

The John Oxley-owned Star Prospect (Starman), Joseph O'Brien's first juvenile runner of the year, made a stylish winning debut in Sunday's Arizona Blaze Standing At The Irish National Stud Irish EBF Race at the Curragh. "He had been showing plenty of natural speed at home and it's always nice when your first two-year-old runner runs well," said O'Brien. "He was green enough and off the bridle, but I thought he was very impressive to the line. It's all speed and I don't think he'd be going further than five [furlongs]...

Sunday, Curragh, post time: 15:35, TOTE GUARANTEE, NEVER BEATEN BY SP ALLEGED STAKES-G3, €42,000, 4yo/up, 10fT Field: Trustyourinstinct (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), Eastwatch (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), Edward Hamilton (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Green Impact (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Omni Man (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Red Letter (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Royal Rhyme (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Starford (Ire) (Beckford {GB}), Twain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Beset (GB) (Expert Eye {GB}), Bubble Gum (Fr) (Cloth Of Stars {Ire}), Carolina Jetstream (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}). TDN Analysis: This sees the keenly-anticipated return of TDN Rising...

Karl Burke trainee Convergent (Fascinating Rock), runner-up in last term's G1 Deutsches Derby, won the best-turned-out award prior to Saturday's Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise John Porter Stakes at Newbury and claimed the main prize after overcoming traffic problems in the straight to register a third Group-race triumph. "If we can keep him sound and going the right way I think there is a Group 1 in him for sure," said Burke. "I suppose he could be the best we've had over these distances and before him it would be...

Sent off at 9-1 for Saturday's G3 Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes, Alparslan (Dandy Man) belied the lack of market confidence to prevail in the 2,000 Guineas trial. Sent to the front by Clifford Lee, Mohamed Saeed Al Shehhi's Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes winner who was sixth in the Dewhurst stayed on strongly to deny Zavateri (Without Parole) by a length. The winner's trainer Karl Burke is unsure whether to take the plunge at Newmarket in a fortnight. "It's a case of which Guineas to...