Ascoli Piceno

Group 1 winner Jantar Mantar (Palace Malice) looms large in the 18-strong G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto on Sunday. The dual top-level winner earned a victory over Gaia Force (Kitasan Black) in the G1 Yasuda Kinen in June, and found only that rival too good prepping for this contest with a second in the G2 Fuji Stakes. Trainer Tomokazu Takano said of the G1 NHK Mile Cup hero, "After his run in the Fuji Stakes Oct. 18, his heart and lungs had improved. He was just about in tiptop shape...

Ahead of next week's York Ebor Festival, a middling Saturday in Britain and Ireland precedes a serious Sunday in France, where the G1 The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois offers a grand spectacle of international flavour. Sponsored by Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard for many moons, Deauville's jewel of their August Meeting is now graced by another huge operation with great prestige to fit what has always been one of Europe's key events. Fortunately this year we get to see how a top Japanese runner can fare against...

Sprinkled among the 42 entries for the Aug. 17 G1 Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois are a trio from Japan for the first time. Sunday's G1 Yasuda Kinen hero Jantar Mantar (Palace Malice) anchors that trio, with fellow Group 1 winner Ascoli Piceno (Daiwa Major) signed on, as well as longshot Go To First (Rulership). Hailing from the stable of the sponsor is G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Zarigana (Siyouni), Zabiari (Wootton Bassett), and G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains fifth Ridari (Churchill). The late Aga Khan IV...

Ascoli Piceno made a triumphant return to Japan after her international exploits when coming out on top in a blanket finish to Sunday's Victoria Mile at Tokyo. The Group 1 is a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. At the line the first four were separated by just half a length, with race favourite Ascoli Piceno ultimately getting the verdict by a neck, having made her supporters sweat when still at the rear of the field entering the straight, before flashing home to...

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Japanese-trained runners dominated the Saudi Cup meeting, landing the big race itself and a clean sweep of the turf races, while peppering results elsewhere on the card with placed finishers.  A little sprinkling of European spice was added to the mix in the French breeding of the G2 Howden Neom Turf Cup winner Shin Emperor (Fr), whose heritage is shared by Christophe Lemaire, rider of the G2 1351 Turf Sprint winner Ascoli Piceno (Jpn) but now just as much a son of...