Barry Hills

It was fitting that Dark Angel's 100th stakes winner should have come in the Dick Hern S. at Haydock, a milestone which the ultra-reliable Yeomanstown Stud-based stallion reached thanks to the victory of the St. Albans Bloodstock home-bred filly Heredia (GB). Dick Hern, who sent out 16 British Classic winners including three winners of the Derby as well as his best horse Brigadier Gerard (GB), would have thoroughly approved of Dark Angel. Hern was an archetypal 'old-school' trainer who excelled with every type of horse. Late in his career he...

Sarayir (Mr. Prospector), a daughter of champion Height of Fashion {Fr}) (Bustino {GB}) and the dam of 2009 G1 1000 Guineas heroine Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway), has passed away, Sheikha Hissa Hamdan tweeted Friday. She was 29 years old. A half-sister to the likes of Nashwan, Unfuwain, Alwasmi, Mukddam and Nayef, Sarayir won her maiden and the Listed Oh So Sharp S. at two for Major Dick Hern and added a third career success as a 3-year-old in 1997. The first of her produce to make an impact at the races...

In Part I of a two-part series on the 40th anniversary weekend of Known Fact's 2000 Guineas win, John Berry takes us through the first decade of Prince Khalid Abdullah's racing and breeding dynasty. Under normal circumstances, the European Classic year would be springing into life this weekend with Newmarket staging the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 1000 Guineas. Forty years ago the Guineas meeting looked a particularly special one, the main trials having set the stage perfectly. Subsequent Irish Derby hero Tyrnavos (GB) (Blakeney {GB}) had beaten Chesham S....