Bay Bridge

Henri Devin, who ran France's historic Haras du Mesnil with his wife Antonia, died at the age of 71 earlier this week. A noted owner-breeder, Devin inherited the stud from his grandparents, Jean and Elisabeth Couturie. Some of the best to call Mesnil home are the 2001 G1 Prix de l'Opera winner Terre A Terre (Kaldounevees), and G1 Hong Kong Vase and G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Ange Gabriel (Kaldounevees). Another is G1 Prix Jean Romanet heroine Nonza (Zanzibar), who gave Devin's son, Henri-Francois, his first top-tier score as...

There are doubtless decisions still to be made and deals to be struck for this year's matings with many breeders taking to the roads since the start of this new year for both the official stallion trails and informal stud visits. For this last part in our series on value sires for 2025 it is worth restating that value is very much subjective and depends on a number of different factors, including whether the buyer of the nomination is breeding to race or to sell.  This final chapter, for stallions...

There is an undertone of negativity surrounding horseracing these days, almost all of which is generated by its participants and followers, and greatly exacerbated by the increasingly unpleasant arena that is social media. Where once Twitter was fun and we all gained excellent insight into trainers' yards and, for some, their sense of humour, now X marks the spot at which we should perhaps consciously uncouple from twits and trolls. Let's get out more. And where better to start than by hitching a ride on the stallion trails? This Friday...

Bay Bridge (GB) has been retired to stand at the Devin family's Haras du Mesnil in France, where he will join Doctor Dino (Fr) and Telecaster (GB) on the roster for 2024.  The Group 1-winning son of New Bay (GB) will stand for a fee of €6,000 while James Wigan and Ballylinch Stud are set to stay in as partners in the 5-year-old.  Bay Bridge won seven of his 16 starts for Sir Michael Stoute and reached a career-high rating of 122 in amassing almost £1.3 million in prize-money. His...

NEWMARKET, UK--Oh, to be in England now that April's there. So wrote Robert Browning in 1845, though it is unconfirmed that this had anything to do with Classic trials. An unusually wet and cold April did little to lift the spirits this year, so we shall fast-forward to another line of his lovely poem. And after April, when May follows. May is becoming more marvellous by the day. There's York, of course, and who doesn't love York? It is a racecourse which comes close to perfection, from its location in...

In the modern era, only Aidan O'Brien has trained more Derby winners than Sir Michael Stoute. The latter became almost instantly synonymous with the great race, and indeed woven into Derby folklore, when he first won it back in 1981. Few will need reminding that that was with Shergar (Ire), the horse whose infamy threatens to overshadow his brilliance, especially as the years wear on and the number of people who were there to witness Shergar's superiority first hand decreases. Forty-one years later, and with the not insignificant names of...

Richard Kingscote is far too nice. He is also a damn good jockey. And if people hadn't realised that before this year, they certainly do now. The 36-year-old is no newcomer to racing's main stage but until this past season he had to a degree been cast as a reliable sidekick to leading actors such as Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore. Dettori is one of only a few jockeys who is instantly identifiable by his first name alone, and in true 'Frankie style' the recent announcement of his retirement allows...

British jockey Richard Kingscote, winner of the G1 Epsom Derby June 4 aboard favored Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), will spend part of his winter riding at Gulfstream Park's Championship Meet. Kingscote told broadcaster Nick Luck on Nick Luck Daily Podcast Monday that he intends to ride beginning in the middle of January. Gulfstream's Championship Meet, highlighted by the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 28 and GI Florida Derby Apr. 1, begins Dec. 26. After winning his first Epsom Derby this year for trainer Sir Michael Stoute, Kingscote  also...

It is a source of regret that the selection of British racing colours has been homogenised to the extent that it comes down to artlessly underwhelming choices such as light blue or dark blue. Eighteen standard colours are allowed in a variety of patterns, but gone, sadly, are the days when an aspiring owner could opt for 'Straw' (The Duke of Devonshire), or 'Apricot' (Lord Howard de Walden). James Wigan inherited his distinctive set from his grandfather, the owner/breeder Charles Gordon, who most certainly would have approved of seeing his...

  Rare are the days that John O'Connor of Ballylinch Stud enjoyed at Ascot on Champions Day last Saturday. No sooner had the G1 QEII celebrations died down after Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB})'s victory, a horse the stud bred and co-owns with Teme Valley, when another runner that the stud owns jointly, Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}), lowered the colours of Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Champion S.    It was an afternoon that propelled Ballylinch resident New Bay into the spotlight and...

Shadwell's Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will conclude his racing career against eight rivals in Saturday's £1.3-million QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot, with the unbeaten luminary drawn in stall one as the final fields were confirmed on Thursday morning. Like the 2016 hero Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), the William Haggas flagbearer is on the inside in a contest that should be staged on ground no worse than soft and very likely good-to-soft. Last year's Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB})...

And breathe. As starting dishes go, few have been tastier than what Ascot served up on day one of the royal meeting, with promise of more to come later in the week. From bargain buy Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) bolting up in the G2 Coventry S. to Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) disappointing in the G1 King's Stand S., there were a huge amount of talking points to emerge from day one. Brian Sheerin examined the big takeouts from a pulsating day's action.   Bradsell the Best Result Imaginable  You would...