Cristian Demuro

Jean-Claude Rouget's health issues are well-documented, but at the end of a troubled year the stable favourite Arrow Eagle (Gleneagles) swooped to conquer to raise morale in the G1 Prix Royal-Oak at Saint-Cloud. A highly respectable sixth in the Arc, Waltraut Spanner's homebred half-brother to the illustrious Ace Impact showed no ill-effects of that recent effort when storming by Queenstown (Galileo) and dominating the final furlong. At the line, the 11-5 favourite had registered an authoritative two-length success from that Ballydoyle outsider, with Sevenna's Knight (Camelot) a short head away...

Godolphin and Andre Fabre have a new star on their hands if the evidence of Sunday's G2 Sumbe Prix du Calvados at Deauville is anything to go by. Lining up with confidence behind her, the 11-10 favourite My Highness (Ghaiyyath) who had won a brace of conditions events went through the seven-furlong juvenile staging post with a degree of comfort despite the strong pace set by the Princess Margaret winner Fitzella (Too Darn Hot). Swamping that British challenger at the furlong pole, the homebred drew away under Cristian Demuro to...

2nd-Deauville, €27,400, Mdn, 8-19, unraced 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:44.46, g/s. ZALINA (FR) (f, 2, Pinatubo {Ire}--Lady Baker, by Pioneerof The Nile) broke well and asserted for control after the initial strides of this unveiling. Holding sway thereafter, the 37-5 chance was bustled along turning for home and kept on powerfully under continued urging inside the final quarter-mile to easily account for Persian Grace (Persian King) by three lengths. Zalina is the third of four foals and first scorer produced by a winning half-sister to Group 3-winning G2 German 1000 Guineas...

The tears were flowing following a dramatic finale to Sunday's G1 Cygames Grand Prix de Paris, with Jean-Claude Rouget pulling off an upset with Leffard (Le Havre). Rested since beating only one rival in the Prix du Jockey Club, Gerard Augustin-Normand and Ecurie Antonio Caro's 15-1 shot was able to run down Ballydoyle's favourite Trinity College (Dubawi) in the dying yards under Cristian Demuro for a short-head success. Rouget, who is in an ongoing battle with lymphoma, said, "Of course this is a very emotional moment for me. I was always...

Endo Botti's Klaynn completed a Classic double with her wide-margin victory in Sunday's G2 Oaks d'Italia Tattersalls at San Siro Racecourse, running her 12 rivals into the ground with a dominant front-running performance. Cristian Demuro, who was riding the daughter of Make Believe for the first time, charted a wide course throughout and gradually increased the tempo in the straight, with his mount responding generously as she lengthened clear in the closing stages. At the line she had seven lengths to spare over her closest pursuer, Pink Black (National Defense),...

Fabrice Chappet trainee Safia (Sottsass), a debut scorer at ParisLongchamp in October, opened this year with a TDN Rising Star performance at Saint-Cloud in March and bounced back off a fifth in a hot renewal of April's G3 Prix de la Grotte to secure a career high in Sunday's Listed Prix Melisande at ParisLongchamp. Employing waiting tactics in fifth until turning for home, she careered forward to seize control with 300 metres remaining and was ridden out in the closing stages to defeat Ilda Rosa (Lope De Vega) and La...

Tuesday's Prix Chapeau Rouge at Saint-Cloud played host to the frontrunning TDN Rising Star performance of Andre Fabre trainee Alcantor (New Bay) back in 2023 and this year's renewal witnessed another pillar-to-post Rising Star display by a Fabre nominee, Segall (Sottsass), who put his rivals to the sword in the seven-furlong contest. He follows Ultrafragola and Safia in becoming his sire's third Rising Star. Former Coolmore resident Sottsass now stands at Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan. The 13-5 favourite was swiftly into stride from the inside stall and seized an...

Japanese raider Soul Rush (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) stunned the Meydan crowds as he denied Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the shadows of the post to double his Group 1 tally in the $5 million Dubai Turf sponsored by DP World. The race is a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile in November. Romantic Warrior, seeking an 11th top-level win of his illustrious career, raced in a share of second in the early stages as Meisho Tabaru (Jpn) (Gold Ship {Jpn}) and Yutaka...

Sottsass (Fr) had two deeply promising fillies in Saint-Cloud's Prix Kizil Kourgan on Tuesday and despite his Ultrafragola (Ire) starting favourite it was the other daughter Safia (Fr) who emerged best to earn TDN Rising Star status. Carrying the colours of racing and breeding's rising force David Layani, the Fabrice Chappet-trained descendant of Sophisticat (Storm Cat) and Serena's Song (Rahy) travelled easily throughout the mile Classic pointer under Cristian Demuro and readily held White Birch Farm's TDN Rising Star Ultrafragola by two lengths. Chappet was pointing to the May 11...

Italian Cristian Demuro will ride all of Sumbe's French-trained horses beginning on New Year's Day, after an agreement was reached between Nurlan Bizakov and the Italian. Bizakov's operation announced the news on X on Friday. The 31-year-old began his career in Italy, achieving a career-best 264 wins in 2012, before moving to France. He has amassed 236 stakes wins globally since the move and is a two-time winner of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Sottsass {Fr}, 2020 & Ace Impact {Ire}, 2023). Besides his eight victories in the...

Stunning Rose (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) rediscovered the winning touch with an impressive success in the hands of Cristian Demuro in Sunday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Kyoto Racecourse, her first win of any description since tasting Classic glory in the G1 Shuka Sho back in October 2022. The Tomokazu Takano trainee was one of two runners for owners Sunday Racing, with the other, Regaleira (Jpn) (Suave Richard {Jpn}), dominating the betting in her search for a second Group 1 victory after last year's Hopeful Stakes. She was the...

Lane's End Farm-based first-season sire Gift Box was off the mark in Europe on Monday when his son Ironico took the six-furlong conditions event for colts and geldings on the card. Runner-up over this trip at Deauville last month, the Fabrice Chappet trainee who carries the colours of Blu Racing travelled strongly held up off the early pace by Cristian Demuro. Staying on to get to the front with 150 metres remaining, the 9-10 favourite had 3/4 of a length to spare over Belvedere Palace (GB) (Calyx {GB}) at the...