Grand Glory

In the first 11 runnings of the G1 Longines Japan Cup, foreign raiders were successful no fewer than nine times, with winners from America, Australia, France, Ireland and New Zealand. But not since Alkaased (Kingmambo) defeated Heart's Cry (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) in 2005 for Frankie Dettori and Luca Cumani has any overseas-based galloper managed to land a winning blow. The locals will be favoured to take that current streak to 17 when a full field loads the gate at Tokyo Sunday afternoon, but Europe has strength in numbers--and class--to make...

The catalogue for Arqana's Vente d'Elevage, to be held Dec. 3-6 in Deauville, is now online. This year's sale features a total of 1,024 mares, fillies and foals and will also include dispersals from the legendary Haras du Quesnay and the Saudi entity Marbat LLC. The opening session of the auction will see the first 248 lots go under the hammer, including 40 stakes winners in and out of training. Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), winner of this year's G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille, will be offered by trainer...

'TDN Rising Star' Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), winner earlier this year of the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and narrowly runner-up to Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the G1 Irish Champion S.,  is set to make his final appearance of the season in the G1 Japan Cup at Toyko Racecourse. Onesto was last seen finishing ninth behind Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in a heavy-turf renewal of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Oct. 2. The 3-year-old will be part of a three-pronged challenge from France to also include Simca...

Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), who sold for €2.5 million to rank as the second-dearest offering at last year's Arqana Vente d'Elevage, is headed back through the Deauville sales pavilion in early December. The daughter of Madonna Lily (Ire) (Daylami {Ire}) belied odds of 23-1 to post a maiden Group 1 victory in last year's Darley Prix Jean Romanet and proved that effort was no fluke when just pipped by eventual €3-million December sales-topper Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}) in the G1 Prix de l'Opera ahead of a bold fifth-place...

Can we have too much of a good thing? When it comes to racing in the spring the answer is almost certainly not, but the rapidity with which all the decent action takes place can make it difficult to take it all in. For example, in the last 11 days we have had three Derby favourites. First the horse who had held that honour all winter, Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who was then replaced by his stable-mate Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), all the rage after his Derby Trial victory...

DEAUVILLE, France--When Arqana issued the news, on Oct. 11, that Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire})—the Group 1 winner raced by a partnership of Albert Frassetto, John d'Amato, and Mike Pietrangelo—would be offered at their upcoming December Breeding Stock sale, there was something curious about the story. Reading the alert from the TDN, Benoit Jeffroy and the team at Haras de Castillon immediately picked up on it: the story did not list a consignor. "Amelie [Lemercier] sent me a text, and she said, 'Did you see? She's going to Arqana,'"...

Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) will form the cornerstone of a new Thoroughbred breeding operation at Haras de Hus after being bought for €2,500,000 by Anne-Sophie Yoh-Benet of YOHEA on behalf of a new owner. The 5-year-old mare was trained by Gianluca Bietolini for Albert Frassetto, John d'Amato and Mike Pietrangelo to win six of her 18 races, including two Group 3s. There remains a possibility that she could race on at the Saudi Cup meeting in February before being covered.

DEAUVILLE, France-the sales caravan has rolled into its final stop of the season, the European bloodstock community having made its annual descent upon Deauville, France over the past two days for the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale. With an expected deluge of rain remaining at bay through the first part of Friday, the usual suspects from across Europe and further afield were out of full force inspecting the cross section of fillies, broodmares and foals that will take their turns in the ring beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday. "People...

Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) has taken her connections on a remarkable ride over the last three years, and after a short sojourn in Tokyo-where she picked up fifth-place prizemoney in Sunday's G1 Japan Cup-the G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner and G1 Prix de Diane third-place finisher rolls into Deauville this weekend to go through the ring at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale as lot 192 from Haras de Castillon. Grand Glory is trained in France and owned by a trio of Americans, but her story has a...

Arqana has released a catalogue of 752 lots for its October Yearling Sale from Oct. 18 to 22 in Deauville. Among the highlights on paper are a Roaring Lion colt out of dual Classic and triple Group 1 winner Golden Lilac (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 10); a colt from the first crop of champion sprinter Harry Angel (Ire) who is a half-brother to two stakes winners, including this year's G3 Prix de Psyche victress Penja (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) (lot 30); a Galileo (Ire) colt out of a full-sister to Zoffany...

One day after the official beginning of Spring time, turf racing is the focus in France and Ireland on Sunday with The Curragh's season-opening card complemented by some intriguing races at Saint-Cloud. While the Kildare venue offers no black-type contests, it hosts some intriguing 2-year-old and 3-year-old maidens which could offer early glimpses of the 2021 Classic class. At Saint-Cloud, there are three listed races for the Classic generation with the Prix La Camargo acting as the comeback launch of Tiger Tanaka (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}). Miguel Castro Megias's G1 Prix Marcel...