Hidden Force

NEWMARKET, UK -- On the kind of morning one dreams about all winter, the wraps came off a clutch of Guineas hopes as George Boughey and Charlie Appleby made good use of the Rowley Mile ahead of the start of the three-day Craven meeting.  Boughey, who trains less than a mile from the racecourse in his new base at the appropriately named Craven House Stables, declared himself to be thrilled with the progress of Betfred 2,000 Guineas favourite Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder), who is already familiar with the track...

The Albert Einstein bubble might have been burst somewhat at the Curragh on Saturday, but for so many other horses the Classic dream remains very much alive, with less than five weeks to go now until the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket provides the answer to the first of the many questions that have kept us guessing all winter. Even now, the guessing doesn't stop. Two years ago, few people would have had Notable Speech pinned as their Guineas winner at this early stage of the campaign, the all-weather upstart tasked...

Alongside the Godolphin duo of Nation's Hope (Ghaiyyath) and Palladas (Lope De Vega), The Last Dance (Iffraaj) recently made an impressive debut at Chantilly to become the third European-trained three-year-old to be named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' since our Winter Watch run began back in November. It looked a strong race in which The Last Dance debuted on March 3, facing eight other newcomers over 9.5f of the Chantilly all-weather. They included the Wertheimer homebred Maine (Night Of Thunder), a sibling to two winners of the G1...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Observations features a relative of Thunder Snow. 7.10 Kempton, Cond, 3yo, 8f (AWT) HIDDEN FORCE (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is the chosen one from Charlie Appleby's armada for this important "European Road To The Kentucky Derby" Conditions Stakes won in the last two years by the stable's future stars...

No fewer than 44 all-weather fixtures (up to and including racing on Tuesday, December 16) have been held in Britain and Ireland since the most recent edition of Winter Watch was penned on November 20, with the end-of-year sales swing dictating that the recent focus for us bloodstock journalists has been less Newcastle and Dundalk, more Newmarket and Deauville. But now, with the sights and sounds of Arqana quickly becoming a distant memory, it's time to get back to what will be our bread and butter until Flat racing returns...