Ireland

The first reported foals for G1 Platinum Jubilee S. hero Naval Crown (GB) have arrived, Darley Europe announced. A chestnut colt out of A Touch Of Luck (Ger) (Frankel {GB}) arrived this week. He was bred by Robert Draper. His second dam is G1 Preis der Diana third Aigrette Garzette (Ire) (Peintre Celebre). Another new arrival was a colt out of Thaleia (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) from the extended family of multiple group winner Endless Drama (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). David Ryan of Kilfrush Stud said the colt had "size,...

A €25,000 Diamond Breeders' Bonus involving the first juvenile winner and first group winner for first-year sire and Group 3 winner Marie's Diamond (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) was revealed by Diamond Stud Bellewstown on X Tuesday. For the first juvenile winner by the sire in Ireland or Britain, the breeder of said horse will receive €10,000. The breeder of the stallion's first group winner in Ireland or Britain will receive a bonus of €15,000. The 8-year-old, who is standing his first season for €6,000, won the G3 Anglesey S. among his...

Goffs has paid tribute to its former managing director Jonathan Irwin, one of the most influential people in the history of the sales house, who died aged 82 on Sunday. Irwin joined Goffs in 1975 and oversaw the construction of the world's first purpose-built bloodstock sales complex in Kill, County Kildare. He was also appointed CEO of the Dublin International Sports Council (DISC) in 1993 and established the Jack and Jill Foundation along with his wife Mary Ann after the birth of their son Jack. Since 1997, the foundation has...

The World Pool season has ended with a 24% year-on-year turnover increase to HK$7.4 billion, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Tuesday. The largest globally commingled horse racing pools created and powered by the HKJC, the World Pool started and finished the year at Flemington Racecourse in Australia. In total, there were 222 races--up from 154 races in 2022--in eight countries. World Pool was active in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina and Australia for the first time and expanded its imprint with extra races from the UK and Ireland....

Ten winners for the Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), supported by Godolphin, were announced Monday, with the selected individuals representing Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Mayo, Meath and Waterford. Since 2015, Godolphin has sponsored the awards which recognise and showcase the skills, experience and dedication of the woman and men in the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry. The ceremony will take place Monday, Oct. 16 at the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge, County Kildare, at which time the flagship award--the Irish Racing Excellence Award--will also be announced and presented to one...

Melissa Steele has been appointed as the European senior account manager of the Australian marketing agency Kick Collective. Her appointment is an "integral part of Kick Collective's global expansion strategy", as it establishes bases in Ireland and America in the coming months. Born and raised in the UK but now based in Tipperary, Ireland, Steele graduated from University of Edinburgh before gaining a place on the Godolphin Flying Start programme in 2013. She then worked as a marketing executive for Tattersalls in Newmarket for five years and has contributed in...

17.30 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, f, 7f 27yT    BUTTONS (IRE) (Kingman {GB}) is the pick of Ryan Moore of the Ballydoyle trio in this always-intriguing maiden, won by the stable's September (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Bracelet (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) in recent times and in which Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was fourth behind Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in an above-average race in 2019. Out of the Listed Cheshire Oaks winner and Oaks runner-up Wonder Of Wonders (Kingmambo) and descended from Urban Sea (Miswaki), the half-sister to the G1...

Group 1 winner Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who ran fourth in the G2 Prix Corrida on the weekend, is likely to skip Royal Ascot and instead target the G1 Pretty Polly in Ireland on July 1, according to owner Imad Al Sagar's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe. "The Prince of Wales's is an option but I would say, at the moment, talking to Imad this morning and to [trainer] John [Gosden], the preferred option would be the Pretty Polly. "I hope it might be easier to win! There are going to...

The annual Hurling for Cancer Research event, traditionally held in Newbridge, will take place in a new venue--Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow, Monday, Aug. 21. The move to Netwatch Cullen Park is due to the planned refurbishment of St Conleth's Park. The hurling match will take place at 6pm. Organised annually by leading trainer Jim Bolger and former champion jockey Davy Russell, the event allows sports fans to rub shoulders with household names from the world of horse racing, GAA, soccer and boxing along with a host of celebrities. To date,...

The latest intake of Godolphin Flying Start trainees for the 2023-2025 term was revealed by GFS on Wednesday. The two-year Thoroughbred Industry Management and Leadership Programme features trainees from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK and the U.S. Their course begins at Kildangan Stud, County Kildare, Ireland, on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The scholarship facilitates trainees to learn and experience practical horsemanship, management operations and leadership in the global Thoroughbred industry with phases in Ireland, the UK, the USA, Australia and Dubai. The course is accredited by University College Dublin...

On the wall of Kieran Lalor's office is the photo of the 1965 Irish Derby winner Meadow Court, his celebrity co-owner Bing Crosby in shot, presumably just before, as legend has it, the great crooner serenaded the crowds at the Curragh with a rendition of When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. The success of the colt, who was also runner-up to the great Sea-Bird in the Derby and went on to give Lester Piggott his first success in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., prompted his legendary trainer Paddy...

Italy's major races will see the most significant downgrades among European countries after the European Pattern Committee announced alterations to the 2023 Flat programme Wednesday, as a host of that country's major races are set to be demoted in status. There will be 827 black-type races run in Europe this year, compared to the 852 in 2022, while group races have been cut by 13 to 412 and listed races drop to 415 from 427. One of the most significant changes to the Irish programme comes in the case of...