Karl Burke

Stepping up to seven furlongs on Sunday, Wathnan's Light Of Dawn (Showcasing) showed that stamina is her strong suit in Goodwood's G3 Prestige Stakes. Third in the Albany and Prix de Cabourg over six, the Karl Burke-trained €625,000 Arqana May Breeze-Up sensation was committed by James Doyle inside the final quarter mile and stayed on powerfully in the soft ground to score by 1 1/4 lengths from the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Eabha (Space Blues). A further half length behind in third was the Gosdens' blueblood Coaxed to provide her first-season...

Leading three-year-old sprinter Venetian Sun (Starman) has suffered an injury that will keep her on the sidelines for the rest of the season, Karl Burke revealed on Tuesday. "It's a big shame and, unfortunately, it happens," said the trainer. "It's a long way from being a career- or life-threatening injury, but it's obviously going to take time. It's very disappointing. "We had more or less decided to swerve Deauville [Sunday's Prix Maurice de Gheest] anyway, because the ground was very fast out there last weekend, with no sign of any...

Bolstered by a confidence-boosting score at Newmarket earlier this month, Abdulrazaq Mohamdi's homebred G2 German 2000 Guineas runner-up Shayem (King Of Change) upset the odds-on favourite Talk Of New York (Wootton Bassett) and lowered the track record with a defiant display in Friday's G3 HKJC World Pool Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood. "We knew Billy [Loughnane] was going to go off at a nice gallop and Cliff [Lee] was the only one really to keep tabs on him," said Burke. "Cliff is very good with his fractions and, from three out,...

Karl Burke representative Zeus Olympios (Night Of Thunder), successful in two Group races last term, was winless in three pattern-race starts this year and stepped forward to halt his losing sequence with a battling performance in Saturday's G2 Juddmonte Summer Mile at Ascot. Accepting a tow in third after racing up front through the first three furlongs, the 7-2 chance made headway in the straight to launch his challenge entering the final furlong and came under a late drive out to deny stablemate Holloway Boy (Ulysses) and Seagulls Eleven (Galileo...

Likely favourite Venetian Sun (Starman) will encounter 10 rivals in Saturday's G1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai July Cup after declarations for Newmarket's £800,000 feature were confirmed Thursday morning. The Karl Burke-trained G1 Commonwealth Cup heroine has drawn stall nine and is reopposed by Commonwealth Cup third Division (Kingman), who will exit stall one. The latter's William Haggas stablemate Almeraq (Dark Angel) finished a nose in front of Satono Reve (Lord Kanaloa) in G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, with the duo allocated stalls four and eight in this rematch. Completing...

For the second consecutive year, Royal Ascot's G1 Commonwealth Cup was all about the fillies on Friday with favourite backers ultimately breathing a sigh of relief as Venetian Sun (Starman) edged it from Spicy Marg (Starspangledbanner). Always travelling notably smoothly for Clifford Lee up the centre of the track, last year's Prix Morny and Albany heroine had to fight to deny the 50-1 outsider and Tom Marquand in the run to the line but was equal to the task to record a head success. Next home was the stands' side...

It seems a mere blink of an eye ago, but the inaugural Goffs London Sale took place in June 2014 in groundbreaking fashion. War Horse made an appearance, and was for a few brief moments ridden by Johnny Murtagh, while the first foal by Frankel to appear in any sale ring was, understandably, a show-stopper which made the national and television news. The auction has evolved over that time when it comes to the business of horse-trading but what has not changed is that its cocktail party feel offers, for...

Two wild-card entries have been added to Monday's Goffs London Sale, including G3 Greenham Stakes winner Alparslan (Dandy Man). Trained by Karl Burke, Alparslan beat subsequent German 2,000 Guineas winner Title Role, as well as Albert Einstein and Group 1 winner Zavateri when making his seasonal debut in the Greenham at Newbury. He was subsequently fifth, beaten just 1 3/4 lengths by the runner-up, in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.  Twice a winner at two, Alparslan holds entries in both the G1 Commonwealth Cup and G3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot...

Eleven fillies will head postward for Sunday's G1 Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly after declarations were confirmed Thursday morning. Ryan Moore is set to partner G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine, and likely favourite, Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica), who has drawn stall three. Her Aidan O'Brien stablemate Moments Of Joy (Justify) will exit stall eight under Wayne Lordan. "Everything has gone well with Diamond Necklace since she won the French Guineas and I've been very happy with her," O'Brien commented, "The plan was...

Wathnan Racing and Karl Burke will head to Royal Ascot with some exciting two-year-olds and Monday's action at Carlisle saw Light Of Dawn (Showcasing) add her name to the list. The victory follows a brace of winners for the Wathnan operation at Churchill Downs on Sunday, both of whom - Sneakily (Tapit) and Leading Change (Gun Runner) - were subsequently named 'TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard'. Sent off the 5-6 favourite for the near-six-furlong novice, the €625,000 Arqana May Breeze-Up purchase was settled in rear of the quartet early...

Rathbarry Stud have not had too long to wait for the first winner for their first-season sire State Of Rest as Anad scored on debut at Wolverhampton on Friday. Sent off the 2-1 favourite for the extended seven-furlong fillies' novice, the Karl Burke-trained €150,000 Goffs Orby Book 2 topper raced in rear throughout the early stages. Sent forward by Clifford Lee on the home turn, Alanood Althani's colour-bearer was notably green after hitting the front a furlong out but firmly in command as she registered a head verdict over Shadwell's...

Golden boy of the week has to be Starspangledbanner (though Wayne Lordan and Karl Burke both deserve consideration for that title). To have had both Cartier champion two-year-olds last year was a big enough feather in his cap but for both Gstaad and Precise to progress into Classic winners in the space of 24 hours at the Curragh cements their sire's position among the elite. A more in-depth look at the Starspangledbanner story to date in TDN back in December put forward the suggestion that the best days were still...