Kirsten Rausing

Coping with easy ground well enough to record a workmanlike success in the G2 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock last time July 3, Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) relished the slicker surface available at a sun-baked Hoppegarten to continue her owner-breeder Kirsten Rausing's annus mirabilis by garnering Sunday's G1 Longines 131st Grosser Preis von Berlin. Settled fourth early by Luke Morris as Godolphin's G2 Dubai City of Gold scorer Walton Street (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) cut out the running, the 19-5 shot was launched in early straight to swamp her neighbour passing...

Lanwades stallion Bobby's Kitten (Kitten's Joy), whose daughter Sandrine (GB) added last week's G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. to her victory in the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot, was represented by his first winner from his lone Southern Hemisphere-sired crop when the debuting Cecil Street Lad (Aus) ran out a 3/4-length winner Wednesday at Sandown in Victoria. Bred and raised by Olly Tait's Twin Hills Farm in New South Wales, the gelded son of Just A Girl (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) was the $4.40 (17-5) second favorite...

Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}), whose granddam Albanova (GB) (Alzao) won the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin in 2004, is under consideration for the same race at Hoppegarten on Aug. 8. Another potential target for the July 3 G2 Lancashire Oaks heroine is the G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. at Glorious Goodwood on July 31. The Kirsten Rausing silksbearer also captured the Apr. 30 Listed Daisy Warwick Fillies' S. "She's fine," said trainer Sir Mark Prescott. "She'll either go for the Lillie Langtry at Goodwood or she might go to Germany...

One horse overshadowed all other news items of the past week as the bloodstock world came to terms with the death of Galileo (Ire) at the age of 23.  Fulsome tributes have been paid to him from across the globe with the overwhelming feeling being that we will never see his like again. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that many of us felt the same when his own extraordinary sire Sadler's Wells died 10 years ago. That colossus of the breeding world appeared in the third or fourth...

Confirming the form of Royal Ascot's G3 Albany S., Kirsten Rausing's Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) was in a dominant mood as she brought up a notable pattern-race double in Friday's G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. at Newmarket. Held up behind a duo racing far side throughout the early stages, the 11-5 favourite moved to the lead approaching the furlong pole and readily drew away to beat Desert Dreamer (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) by 1 3/4 lengths, with the Albany runner-up Hello You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) half a length back...

Hailing from the Andrew Balding stable already successful at the Royal meeting with the 2-year-old Berkshire Shadow (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Kirsten Rausing's Kempton winner Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) doubled Kingsclere's tally as she mastered both the heavy ground and 14 rivals in Friday's G3 Albany S. Showing stamina as well as speed on her debut over this six-furlong trip on the Polytrack May 19, the homebred raced wide initially behind the leading group. Sent forward by David Probert passing halfway, the 16-1 shot was briefly stopped in her run...

This year will go down as one of the strangest in living memory. If in January you'd announced to owners and trainers that there would be no racing for two and a half months, it would have been met with widespread incredulity. But that was the situation in which British racing found itself in mid-March and, though the timing was a little off, it wasn't too dissimilar to how things used to be for the predominantly Flat racing heartland of Newmarket before the advent of all-weather racing through the winter...

Kirsten Rausing homebred Sands of Time (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) became the first winner for her Lanwades Stud-based freshman sire (by Kitten's Joy) with an impressive five-length score for Mark Johnston at Lingfield. 1st-Lingfield, £6,400, Mdn, 6-7, 2yo, f, 5f 6y (AWT), :59.31, st/sl. SANDS OF TIME (GB) (f, 2, Bobby's Kitten--Starlit Sands {GB} {GSW-Fr, GSP-Eng & Ger, $128,929}, by Oasis Dream {GB}) was sharpest from the stalls and seized immediate control of this debut. Holding sway throughout, the 10-3 chance was shaken up off the home turn and powered clear...

The US Jockey Club's announcement of an impending cap on the number of mares a stallion can cover has received a mixed reaction among breeders in Britain and Ireland. As reported in yesterday's TDN, colt foals born in 2020 who eventually retire to stud will be restricted to covering 140 mares in a season. No limit will be set for stallions already at stud or for those born before 2020. The US Jockey Club figures for 2019 show that 43 stallions served books of more than 140 mares. In Britain...

As we await the start of the delayed flat season, the TDN's Tom Frary will profile 'dark horses' that he expects to make an impact in 2020. He starts with the David Simcock-trained 3-year-old filly Oriental Mystique. ORIENTAL MYSTIQUE (GB), f, 3, Kingman (GB)--Madame Chiang (GB) (G1SW-Eng, $741,088), by Archipenko. This is the first foal bred from Kirsten Rausing's G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and G3 Musidora S. heroine Madame Chiang, who also raced for this yard. Sporting the famous white-and-green silks brought to prominence by Alborada...