Leopardstown

There is toughness in racehorses and then there is Zarinsk (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) and Juddmonte's irrepressible front-runner played her usual trump card for a career-best success in Leopardstown's G2 Romanised Minstrel S. on Thursday. In front early and again passing two out, the G3 Brownstown S., G3 Cornelscourt S. and Listed Ingabelle S. winner kept pulling it out to justify 11-5 favouritism by 3/4 of a length from Honey Girl (GB) (Mayson {GB}). This was win number four from her last six starts, with her run interrupted by a fourth...

Leopardstown's usually-informative G3 Japan Racing Association Tyros S. looked a touch on the disappointing side even before the loss of two key players in Mountain Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Islandsinthestream (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and so what the form of the four-runner affair amounts to will have to be seen in time. What it did provide was a remarkable 16th success in the race for Aidan O'Brien as the stable's understudy to Mountain Bear, Henry Adams (Ire) (No Nay Never), showed a game attitude to make all under...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Insights features Reliant, a half-brother to G1SW Mishriff (Ire). 14.40 Sandown, Mdn, £10,000, 2yo, 7fT RELIANT (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) is the focal point of all the newcomers on a tantalising Thursday, being the fourth foal out of Nawara Stud's star broodmare Contradict (GB) (Raven's Pass), whose 100% record...

While the racing world awaits the confirmed line-up for one of the most exciting runnings of the King George in decades, the aperitif is served by Leopardstown on Thursday with some vital staging posts for the 2024 Classic generation. While the card's feature is the G2 Romanised Minstrel S., in which the 3-year-old fillies Zarinsk (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) and Tarawa (Ire) (Shamardal) look to have an edge on the older brigade, the most intriguing race is the G3 Jockey Club of Turkey Silver Flash S. for the fillies because that's...

Donnacha O'Brien says that he is under no illusions about the task facing Mysteries (Ire) (No Nay Never) in Thursday's Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown where she will come up against the ante-post 1,000 Guineas favourite Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}).  Trained by his father Aidan O'Brien, Ylang Ylang made a big impression on debut at the Curragh last month and sky-rocketed to the head of the betting for next year's Classics as a result.  While Donnacha views his Curragh maiden winner Mysteries in good regard, he says Ylang Ylang...

Sunday's meeting at the Curragh, which was cancelled due to waterlogging, will now be held on Sunday, Aug. 13, Horse Racing Ireland announced. The G2 The Minstrel S. will now be contested this Thursday, July 27, at Leopardstown and the race reverts back to entries after final forfeit stage with fresh declarations to be made by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 25. The G3 Rathbride Fillies S. will be contested next Saturday at Gowran Park and will close for fresh entries along with the remainder of the Gowran Park meeting...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a full-sister to Classic winner Peaceful. 18.20 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, f, 8fT ANDROMEDA (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is one of two Ballydoyle juveniles engaged, with Seamie Heffernan taking the ride on the debutante full-sister to his 2020 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas-winning mount Peaceful (Ire). Ryan Moore...

The Corinthian Challenge Charity Race Series is back this year, the Irish Injured Jockeys (IIJ) announced on Friday. The six-race series offers riding enthusiasts the chance to experience what it's like to be a jockey riding over three of Ireland's best tracks while also raising awareness and much-needed funds for the IIJ. This year's races will be held at Naas Racecourse on Aug. 27, The Curragh on Sept. 24 and Leopardstown Racecourse on Oct. 21. Each rider is asked to raise €10,000 through sponsorship and/or fundraising, with all funds to...

Leopardstown and the Bahrain Turf Club have announced the 'Dublin to Bahrain' race series that will grant race winners automatic eligibility for the 2023-24 running of the Bahrain Turf Series.  The first leg of the 'Dublin to Bahrain' race series takes place at Leopardstown on Thursday July 20. The series expands Bahrain's existing sponsorship portfolio in Ireland, which is headlined by the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion S. and includes the Bahrain Turf Club Desmond S., both of which are run at Leopardstown. The five races added to the Kingdom's sponsorship...

Underlining the strength of the speedier 3-year-olds this year, Al Shira'aa Farms' Ocean Jewel (Ire) (Sioux Nation) passed a stern test against the older brigade on Thursday as she captured Leopardstown's G3 TRI Equestrian Ballycorus S. Stretching out to seven furlongs, having finished third behind The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Ocean Quest (Ire) (Sioux Nation) in the G3 Lacken S. over six at Naas last month, the Willie McCreery-trained half-sister to the 1000 Guineas heroine Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) was able to use her sprinting prowess to...

Labeled a TDN Rising Star on debut at Leopardstown in July, Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) hadn't lived up to the billing in two subsequent starts but was back in the winning groove there on Thursday in the Listed King George V Cup. Failing to make an impact when over-racing and finishing last behind Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G2 Champions Juvenile S. in September and only sixth trying out his Derby credentials in the G3 Derby Trial again at this venue last month, the bay...

Mohamed Khalid Abdulrahim's Sprewell (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), fourth in the G1 Betfred Derby, has emerged from the race in good order and will aim for the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on July 2, trainer Jessica Harrington revealed. A winner of the G3 Derby Trial S. at Leopardstown in May, the bay was a solid fourth in the Blue Riband, and, if all goes well, will be ridden again by Shane Foley. Foley broke his collar bone riding at Gowran Park on Monday evening. "Sprewell will go to the...