Millisle

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. Saturday's Insights features a full sister to G1 Cheveley Park heroine Millisle at Naas. 14.45 Naas, Cond, €25,000, 2yo, 5f 205yT Stonethorn Stud Farms Ltd's homebred EMERALD BANNER (IRE) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) is kin to four black-type performers headed by her G1 Cheveley Park S.-winning full-sister Millisle (Ire). She is...

   The trainer originally best known for many high-class jumps winners that has made an eye-catching advance on Flat racing's top contests in recent years will share her thoughts with the TDN on a monthly basis in this most unusual of seasons. It is an understatement to say that it has been a very strange year. In Ireland we managed a few meetings behind closed doors before racing shut down completely, and we then had some uncertainty over when it was going to start again. We eventually accepted the fact...

After the intensity of the Newmarket colts' Classic, all eyes turn to the fillies on Sunday and there is a tangible unpredictability in the air due not only to the fast-changing Newmarket weather but also to the sudden shaking of established certainties. With the eclipse of Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) demonstrating that there is no guarantee that 2-year-old form will be upheld in the month of June, Khalid Abdullah's 'TDN Rising Star' Quadrilateral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) could be about to surrender her long-held position of favourite for the G1 Qipco 1000...

1000 Guineas BOOMER (GB) (Kingman {GB}-Wall Of Sound {GB}, by Singspiel {Ire}) A homebred for Andrew Black's Chasemore Farm, Boomer is out of the GII Goldikova S. third Wall Of Sound, who is a half-sister to the G3 John Of Gaunt S. winner The Cheka (Ire) (Xaar {GB}). The dual Group 1-winning sprinter Regal Parade (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) appears under the third dam, while further back the family includes the Juddmonte luminaries Zafonic (Gone West), Zamindar (Gone West) and Reams Of Verse (Nureyev) as well as Sheikh Hamdan's Elmaamul (Diesis...

A field of 15 fillies will go to post for Sunday's G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, with Khalid Abdullah's unbeaten TDN Rising Star Quadrilateral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) drawn in six as Jason Watson looks for a first Classic victory in the saddle. Chief opposition to the G1 Fillies' Mile winner comes in the form of Stonethorn Stud Farms' G1 Cheveley Park S. scorer Millisle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), the sole representative of the Jessie Harrington stable who will break from stall 11, and Coolmore's G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Love...

Trainer Jessica Harrington has booked Oisin Murphy to ride Millisle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in next weekend's G1 1000 Guineas, Racing Post reports. Shane Foley has been aboard Millisle in four of her five starts, including a last-out victory in the G1 Cheveley Park S. on Sept. 28, but COVID-19 restrictions mean that the Irish-based Foley would have had to quarantine for 14 days upon his return home were he to make the journey to Newmarket. "Shane [Foley] can't ride Millisle so I've gone and booked Oisin Murphy good and early...

Jessica Harrington's anticipated early assault on Ireland's turf season remains on hold as the latest governmental coronavirus measures has seen a stalling of the countdown to the resumption of racing. "We're keeping our heads down and keeping positive," the trainer said. "We are lucky enough that we have a very good team who are in every day and work very hard. Our flat horses are carrying on and the 3-year-olds are just ticking over. I'd hope racing will resume soon and if so it will almost certainly be behind closed...

LONDON, UK—Godolphin's homebred Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) was officially named Europe's champion juvenile of 2019 on Wednesday when given the highest rating for a 2-year-old in 25 years. In fact, it was a clean sweep for Godolphin and Kildangan Stud-based sire Shamardal, who were also responsible for the joint runners-up in the category, Victor Ludorum (Ire) and Earthlight (Ire). The magic number for Pintaubo—also awarded to Enable (GB), Crystal Ocean (GB) and Waldgeist (GB) when topping the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings—was 128. One has to look back as far as...