Ralph Beckett

Juddmonte's Serenetta (Kingman), a half-sister to Arc heroine Bluestocking (Camelot) and this term's Sussex Stakes hero Qirat (Showcasing), backed up a debut third at Newmarket last month with a decisive victory in Wednesday's Racing TV Fillies' Novice Stakes at Kempton. The Ralph Beckett trainee justified odds-on favouritism and made most of the running to defeat Godolphin's Al Qaysiyya (Dubawi) by 1 1/2 lengths in the seven-furlong contest. "She had a lovely run with Hector [Crouch] the first day and she seems like a smart filly," said winning rider Colin Keane...

Juddmonte's Shipbourne (Frankel) arrived at Newbury on Friday with a buzz surrounding him and duly went through his maiden as connections would have hoped. Sent off the 10-11 favourite for the 6 1/2-furlong test, the son of Special Duty (Hennessy) followed the pace with ease under Colin Keane and took command inside the two. Sent clear from there, the homebred registered a 4 1/4-length success from Not That Guy (Cotai Glory). "He's a lovely big horse with the size and scope to match his pedigree, but he doesn't realise he's a...

An overflow field of 3-year-old fillies is set to face the starter for Friday' GII Bank of America Valley View Stakes on the final couple of days of racing at the Keeneland Fall Meet. For bettors, the 8 1/2-furlong feature, which carries purse money of $400,000 (including KTDF money), seems like a true 'spread' race. Minnesota-bred Play With Fire (Oscar Performance) looms a logical favorite to give Chad Brown his second Valley View winner in the space of three years (Surge Capacity, 2023). Acquired privately from Fergus Galvin and trainer...

Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) is one of nine Aidan O'Brien-trained colts to stand his ground for the G1 William Hill Futurity Trophy Stakes at Doncaster on Saturday. The impressive Killarney winner went on to take the G2 Champions Juvenile Stakes. Other entrants hailing from Ballydoyle include G3 Zetland Stakes hero Pierre Bonnard (Camelot), the group-placed Action (Frankel), the stakes-placed Frescobaldi (No Nay Never), G2 Beresford Stakes winner Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett), New Zealand (Frankel), G3 Killavullan Stakes victor Dorset (Wootton Bassett), Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Basilica), and G3 Eyrefield Stakes...

Ralph Beckett trainee Lady Roisia (St Mark's Basilica), who is a daughter of G1 Oaks heroine Talent (New Approach), backed up a promising debut third at Leicester last month with a game half-length victory in Thursday's EBF Oh So Sharp Maiden Fillies' Stakes at Nottingham, becoming the 17th winner for her freshman sire (by Siyouni). "It was strong form from Leicester and she was entitled to take a nice step forward," said winning rider Hector Crouch. "She moved into contention well today and I thought she would go and kick...

Bouncing back from two disappointing Derby displays, the Aykroyds' Pride Of Arras (New Bay) showed the benefit of a gelding operation and a return to a track on which he excels to land Wednesday's G2 Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York. Sent off at 12-1 despite his impressive Dante success here in May, the Ralph Beckett-trained homebred who had failed to fire at Epsom and The Curragh stayed on powerfully to take control approaching the furlong pole and beat the similarly-penalised Queen's Vase winner Carmers (Wootton Bassett). Where Lambourn...

Britain's clean sweep of Deauville's valuable juvenile Arqana Series races was completed in style on Thursday by Valmont's Cape Orator (Mohaather) in the 6 1/2-furlong Criterium d'Ete. Off the mark for the Ralph Beckett stable at Kempton in June, the 15-1 shot cut loose approaching the final furlong and surged to a 3 1/2-length verdict over Street Show (Showcasing), the only French-trained two-year-old to make the first two in the trio of sales races. "We've always thought he was a very good horse, it's just taken a long time for...

Things like 150-1 pacemakers winning the G1 Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes aren't supposed to happen, but as a rare reminder of the vagaries of horse racing, on Wednesday Juddmonte's Qirat (Showcasing) pulled off the shock outcome as Field Of Gold (Kingman) failed to fire. Only Rosallion (Blue Point) emerged from the pack of big favourites to threaten the upset late, but the Ralph Beckett-trained half-brother to Bluestocking kept producing to extend his Goodwood record to three-for-three. A neck separated them at the line, with 2 1/4 lengths back to Henri Matisse (Wootton...

Ralph Beckett enjoyed the perfect outcome in Wednesday's G3 HKJC World Pool Oak Tree Stakes when his two representatives, Saqqara Sands (Oasis Dream) and Tabiti (Kingman), could not be separated by technology in a photo finish to the seven-furlong contest at Goodwood. "My daughter was laughing at me because I was going 'go on Rossa, go on Ryan, go on Rossa'," revealed Becket. "I have definitely not been involved in a finish when two of my horses dead-heated before. William Easterby just told me his father [Tim] did it at...

Atoning for the eclipse of the Aykroyds' Derby hope Pride Of Arras, their other prized homebred Amiloc (Postponed) maintained his unbeaten sequence in Friday's G2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. Sent off the 11-8 favourite for the mile-and-a-half "Ascot Derby", the Ralph Beckett-trained Listed Cocked Hat Stakes winner followed Ballydoyle's Galveston (Frankel) before taking over two out and asserting for a 3/4-of-a-length verdict under Rossa Ryan. Zahrann (Night Of Thunder) closed to be second, two lengths ahead of the tiring Galveston. "Rossa said the ground felt quick on...

As the only runner in Thursday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes with a sole outing to his name, David Aykroyd's Pride Of Arras had a bit to find but at the end of York's time-honoured Derby trial he had little to prove. Set alight by Rossa Ryan heading to the two pole, the Ralph Beckett-trained Sandown maiden winner surged by a wall of closely-matched peers to take total control a furlong from home. At the line, the 18-1 shot who descends from Juddmonte's G3 Park Hill Stakes winner...

Spend a morning on the gallops with Ralph Beckett and you could end up with more than just the natural shot in the arm that comes with observing racehorses at close quarters in the English springtime. Barns full of bluebloods. Well, that's a given now, particularly on the back of a pretty spectacular 2024. Sunshine is not always a given, but on this fine morning it has been turned to full beam, lighting up the rolling turf which envelopes this haven on the edge of Salisbury Plain. Bluestocking, last year's...