Rosallion (Ire)

There is always a story at Royal Ascot and this year's meeting opener, the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, delivered an immediate slice of drama as Harry Eustace trainee Docklands (Massaat) provided the Newmarket conditioner with a thrilling first Group 1 triumph, by a pixel, despite Australian rider Mark Zahra dropping his whip in the closing stages of the straight one-mile test. The Queen Anne is a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar this coming November. Last year's runner-up, who annexed the Britannia Handicap...

Royal Ascot's Tuesday fields have been confirmed, with the key contest on the opening fixture being the 2,000 Guineas rematch between Godolphin's Ruling Court and Juddmonte's Field Of Gold in the seven-strong G1 St James's Palace Stakes. The sons of Justify and Kingman will be met by Wootton Bassett's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Henri Matisse from Ballydoyle, with the most notable withdrawal being Godolphin's dual Group 1 winner Shadow Of Light. In the opening G1 Queen Anne Stakes, the field of 11 features all the four main protagonists...

A renewal of Newbury's G1 BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes which read like a baffling puzzle beforehand went the way of Juddmonte's Lead Artist, with the son of Dubawi the one with the right mix of readiness and tactical advantage on Saturday. Supported into 17-2 for the mile feature, with the Gosdens fully expecting the regally-connected homebred to leave his latest last-of-eight in the G2 Sandown Mile way behind, the otherwise progressive 4-year-old was positioned near the steady early tempo by Oisin Murphy with the race's main fancies anchored too far back....

International stars Asfoora (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) and Satono Reve (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) headline entries from six countries for the eight Group 1 races at Royal Ascot. Royal Ascot offers £10 million in prize-money in 2025, with all eight Group 1 prizes worth a minimum of £650,000 and no race run for less than £110,000. Asfoora continued the superb record of Australian-trained sprinters at Royal Ascot in 2024 as she stormed to victory in the G1 King Charles III Stakes, a race she is targeting again this year. Last...

A total of 32 horses, including the winners of the 2024 2000 Guineas, 1000 Guineas and their Irish counterparts, have signed on for the £400,000 G1 BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 17. Godolphin's trio is anchored by G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Sussex Stakes score Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for Charlie Appleby, who also saddles graded/group winners Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Ottoman Fleet (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Roger Varian's pair of G1 1000 Guineas victress Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and multiple listed winner...

A breeding right in exciting young stallion Blue Point (Ire) is to be auctioned online on Darley winning bid, the bespoke online auction platform. The auction will take place between the hours of 9am on Tuesday, December 10 and 3pm on Wednesday, December 11. The leading first-season sire by number of winners in 2023, Blue Point covered 161 mares this season. First-crop son Rosallion (Ire) was his flagbearer on the racecourse with a pair of Group 1 wins in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes, with the...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features a half-brother to a multiple Group 1 winner. 12.15 Redcar, Nov, £7,000, 2yo, 7fT Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's hitherto unraced LORD CAPULET (IRE) (Make Believe {GB}) is a homebred half-brother to last term's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and this term's G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and...

Richard Hannon has decided not to run Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) again this season, with the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot being nominated as his first major target of 2025. The three-year-old was due to contest the Sussex Stakes after he'd established himself among the best of his generation with back-to-back top-level victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh and St James's Palace Stakes at the Royal meeting, but he was forced to miss Goodwood after being found to be suffering from a respiratory infection....

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace Stakes hero Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) will be tackled by five rivals in Wednesday's G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood after Monday's confirmation stage. Ballydoyle's G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes winner Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) re-opposes after finishing second at Royal Ascot, while Godolphin's G1 2,000 Guineas winner Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) bids to bounce back having been seventh there. The older horse contingent is headed by Team Valor International and Gary Barber's G1 Dubai...

The lack of top-class talent in this season's sprint division was laid bare by Timeform on Tuesday as the organisation revealed that the class of 2024 currently rank well below the 10 highest-rated sprinters to have raced in Europe since 2015. Australian-trained sprinter Asfoora (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) achieved a rating of 122 when winning the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot, a figure that was matched this month by Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) when he gained his first Group 1 success in the July Cup at Newmarket,...

Following their successes at Royal Ascot, Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) now share joint-fourth position after the fifth edition of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings for 2024 were released on Thursday. Auguste Rodin earned his rating of 122 when he won the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes by three quarters of a length from Zarakem (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) (120), while Rosallion gained a narrow victory over Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) (121) in the G1 St James's Palace Stakes. The only horses...

There were three Guineas heroes lined up for Tuesday's G1 St James's Palace S. and ultimately it was the winner of the Irish Classic in Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}--Rosaline {Ire}, by New Approach {Ire}) who came away from Royal Ascot with the bragging rights. If his Curragh victory was a case of consolation following his second to Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) at Newmarket, this was all about affirmation as the well-supported 5-2 second favourite readily reversed the 2,000 Guineas form and put the...