Rosallion (Ire)

Saturday's G1 Qipco Champion Stakes will feature all the big guns, with Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), Delacroix (Dubawi), Calandagan (Gleneagles) and Economics (Night Of Thunder) set for a memorable showdown. There will be 11 in the line-up for the feature, where the draw has not been kind to Ombudsman and Economics in nine and 10 respectively but has been to the race's most intriguing runner Almaqam (Lope De Vega) in stall one. There will be 16 lining up for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, with Juddmonte and the Gosdens'...

Coming into Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp very much under the radar, Al Shaqab's Sahlan (Wootton Bassett) became the latest of Francis Graffard's brigade to enter the spotlight during the trainer's unforgettable year. Edging a tight photo ahead of Rosallion (Blue Point), the highly-regarded three-year-old whose finest hour prior to this had been a latest win in the G3 Prix Daphnis landed odds of 16-1 from racing's relentless hard-luck story. Securing an unexpected eighth top-level victory for the stable in 2025, Mickael Barzalona thrust him to a...

Britain's first seven-furlong Group 1 proved a humdinger on Saturday as Never So Brave (No Nay Never) found the line first in a thrilling four-way go for the Sky Bet City Of York Stakes. Like Saturday's Hungerford winner More Thunder a former member of the Sir Michael Stoute equine academy, Saeed Suhail's Summer Mile winner relished the furious pace to ultimately outstay specialists at this trip under Oisin Murphy. At the line, the Andrew Balding-trained 7-2 second favourite had half a length to spare over Lake Forest for a one-two...

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...

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....