Sir Michael Stoute

Saeed Suhail's G1 Derby victor Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), missing since a minor ankle injury derailed his season after Epsom, is pleasing connections after being returned to light training a few days ago. "Desert Crown is in good shape," said owner Saeeed Suhail's racing manager Bruce Raymond. "He was turned out for a bit at Darley. He was there for about eight weeks and it did him really good. "He came back in around mid-November and I saw him last week. He looks a million dollars--you'd think it was...

Richard Kingscote is far too nice. He is also a damn good jockey. And if people hadn't realised that before this year, they certainly do now. The 36-year-old is no newcomer to racing's main stage but until this past season he had to a degree been cast as a reliable sidekick to leading actors such as Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore. Dettori is one of only a few jockeys who is instantly identifiable by his first name alone, and in true 'Frankie style' the recent announcement of his retirement allows...

  Rare are the days that John O'Connor of Ballylinch Stud enjoyed at Ascot on Champions Day last Saturday. No sooner had the G1 QEII celebrations died down after Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB})'s victory, a horse the stud bred and co-owns with Teme Valley, when another runner that the stud owns jointly, Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}), lowered the colours of Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Champion S.    It was an afternoon that propelled Ballylinch resident New Bay into the spotlight and...

Caught off guard in Royal Ascot's G1 Prince of Wales's S. and Sandown's G1 Coral-Eclipse, James Wigan and Ballylinch Stud's Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}--Hayyona {GB}, by Multiplex {GB}) made it third time lucky at the highest level when upsetting the hitherto undefeated Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and a stellar field in Saturday's G1 Qipco Champion S. at Ascot. The race is a qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland next month. Having appeared set fair to join the upper echelons when routing his rivals...

Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), sidelined since winning the G1 Cazoo Derby in June, will be kept in training next season as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. "I took the owner to see him last week," said Bruce Raymond, Saeed Suhail's racing manager. "He is turned out daily at Darley [Stud in Newmarket]--I live just across the road. "He goes out for maybe three hours a day and [trainer Sir] Michael [Stoute] came to see him. He said that while the weather is good, let him eat...

TDN Rising Star Sakheer (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) will be forced to miss Saturday's G1 Darley Dewhurst S. at Newmarket after trainer Roger Varian revealed that the G2 Mill Reef S. winner has scoped dirty. Having been supplemented for the seven-furlong feature on Monday, KHK Racing's emerging luminary will now wait until 2023 to test his Classic credentials. "This is of course very frustrating and disappointing and I am very sorry for owners KHK Racing and everyone connected with the horse," Varian posted on Twitter on Thursday. "He will be put...

Sir Michael Stoute trainee Just Fine (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}--Bint Almatar, by Kingmambo) registered a first win for His Majesty King Charles III when defeating eight rivals by 4 1/2 lengths, and more, in Tuesday's Kube Leicester's Premier Event Hire Venue Handicap at Leicester. The Godolphin-bred 4-year-old gelding, sent postward as the 10-3 second favourite for the 10-furlong contest, came from off the pace under Ryan Moore to lead approaching the final furlong and lengthened clear in the closing stages to defeat Sea The Casper (Ire) (Sea The Stars...

Sir Michael Stoute had not won Newmarket's G3 Tattersalls S. since 1994, Annus Mirabilis (Fr) (Warning {GB}) doing the deed back when it was known as the Somerville Tattersall S., and the local elder bridged a 28-year gap after 'TDN Rising Star' Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Mirror Lake {GB}, by Dubai Destination) asserted his superiority in taking fashion to frank the impression given on debut in July. Juddmonte's March-foaled bay had delivered a scintillating performance over seven furlongs at Sandown in that only prior outing and accepted a tow in second...

Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is doubtful to run again this season but connections of the brilliant G1 Derby winner are committed to keeping him in training next year.  Sir Michael Stoute's sixth Derby winner has not raced since his Epsom triumph and Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail, delivered the news on Friday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast that the colt was unlikely to reappear again in 2022.  "The difficult thing is, would he [Stoute] have time to prepare him [for the major races in the autumn] and...

Juddmonte's hitherto unraced 2-year-old colt Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Mirror Lake (GB) (MSW & GSP-Eng, $113,061), by Dubai Destination) was let go at odds of 13-2 for Thursday's Martin Densham Memorial EBF Maiden S. at Sandown and came home with a 'TDN Rising Star' after producing a taking display in a contest won last year by subsequent G2 Queen's Vase second Zechariah (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}). The homebred bay was bustled along from the gates to occupy a forward pitch in second after the initial strides of the seven-furlong test. Making eyecatching...

Classic winner Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has been ruled out of next week's G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. at Ascot, trainer Sir Michael Stoute revealed. Undefeated, and the winner of the G1 Cazoo Derby, the bay was set to lock horns with Epsom third Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the 12-furlong Group 1 on Saturday week. He was reported to be suffering a "foot niggle" on Wednesday. Stoute told PA Sport, "The colt won't be going to Ascot for the King George." Bruce Raymond, racing...

Impressive G1 Cazoo Derby hero Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has suffered a "little niggle" according to trainer Sir Michael Stoute and could miss an intended start in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. on July 23. The Saeed Suhail-owned colt was due to work on Thursday morning, but that plan has been suspended. "He won't be working tomorrow morning," said Stoute. "We just have a little niggle that we are checking out on his foot. "So, we will have more news on Friday or Saturday. It...