Last seen running third in Meydan's Listed Jumeirah 2000 Guineas, Godolphin homebred and leading G1 2000 Guineas contender Talk Of New York (Wootton Bassett) made a winning European return with a TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard, performance in Tuesday's Federation Of Bloodstock Agents EBF Conditions Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket.
“We needed to get back on track and today was a day where we were just focused on relaxing him and if he got beat he got beat,” explained trainer Charlie Appleby. “We wanted him to settle and race the right way for future, and we've ticked two boxes in that he settled and then he went and won. Today we've dropped back in trip and applied the [first-time] hood. The hood has made a big difference at home, if anything a bit too much, but I didn't want to be too confident today in taking the hood off. I was happy to leave the hood on and if it meant that he got beaten because he was too settled then so be it. Next time I'll take that hood off. We've had a few horses gallop this morning and this fellow is definitely in the mix with them all. I was just on the phone with connections and they are happy for us to let the dust settle for a week. We were on the comeback trail with this horse after having the wind taken out of our sails in Dubai. He was under-trained and too fresh and it just never worked from the moment we got him off the plane to the moment we got him back on it. People might have expected to see that acceleration, but that was seven furlongs with a hood on. He is 100 per cent in the Guineas mix, but there's two-and-a-half weeks to go yet and, in this game, that is a long time.”
The 8-11 favourite found his feet in rear through the early stages and eased into third approaching halfway. Cruising upsides the pacesetting Lost Signal (Lucky Vega) soon after passing the quarter-mile marker, he was shaken up to seize a decisive advantage entering the final furlong and kept on powerfully in the closing stages to hit the line with an impressive three-length buffer.
Talk Of New York is the latest of four foals and one of three winners from as many runners out of the dual Group 2-winning G1 Prix d'Ispahan third Usherette (Shamardal).
Usherette is a full-sister to the stakes-winning G3 Premio Elena E Sergio Cumani third Show Day and she is also kin to the stakes-winning GII Canadian Stakes runner-up Magnetic Charm (Exceed And Excel), herself the dam of G3 Prestige Stakes third Hard To Resist (Dubawi).
The winner is a half-brother to the Listed Ellen Chaloner Stakes and Listed Smart N Fancy Stakes placegetter Star Guest (Dubawi).
3rd-Newmarket, £30,000, Cond, 4-14, 3yo, 7fT, 1:24.84, gd.
TALK OF NEW YORK (GB), c, 3, by Wootton Bassett (GB)
1st Dam: Usherette (Ire) (MGSW-Eng, SW & G1SP-Fr), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Monday Show, by Maria's Mon
3rd Dam: La Sylphide (Swi), by Barathea (Ire)
Lifetime Record: SP-UAE, 3-2-0-1, $48,421. *1/2 to Star Guest (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), SP-Eng & US. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O/B-Godolphin; T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick.
🔵 Smooth from Talk Of New York at HQ pic.twitter.com/ulrMOpzXio
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 14, 2026
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