Prix de la Foret scorer Kelina could get the chance to evoke memories of Goldikova if lining up at the Breeders’ Cup next month.
Trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias, the daughter of Frankel has won four of her nine career starts and left a couple of Group One disappointments in the past when conquering defending champion Kinross to strike at ParisLongchamp.
Connections are now eyeing a run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita, a race owner-breeders the Wertheimer brothers have a fine record in thanks to the all-conquering Goldikova.
“If everything goes well, and if she gets in the race of course, then we will try and run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile with her – that is the plan,” said Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for the owners.
“I think the mile and the track at Santa Anita with good ground, which we know is important for her, will suit.
“I think she has enough speed to go for this race and with good ground and the performance she did the other day, hopefully she will be up to that level.
“Of course we don’t know what the field will be, but its a big race so it is probably going to be a really strong field and hopefully she can show the best of her ability.”
Kelina will be attempting to follow in illustrious footsteps when she bids to carry the blue and white colours to another famous victory at the end-of-season showpiece in California.
And it is somewhat fitting that the three-year-old will take to the track in Santa Anita – the scene of the first of Goldikova’s three-straight victories in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
“It is true that there is a close link with the Breeders’ Cup because of Goldikova, but there has also been Halfbridled and Kotashaan,” continued Bureau.
“Especially in Santa Anita, I think that is where Goldikova did her best performance and it is a special race.
“The most important thing is the filly can show her best. She has a lot of talent, but she needs to get in the race first, then a good draw and then we will see who she has to fight with.
“It would be very nice if she could do something good over there.”
Racing will take a prime time evening slot on ITV as the sport is due to become the subject of a new six-part docuseries airing in 2024.
Filming for the programme will begin in December and will follow the 2023-2024 National Hunt season in Britain, focusing on both humans and equines and providing viewers with a behind the scenes perspective on the industry.
The series will be produced by South Shore, makers of similar sports-themed programmes such as the Bafta-nominated ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’, which was broadcast on BBC1.
The concept is to be supported by Racecourse Media Group and Flutter, whose betting brands include Betfair, Paddy Power and Sky Bet, with hour-long episodes expected to be aired at 9pm next summer.
Julie Harrington, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said: “This is an extremely exciting development for the sport. The industry’s strategy is all about reaching new audiences and showing them the brilliance of our sport, while at the same time making racing more interesting and engaging for our current fans.
“There promises to be a little bit of something for everyone in this new programme. We’re proud of our sport and all it stands for, and anything that brings the passion and excitement of racing and the characters who work in it into people’s homes can only be a good thing.”
The Professional Jockeys Association have lent their support to the project and Dale Gibson, their interim CEO, said: ”This is a great result for racing. We’re delighted that it will show off the skills, determination and personalities of some of our outstanding jump jockeys, whilst raising their profiles and helping to promote the sport to a new audience. A win all round.”
The National Trainers Federation are also in support and Paul Johnson, their CEO, said: “This is a simply brilliant initiative for the sport and highlights how fortunate we are to work with such a supportive broadcaster in ITV. We have no doubt that getting to know some of racing’s characters and their day-to-day stories will help showcase our sport in a way that we have not seen before.”
Simon Daglish, deputy managing director of commercial for ITV said: “Racing drives an enormous amount of passion and excitement among ITV viewers as we know from our unrivalled coverage.
“This new series is a fantastic chance to build on that excitement and bring this adrenaline filled sport to a new audience. We are delighted to be working with the racing community to showcase racing in a way that has never been seen before.”
St Leger hero Continuous is on course for a clash with Equinox in the Japan Cup.
Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old followed up his Classic success at Doncaster by staying on to finish fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Plans for a potential trip to Ascot for British Champions Day had to be shelved due to a minor setback, but the son of Heart’s Cry has now fully recovered.
O’Brien has never managed to win the Japan Cup, but stable jockey Ryan Moore knows what it takes to triumph in Tokyo, having partnered last year’s victor Vela Azul for Kunihiko Watanabe.
“We were going to go back for the Champion Stakes with him, but he got a bit of a temperature, so obviously when they get a temperature, you have to medicate them, and when you medicate them, it takes them out of the race,” O’Brien told Racing TV.
“But he’s back fine, he’s back cantering again, so the plan with him is to go to the Japan Cup (November 26).
“We were delighted with his run in the Arc. Ryan took his time, like he always does with him, and the pace just went a little bit slow in the middle of the race and that was the way it was, but he came home very well.
“Ryan was very happy with him after the run, he said his run was way better than everyone thinks it was, so hopefully we’ll go back to the Japan Cup with him.
“It’s a race we’ve never won and you need a good horse to win it, so it would be great if we could be competitive in it.
“It’ll suit him all right, because he’s a good traveller, he can handle fast and soft ground, it doesn’t matter.
“He’s got a great mind and he’s got a lot of ability that horse – he’s probably better than everyone thinks he is.”
Meanwhile, stablemate Auguste Rodin is being aimed at a fourth top-level triumph of the year in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita.
The Deep Impact colt is a dual Derby winner and was last seen coming home in front in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
“That’s been the plan for him all the time,” added O’Brien. “He’s done great, too. He’s had a nice break from Leopardstown and that’s probably a break like he’s never had and he’s got strong.
“All the team are delighted with him and we’re really looking forward to it.
“He’s really grown up and he’s another horse that didn’t get a chance to mature, as we trained him for the Guineas and then on to the Derby, the next Derby and the King George, so it’s tough for those baby three-year-olds.
“But we’re very happy with him, he’s had a nice little run into this and we’re looking forward to it.”
Royal Ascot scorer Crimson Advocate will lead George Weaver’s three-pronged attack on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.
Crimson Advocate provided her American handler with a first winner at the Royal meeting when blazing a trail in the hands of John Velazquez before showing real guts to hold off William Haggas’ Relief Rally in a thrilling finish to the Queen Mary Stakes.
That form has been boosted by the runner-up who is unbeaten in two starts since and having been freshened up over the summer months, Weaver is confident his daughter of Nyquist can dominate once again when returning to the track in California next month.
“She is breezing great and hopefully she can get a good trip and show us what she can do,” said the handler.
“I wanted to give her a break when she came back (from Ascot). She had a busy campaign and is not an overly big filly – she’s an April foal. It just seemed like a good time (to take a break) and there wasn’t anything lucrative for her over here in the summer. I just wanted to freshen her up and have her right for the big race.
“She’s doing as good as she ever has, so we’re looking forward to it.”
Joining Crimson Advocate on the teamsheet for the $1,000,000 contest are stablemates No Nay Mets and Amidst Waves.
The former, who is owned by baseball star Alex Bregman, disappointed when the mount of Frankie Dettori in the Norfolk Stakes but has since displayed his class on home soil with victories in both the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park and the Rosie’s Stakes at Colonial Downs.
Meanwhile, Amidst Waves has won three of her five career starts and, having secured black-type victories at both Monmouth and Saratoga, earnt her place in the line-up with a fine run to finish a nose second to Committee Of One in Keeneland’s Indian Summer Stakes earlier this month.
“All three of them are going for the race,” continued Weaver.
“At Ascot, that wasn’t No Nay Mets, that wasn’t him. I don’t know if he needed to be ridden differently or it was the ground – Frankie said he wasn’t in the right part of the turf course – but he is better than that and he has shown it since he has come back here.
“They are all legitimate contenders, it’s not like only one of them is a legitimate contender and the others just hopefuls. All three of them have put together resumes that make them look good in this race.
“I hate to run horses against each other, but I guess I would rather have three for one race than none.”
In a thrilling encounter at the Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St. Augustine, Trinidad on Sunday, Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) orchestrated a sensational two-wicket victory over the Windward Islands Volcanoes in the CG United Insurance Super 50 Cup, with Shane Dowrich emerging as the star of the day.
Facing a challenging target of 268 after the Windward Islands posted a total of 267-8 from their allotted 50 overs, CCC managed to scrape across the finish line, scoring 271-8. It was a heart-pounding finish as Jediah Blades struck a crucial boundary off Shamar Springer, securing the hard-fought win off the final delivery of the match.
The hero of the day, Shane Dowrich, named Player of the Match, remained unbeaten on a remarkable 102, guiding his team through the nail-biting contest. The opener, Kadeem Alleyne, also played a significant role with a valuable contribution of 68, and his partner Johan Jeremiah added 30 to set the stage for CCC's innings.
Despite the promising start, Daryl Cyrus posed a serious threat by taking 4-54, putting CCC's chances of victory in jeopardy. However, Dowrich displayed exceptional composure, scoring 102 off 101 deliveries, featuring three boundaries and three sixes. Jordan Johnson chipped in with 34 runs from 33 balls, providing crucial support.
As the game approached its climax, it was left to Dowrich to carry his team to the brink of victory, and he did not do it alone.
With just nine runs needed from the final over, Romario Greaves played a significant role, smashing a vital six off the third ball. However, he was unfortunately run out for 14, leaving one ball and Dowrich at the other end.
In a thrilling conclusion, Jediah Blades emerged as the hero, striking a boundary off the first ball he faced, sealing the victory for CCC.
Larry Edward, on the Windward Islands side, picked up two wickets for 65 runs.
Earlier, the Windward Islands managed to post a competitive total of 267-8, thanks to impressive half-centuries from Alick Athanaze (65), Jeremy Solozano (55), and Sunil Ambris (51). Andre Fletcher also contributed with 32 runs. Blades, Isai Thorne, and Abhijai Mansingh were among the key wicket-takers for CCC with two wickets each.
Fatima College maintained their dominance at the top of the Secondary Schools' Football League (SSFL) premiership division with a convincing 3-0 victory over Bishop's High School on Saturday.
Michael Chaves scored a late brace to seal the win for Fatima, who now have 31 points from 12 matches.
Meanwhile, San Juan North dropped points for the third week running as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Malick Secondary at Bourg Mulatresse. This slip-up saw them drop from second to third in the standings.
Defending champions St Benedict's College capitalized on San Juan North's misfortune, moving into second place with a 4-2 win over Queen's Royal College.
The most entertaining match of the weekend came from Trinity College Grounds in Moka, where East Mucurapo and Pleasantville played out a thrilling 13-goal encounter. East Mucurapo emerged victorious, winning 8-5.
In other matches, Naparima College dropped points for a third consecutive match, drawing 2-2 with Speyside away in Tobago.
Trinity East beat St Anthony's College to round out the weekend's fixtures.
The SSFL premiership division is now heating up, with the top four teams separated by just five points. The battle for the title is sure to be intense in the coming weeks.
Scottish Champion Hurdle hero Rubaud made a successful start to his campaign with a front-running victory in the Trustatrader Approved And Reviewed Trades People Hurdle at Kempton.
The five-year-old had won four of his seven previous starts for champion trainer Paul Nicholls, including Grade Two triumphs in the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at this track in February and on his most recent outing at Ayr in April.
With Harry Cobden in the saddle, Rubaud was sent off at 2-1 for his reappearance and proceeded to lead his rivals a merry dance from flag-fall on his way to a near three-length victory.
Too Friendly was best of the rest in second, with 13-8 favourite First Street third and Alan King’s popular veteran Sceau Royal – seeking a third straight win in this Listed event – back in fourth.
Nicholls said of the winner: “I thought he would improve (for the run), but to compete at this sort of level he had to improve as at the weights he had a tough old task from last year, but he has gone and done that.
“I thought beforehand he looked big enough for his first run of the season so he will improve. He will now go to Wincanton in three weeks’ time for the Elite Hurdle. That was always the plan to come here and then go to Wincanton as it suits him to go right-handed.”
Looking further down the line, Rubaud could return to Kempton on Boxing Day for a potential clash with the mighty Constitution Hill.
Nicholls added: “We will probably run him in the Christmas Hurdle as someone has got to finish second to Nicky’s (Henderson) horse, and it is good prize-money.
“We will stay hurdling and go chasing next autumn as he is only five. He is a good level hurdler and we can choose our races with him and then go chasing next autumn.
“The two Grade Two races, the one in a few weeks, and the one in February (Kingwell Hurdle) will suit him quite well.”
Charlie Longsdon’s Rare Edition is due to start his chasing career when the ground conditions allow.
The six-year-old was a three-time winner last season, taking a trio of novice hurdles by sizeable margins before finishing second in the Listed Sidney Banks at Huntingdon.
He was pulled up in the Supreme at the Cheltenham Festival and then finished down the field in the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
However, a transition to chasing has since been afoot, and the gelding will make a debut over fences when the right race and the right conditions come up.
“I just don’t want to see him on very soft ground, he’s ready to go but we’re just trying to find the right race for him,” Longsdon said.
“He’ll be going over fences for the first time, so we’re just holding out to try to find the right race.
“He’s been very good, we’ve been very happy with him and we’re looking forward to getting going, to be honest.
“We’ll start out at two miles, in the future we might want to step him up but for the minute we’ll very much be keeping him at two.”
Longsdon has another chaser to follow in Guetapan Collonges, a true stayer who took two contests last term and performed with credit over marathon trips in both the Classic Chase at Warwick and Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter.
The latter two races will be on the agenda again this season after the seven-year-old made a winning start to the term at Carlisle on Thursday.
“It’s a good starting point, then we’ll probably go and look for some of the nice staying chases as the season goes on,” the trainer said.
“There’s Haydock in November and December and there are probably quite a lot of other nice valuable chases in the coming months.
“I can easily see him going back to Warwick for the Classic Chase and going for the Midlands National, all those decent staying chases, he’ll have entries for them all.”
Mutasarref came home best to provide trainer Ger Lyons with a fourth win in the last five runnings of the Bahrain Turf Club Knockaire Stakes at Leopardstown.
The County Meath handler landed the Listed prize with Psychedelic Funk in 2019, Masen in 2021 and Power Under Me 12 months ago.
With Power Under Me declared a non-runner this time around, 8-1 shot Mutasarref was the stable’s representative and the five-year-old picked up well when the gap came to defeat Honey Girl by a neck in the hands of Colin Keane.
The front-running 7-4 favourite Cairo, making his first appearance since filling the runner-up spot behind esteemed stablemate Paddington in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in May, finished third.
“I genuinely thought I was only running him because Eleanora (Kennedy, owner) was over for a do at the weekend,” Lyons said of the winner.
“He’s been on the wane all year. Colin said he’s just a class horse and the ease in the ground helps him as he’s had injuries and it helps his old bones.
“He’s been a very lucky horse for us since we got him. I thought we were on the road to dropping him down the handicap, but that’s undone all that. You don’t mind when they win.
“They went no gallop and it fell into his hands. On his day he’s a good horse.”
Aidan O’Brien and Seamie Heffernan teamed up to land the Thomas’s Of Foxrock “Jim And Kathleen Murphy” Memorial Trigo Stakes with 9-2 chance Boogie Woogie.
The Naas maiden winner had failed to trouble the judge in her last three starts in Group-race company and made the most of having her sights lowered in this Listed event.
The daughter of Dubawi quickened up smartly to take a couple of lengths out of the field halfway up the home straight and had enough in the tank at the finish to repel Sunchart by three-quarters of a length.
Stable representative Chris Armstrong, said: “She’s a filly that has promised a lot all year but things just haven’t gone right for her at times. She’s run some good races in Group races and it’s great to get the Listed win now.
“She’s a filly with a lot of ability. Seamie said she didn’t handle the ground but her class got her through.
“There might be a Group Three or something left for her, but we’ll see how we go.”
Sussex-based handler David Menuisier enjoyed a happy homecoming as Sunway upset highly-regarded French juvenile Alcantor in the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.
Oisin Murphy made good use of Sunway throughout the mile contest and forged ahead of Aidan O’Brien’s front-runner Navy Seal two furlongs out.
Andre Fabre’s odds-on favourite Alcantor and Mickael Barzalona threw down a strong challenge in the latter stages, but Murphy had left a bit up his sleeve and the 43-10 chance galloped on strongly up the favoured stands side.
French-born Menuisier, who began his career as assistant to Criquette Head-Maarek in Chantilly, tasted success at the top level with Wonderful Tonight at ParisLongchamp and on British Champions Day at Ascot three years ago and was delighted to enjoy another big win.
“Everything went according to plan,” said the trainer. “We wanted him to be up there in second or third, Oisin was able to give him a breather turning for home and then when he asked him to go, he really kicked on.”
Sunway impressed when making a winning debut at Sandown and bounced back from a below-par effort in a hot race at Ascot to split Iberian and subsequent Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere scorer Rosallion in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.
“He’s a very good horse, he ran well in the Champagne and Oisin really struggled to pull him up after the line that day, so we knew he would stay on well.
“It’s fantastic to have another Group One win and I’m also grateful and so happy for his breeder Guy Pariente, who has supported us and given us a real boost.
“One thing at a time, so we’ll enjoy this victory, but we can now go into the winter dreaming about what might happen next season.”
The son of Galiway, who is co-owned by Pariente, Thomas Lines and Qatar Racing, was cut to as short as 14-1 from 40-1 with Paddy Power for next year’s Qipco 2000 Guineas and introduced into their Derby betting at 33-1.
Winning jockey Murphy told Sky Sports Racing: “He was very relaxed and he’s trained really well into this.
“He won on debut at Sandown, disappointed at Ascot, I don’t know what went wrong, nothing came to light, then he freshened up and ran very well at Doncaster over a trip short of his best.
“Today, he was perfect. I was quietly confident and it’s great because Guy Pariente bred him, he owned the mare and the stallion, Sheikh Fahad and Qatar Racing bought into the horse and Thomas Lines is also involved.
“And it’s also great for David Menuisier, who thought he was very good from early on and today he was brilliant.
“I had a high opinion of him and obviously recommended him plenty and was glad he was able to do that. They have to have the mind to do that and he most certainly does.
“He has a bright future. The rail helped but I’ve no doubt I was on the best horse and the runner-up is a good horse as well.
“He’ll stay further, he’s a brother of (Champion Stakes winner) Sealiway, whose distance was probably 10 furlongs, and I’ve no doubt this fellow will go a furlong or two more.”
Yohan Blake, the 2011 World 100m champion, has insisted that he has a lot left in the tank as he begins his preparation to earn a spot on Jamaica’s team to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris next year.
Blake, who turns 34 in December, missed out on a chance to make his country’s team to the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August, but insists he will not be deterred by this most recent setback as he looks forward to suiting up in national colours for his fourth Olympic Games.
“Not everybody can say they have been to four Olympics. I've gone three already and I'm looking forward to this one being my fourth to be honest, I know I have a lot left with me and I know I can spring some surprises. I am just really focusing on just getting this year to start off on a good level,” the 2012 double Olympic silver medallist told Sportsmax.TV on Friday following the launch of his Reviere Purified Water at the AC Hotel in Kingston.
The 2023 season was a challenging one for Blake, who boasts lifetime bests of 9.69 and 19.26 over the 100m and 200m, respectively.
During the season, he failed to break 10 seconds despite coming closest in Poland on July 16 when he ran a time of 10.01. However, he expressed contentment with what has transpired knowing he has a lot to work on for the coming season.
"I've been consistent, running 10-zeros. I never got the 9s, but I am okay with it," Blake reflected. “I've been doing some revision on the last races, the guys have been pulling away from me from the last 40 metres, so I'm doing some work on that.”
That work is being done in a new environment following the break-up of Titans International that sees Blake, Akeem Blake and Briana Williams as well as Frater walking away from the training group that was led by Coach Gregory Little.
With Frater now being totally in charge of his training, Blake expressed confidence that he will make the necessary steps forward in the coming season.
“Michael Frater is an athlete and he's our coach and he really understands me as well. And, you know, I have young Akeem Blake and Briana (Williams) in the camp as well. So we're looking to push each other and now some younger ones as well. We’re looking to push each other and as I said this is my last Olympics,” Blake said.
Frater has made adjustments to Blake’s programme aimed at keeping him sharp and explosive. "He wants to keep me sharp, and he wants me, when I touch the track, to be ready, and be a bit more explosive.”
Blake was once among the most explosive athletes on earth. After defeating Bolt in both the 100m and 200m at the Jamaica national championships in 2012, Blake ran times of 9.75 and 19.44 at the London 2012 Games to win two silver medals to go along with the gold medal in the 4x100m relay in which Jamaica established a world record of 36.84.
He was seemingly poised to challenge Bolt’s world records of 9.58 and 19.19 when a series of injuries derailed him. The worst of those injuries occurred on a cold evening at the Glasgow Grand Prix in July 2014.
“I remember that race clearly in Glasgow when my muscle was frozen. It was really cool and it popped. When I went to the doctor, the doctor said I suffered from muscle spasms,” he said in reflection, adding that some of his injuries were his own doing.
“You know, one of my biggest letdowns in life is I think I worked too hard and I pushed myself too much. I don't know when it’s time to rest and my body is really upset with me sometimes because I do not know when to rest but don't regret any of what happened. It has made me strong as well and I'm here, I'm still running fast,” he said.
“I can get an injury and do surgery and I'm here still running with aluminium in my leg. I'm trying.”
Connections will take a watching brief before deciding whether King Of Steel will bid to follow up his Qipco Champion Stakes success with Breeders’ Cup glory.
The Roger Varian-trained three-year-old, owned by Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing, is among the leading fancies for the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on November 4, but must first show he has recovered well enough from his Ascot exertions.
“I think we need to take stock and see how the horse is – I know that’s the obvious thing to say,” said Varian.
“He appears to have come out of the race physically in good shape, but he would have had a hard race yesterday and we can’t ignore that. We just have to see how he is over the next week.
“I know Kia is very keen on the Breeders’ Cup anyway, in general, and if he could get a good horse there, then of course he’d want to be there.
“But in fairness to Kia, he’s been very good all year and he’s always said to me only run the horse when you’re 100 per cent happy, and if you’re not, we don’t go.
“I’m sure that will be the same regarding California in a couple of weeks’ time. We need to give it a few days to see what messages the horse is giving us, so I’m not going to take it off the table and we’ll just see how he is.”
One thing Varian will have no fears about after the thrilling Champions Stakes success under Frankie Dettori is King Of Steel’s ability to handle to Breeders’ Cup razzamatazz.
Speaking on Racing TV’s Luck on Sunday programme, Varian said: “He’s really a delight to train, not just because he’s very good but because he’s got a great temperament – and I thought that was on show yesterday.
“There was a lot of buzz and noise as the horse left the paddock and he had to keep himself together.
“And after the race, with all that was going on, he was really just behaving like a very good horse with a very calm personality.
“He’s like that; when he gets to the races, he doesn’t waste any excess energy, no nervous energy escapes from him and he’s really the ultimate professional as a racehorse.”
Varian was also full of praise for Dettori, who produced another memorable ride on his farewell to British racing.
“I actually haven’t had a proper debrief with Frankie yet; I had a few hugs but not a debrief,” added Varian.
“I thought we were in trouble for the first half of the race, nothing was really making up ground or coming off the pace.
“Of course, we left everything to Frankie, but I don’t think he thought he’d be last going into Swinley Bottom.
“He gave him a beautiful ride, kept him balanced, gave him a chance to find his feet and he came home very strong where it mattered.”
Irish raiders filled the first three places in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, but not in the order the betting market predicted as Aidan O’Brien’s Los Angeles kept on best.
Christophe Soumillon’s mount benefitted from coming up the stands side rail to see off the Joseph O’Brien-trained Islandsinthestream and claim Group One glory over 10 furlongs at odds of 67-10.
The winner’s stablemate Illinois was a close-up third under Ryan Moore after being sent off the 19-10 joint-favourite alongside Islandsinthestream.
“He’s a very big horse and you would imagine he’s going to be a better horse next year,” said O’Brien of the Camelot colt on Sky Sports Racing.
“We felt the experience would do him good here and Christophe said he picked up very well.
“He said he wasn’t changing his legs throughout the race, so that’s why he was a little bit worried, so obviously he’s very babyish. But he said when he did get him to change his legs, he really picked up for him.
“I’d say Joseph’s horse is a good colt and Ryan’s horse has run a stormer as well, so they are obviously good colts.
“I asked Christophe how good could he be and he said he could be a Classic horse, so it’s something to look forward to.
“He said he could get a mile and a half, so that’s good. He’d only had one run before this, so it’s all very promising and good experience.”
Los Angeles was cut from 33-1 to 20-1 for next year’s Derby by Coral and is the same price with Paddy Power for Epsom glory.
“With Ryan Moore opting to ride Illinois, Los Angeles was perhaps not the Ballydoyle winner the market expected to see make the Group One breakthrough, but his neck success was enough to see his Derby odds tumble,” said Coral’s David Stevens.
Village Voice showed plenty of spirit when rallying late on to edge out Manisha in the Group Three Prix De Flore for Jessica Harrington.
The three-year-old was headed at the furlong pole but Cristian Demuro conjured up a renewed effort from his mount, with the stands rail again proving an assistance.
“It was important (having the rail) because the ground is very heavy,” said the jockey of the 13-10 favourite.
“I was supposed to stay behind the lead but the pace was very slow, so I went forward with her. The horse next to me put me under a bit of pressure but she’s a good filly and did it easily. It’s a pleasure to ride this kind of filly.”
Mostahdaf looks set to round off his career in the Breeders’ Cup Turf next month, after connections opted to sidestep Saturday’s Qipco Champion Stakes due to unsuitable ground.
Having proved his top-level capabilities by winning the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Juddmonte International at York, John and Thady Gosden’s five-year-old was well fancied to complete his Group One hat-trick on Champions Day – but his team had warned his participation was ground dependent.
And while Gosden and owners Shadwell initially gave the go-ahead after walking the track before racing, the attritional nature of the curtain-raising Long Distance Cup prompted a rethink.
“John and I walked the track, as everyone knows, and I thought it walked surprisingly well considering the rain they’ve had. I thought it walked good to soft and a bit softer down in Swinley Bottom,” said Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold.
“At that stage we were both thinking it was going to be OK to run on, albeit it wasn’t going to be in his favour, and then after the first race the first two jockeys I spoke to were the reigning champion jockey (William Buick), who described it as horrible and heavy, and Rab Havlin, who was third, said it was heavy.
“John and I had another look at it and spoke to Sheikha Hissa and said, ‘look, it’s your decision, but the ground isn’t going to be in his favour’, and John just felt it wasn’t fair on the horse ending his career in ground we know he doesn’t like – he couldn’t hobble on it in the Arc last year.
“With the option of the Breeders’ Cup still to come, there didn’t seem any point in bowing out on a low note when we can go to California with a chance of running him on fast ground in a couple of weeks’ time if he’s still well.”
Mostahdaf will be returning to a mile and a half for the first time since finishing fourth to Japanese ace Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic in March if he does contest the Breeders’ Cup Turf – but Gold does not see the extra distance being a major issue.
He added: “His best form here recently has been over a mile and a quarter, but over an American mile and a half, going down that hill for the first four furlongs or whatever it is, I think he’ll stay it. Whether he’ll win over it I can’t tell you, but I don’t think it will be that (stamina) that beats him.
“He’s a five-year-old now who has done brilliantly this year and I think if he does go to America that will be his last run.”
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