Two appeals concerning the finish of the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh have both been dismissed by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.
The Group One contest produced a messy conclusion as the George Boughey-trained winner Via Sistina drifted across the track in the final furlong, impeding the placed horses in winning by two lengths under Jamie Spencer.
Ben and Sir Martyn Arbib, who own Hughie Morrison’s second-placed Stay Alert, appealed against the raceday stewards’ decision not to revise the placings, but the IHRB dismissed that claim.
Spencer was given a six-day ban for his ride, with the jockey asking the IHRB appeals panel to reconsider the severity of the suspension.
However, that was also dismissed with Spencer ruled out on July 15, 17-20 and 22.
The suspension means he misses the ride aboard Khaadem in Saturday’s July Cup, with Rob Hornby booked to ride the 80-1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner at Newmarket instead.
The opening race on Wolverhampton’s Tuesday card was voided after Dane O’Neill took a fall from Eagle Eyed Tom.
The gelding, who is trained by Charlie Hills, seemed to stumble and clip heels when leaving the stalls for the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap and unseated O’Neill in the first few moments of the contest.
The race was stopped abruptly before it could be completed and O’Neill was attended to on the track before reportedly being taken off on a stretcher.
Milton Harris is hatching an audacious plan to get Scriptwriter rated highly enough for a tilt at the Melbourne Cup.
The two-mile ‘race that stops a nation’, which will be run at Flemington on November 7, is the richest handicap run anywhere in the world and was worth over £2.5million to connections of Gold Trip, who won it last year.
There there is always fierce competition for a place in the line-up which has a maximum of 24 runners.
But Warminster handler Harris is hopeful the former Aidan O’Brien-trained gelding will show his ability throughout the summer on the Flat, starting with Saturday’s Group Three John Smith’s Silver Cup Stakes at York.
“He’s a Group horse, we’ve always thought that,” said Harris. “I’m going to tempt fate. He’s going to run on Saturday at York, I think. The main target has always been the Ebor at York.”
The Ebor victor will be given an automatic entry for the Melbourne Cup, with the York contest the only international win-and-you-are-in race.
Scriptwriter proved himself among the top young hurdlers last season, winning the Grade Two Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham in November.
He also landed a decent all-weather handicap on the Flat at Wolverhampton before being touched off in the Finesse Hurdle back at Cheltenham.
Scriptwriter was seventh to runaway winner Vauban in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot on his return to action last month and while his official Flat rating is 103, he will need to improve if he is to have a chance of going to Australia.
Harris added: “I thought he ran well at Ascot from a bad draw, but just couldn’t win.
“So we are going to York on Saturday and then hopefully the Ebor. If those two races go well, we might have a go at the Melbourne Cup – if you don’t dream, you’ll never have one come to fruition, will you?”
Royal Ascot scorer Porta Fortuna could be tasked with taking on the colts following her impressive triumph at the summer showpiece last month.
The daughter of Caravaggio provided Frankie Dettori with his 80th winner at the Royal meeting when storming to Albany Stakes success and the form of that victory was given an immediate boost when the runner-up Matrika won the Group Two Airlie Stud Stakes only eight days later.
Having now struck twice at Group Three level in her three appearances to date, trainer Donnacha O’Brien is keen to keep his unbeaten filly at six furlongs for the time being and she could get the chance to showcase her talent in Group One company if lining up in the Curragh’s Keeneland Phoenix Stakes on August 12.
O’Brien said: “She’s very good and has come out of the race well. We gave her an easy week after the race to freshen her up and she’s back in full work now and everything is going well.
“She’s very straightforward and I suppose she’s a dream filly to ride as she has plenty of pace, travels well, has a turn of foot and also keeps going at the end as well. She’s just a very smart filly.
“We’re thinking of going for the Phoenix at the minute, the Group One at the Curragh. We’ll have to take on colts, but we’d like to give her another run at six. We’ll put her in the Lowther (York, August 24) as well as a back-up, that’s about a week or two afterwards.”
Connections then hope all roads will lead to the Breeders’ Cup, where Porta Fortuna’s American owners will have the opportunity to cheer on their filly in their own backyard.
“I suppose later on in the year the targets will be races like the Cheveley Park (Newmarket, September 30) and the Breeders’ Cup,” added O’Brien.
“We’ve got a few more runs to go before we get there so I’m sure we’ll learn a bit more about her by the time, but the obvious one would be the Juvenile Fillies’ Turf (Santa Anita, November 3) unless for some reason we thought we would go back in trip to the (Juvenile Turf) Sprint.
“The Breeders’ Cup was always the main aim for her at the end of the year, but she’s got a few races to go first and we’ll take each one at a time.”
Porta Fortuna is not the only filly at O’Brien’s Tipperary base with the potential to become a high-ranking two-year-old and the handler also has lofty ambitions for the Niarchos family-owned Mysteries who opened her account in good style at Cork.
“She’s a lovely filly and one we’ve always thought plenty of,” continued the Group One-winning trainer.
“The plan at the minute is to go for the Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown (July 27) and then for a seven-furlong filly there’s a very obvious programme, so it will be there, the Debutante (August 19) and the Moyglare (September 10), all being well.”
Meanwhile, one-time Derby hope Alder is on the comeback trail from the setback which ruled him out of Classic action and could return at Dundalk in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Diamond Stakes on September 29 before getting his passport stamped at the back-end of the year.
“He’s good and we gave him a bit of a break but he’s back in work now,” said O’Brien.
“I’m provisionally aiming him at a Listed race in Dundalk in September and then all being well, we could potentially go travelling with him after that.”
Oaks winner Soul Sister has been supplemented for Friday’s Grand Prix de Paris by John and Thady Gosden, with Kieran Shoemark deputising for the suspended Frankie Dettori.
Shoemark partnered the Lady Bamford-owned filly in a recent piece of work on Newmarket’s July course, although Dettori has ridden the daughter of Frankel in all three of her starts this season, with Robert Havlin in the saddle when she won her sole outing as a juvenile.
She gave Dettori a seventh Oaks and his 23rd British Classic success when beating Savethelastdance by a length and three-quarters at Epsom.
However, with the 52-year-old Italian having picked up a whip ban at Royal Ascot, Shoemark comes in for the ride on the filly, who is the sole British-trained runner in a field of eight for the Group One prize at ParisLongchamp.
Soul Sister bounced back from defeat on soft ground in the Fred Darling on her three-year-old debut at Newbury to land the Group Three Musidora at York.
She is the only Group One winner in the line-up, with connections happy to pay the €15,000 supplementary fee.
Thady Gosden said: “Obviously it is the last mile-and-a-half three-year-old race in Europe and unlike the Irish Oaks, it gives you time to come back for the Nassau at Goodwood.
“The Irish Oaks is a little too close to Goodwood if you wanted to take in both races, and we are looking forward to running her at Longchamp.
“Kieran partnered her on the Rowley Mile last week and was happy with her and she has done some routine work subsequently.”
Adelaide River and Peking Opera, respectively runner-up and fourth to Aidan O’Brien stablemate Auguste Rodin in the Irish Derby, remain in contention, while Andre Fabre, who has won the Grand Prix de Paris a record 13 times, relies on First Minister, who landed the Group Three Prix Hocquart at the same track last time.
Ackera Nugent, the NCAA 100m hurdles champion, has made a significant decision in her athletic career. Despite still pursuing her degree, Nugent has chosen to go professional and embark on a new chapter in her journey as a track and field athlete.
Balancing her athletic aspirations with her commitment to education, Nugent remains determined to excel both on the track and in the classroom.
"I'm staying in school because I feel like getting my degree is very important. But I felt like me going back to college was not needed anymore because I've accomplished everything that I wanted to accomplish," Nugent said after confirming her four-year deal with the German sports apparel manufacturer.
"So the decision between me and my coaches was to take the next step to fulfill my purpose in sports. So we made the decision of going professional."
While completing her degree in Advanced Communication, Nugent will also dedicate herself to professional athletics. She recognizes the significance of continuing her education while pursuing her dreams on the track.
Nugent's decision to go professional signifies a new and exciting phase in her career. Guided by her trusted coach, Chris Johnson, Nugent has honed her skills and experienced remarkable growth as an athlete. Johnson's expertise and support have been instrumental in Nugent's development, allowing her to reach new heights in her discipline.
"I have had a huge growth, not only as an athlete but also as a person, and I think that played a major factor in making the transition from Baylor University to Arkansas, where Coach (Chris) Johnson has a lot of experience in getting athletes to where they need to go and knowing how to fix the little things," Nugent shared.
Her journey under Coach Johnson's guidance has been fulfilling, despite the challenges that come with pushing one's limits.
Following the collegiate indoor season, Coach Johnson revealed that Nugent also possesses great potential as a 100m sprinter but as she embraces the professional realm, she maintains a clear focus on the 100m hurdles.
While her versatility allows her to excel in other events, Nugent and Coach Johnson agree that channeling her energy into the hurdles will yield the best results.
“Coach Johnson wants me to trust my speed between the hurdles and I haven’t really reached my maximum potential with that yet,” explaining that running the flat race helps her with her speed.
“He’s trying to make me get comfortable with my flat speed and stuff like that. And, he’s like when you finally hit 10 (seconds) you’ll understand what it feels like to be faster between the hurdles, but it’s a learning experience. I am going into the professional world and I am a rookie.”
The 21-year-old made her first Jamaican senior team to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August after finishing second in a time of 12.67 behind Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper, who crossed the finish line in 12.64.
Danielle Williams, the 2015 World Champion qualified for her sixth World Championships appearance when she finished third in 12.82.
Dominant goal shooter, Jhaniele Fowler, was named as the West Coast Fever’s Stacey Marinkovich Medal recipient for the fifth time after another dominant season in the Suncorp Super Netball League.
The medal, named after former Australian player Stacey Marinkovich, is awarded to the team’s Most Valuable Player for the season.
Fowler, who has also been named MVP of the league for the last five seasons, led the league in net points with 1516.5 and goals with 872, respectively.
Her 872 goals put her more than 200 goals clear of anybody else, with Donnell Wallam of the Queensland Firebirds coming closest with 669.
Fowler was also selected as the Fever’s Players’ Player of the Year.
Coach Travis Geopfert of the University of Arkansas had every reason to be elated as his star jumpers, Wayne Pinnock and Carey McLeod, delivered outstanding performances at Jamaica's national championships on Saturday. Pinnock secured a remarkable victory with a leap of 8.32m, while McLeod claimed the third spot on the podium with a commendable mark of 8.20m. Both athletes showcased their exceptional talent and skills before their home crowd.
In a post-competition interview, Coach Geopfert expressed his satisfaction with the overall performance of his athletes. He acknowledged the challenging conditions caused by swirling winds but commended McLeod's ability to adapt and make adjustments to his approach, resulting in a solid jump.
"I was happy the way Carey worked on the transition of his approach and got a decent jump in at the end because it was a little all over the place," Geopfert shared.
"Turning his attention to Pinnock, Coach Geopfert couldn't contain his pride and admiration for the athlete's consistent excellence.
"I've been coaching for a long time, and I've never seen a 27-foot jump (8.23m) into a minus-two wind. I'm telling you, he's a special kid and really coachable," Geopfert remarked, highlighting Pinnock's exceptional abilities.
As both Pinnock and McLeod continue to impress with their performances, Coach Geopfert emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between training and competition as they approach the World Championships in Budapest in August.
"If there's a good opportunity (to compete) half-way in between, we'll do something, you know? If there's not, I'm not going to force it. We'll try to mimic stuff in practice. I think we do a really good job of that," Geopfert explained.
Looking beyond the national championships, Coach Geopfert shared his aspirations for Pinnock and McLeod as they prepare for the upcoming World Championships. He emphasized that their participation in the national championships was merely a stepping stone towards their ultimate goal of winning medals on the global stage.
White Birch is set for a mid-season break following his below-par showing in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.
Trained by John Murphy, the colt had acquitted himself with real credit in the first half of the season, following up a win on reappearance in the Ballysax Stakes with podium finishes in both the Dante and then the Derby at Epsom.
He was sent off 6-1 at the Curragh but was ultimately way below his best as he trailed home in a well-held eighth of nine and connections are keen to put a line through the performance as they now freshen their charge up ahead of a return in the autumn.
“He’s come home perfectly sound and all is well,” said George Murphy, assistant trainer to his father.
“He just ran a little bit flat and ran in to a fair bit of trouble, so he is going to get a little break now and aim for a couple of targets at the back-end of the year.
“He’s had a tough early season so he’s more than entitled to a rest now.”
It is still to be decided what those targets may be, but Murphy admitted another crack at Classic honours in the St Leger is a possibility with the colt as short as 10-1 for a trip to Doncaster on September 16.
He also suggested that although a drop in class could come into the reckoning, he believes the son of Ulysses has earned the right to continue campaigning at the highest level.
“Potentially it is one of the races we are looking at,” continued Murphy, when asked if the Town Moor Classic could be on the agenda.
“We’re just discussing with the owners at the moment and haven’t made any final plans yet.
“It’s unfair to say he is not up to it (running in Group One company) after one run, although we’ll keep lesser races in mind also. But I think he is more than entitled to compete at that level.”
In a jaw-dropping turn of events last Friday night at the National Senior and Junior Championships held at Jamaica's National Stadium, Rohan Watson, a rising star from MVP Track Club, emerged as the surprise victor in the highly anticipated men's 100m race.
Watson, a relative unknown in the sprinting world, delivered an exceptional performance, crossing the finish line with a new personal best time of 9.91 seconds.
The shocking upset saw Watson triumph over Ryiem Forde, who secured second place with a personal best time of 9.96 seconds, and the renowned Oblique Seville, a fourth-place finisher at last year's World Athletics Championships, who finished in third place with a time of 10.00 seconds.
The unexpected triumph of Watson sent shockwaves through the athletics community, capturing the attention of fans and experts alike. However, the discovery of this "diamond in the rough" was no accident. Coach Stephen Francis, renowned for his ability to identify and nurture talent, was instrumental in Watson's development and guided him to this remarkable victory.
While speaking exclusively to Sportsmax.TV about Watson's journey, Francis revealed the challenges they faced in finding promising sprinters who were willing to join MVP Track Club.
"None of the so-called brand name sprinters in high school wanted to come to us," Francis explained candidly.
“They said the training is too hard, if your girl up there we can’t do what we want, we can’t buy big cars, we can’t go out at night. They shy away from us.”
Faced with those challenges, Francis said he instructed his team to find him a sprinter who could run 10.5 or 10.4.
“We’ll work with them because a lot of people who have done well with us that’s what times they run. We don’t get people who run 10.1, 10.2 or 10.3.”
It was during a race at Jamaica College (JC) last year that Francis first spotted Watson, who demonstrated promising speed and determination.
Watson, who had completed his high school education at York Castle, displayed enthusiasm when approached by Francis and eagerly joined the MVP Track Club. Despite initially appearing smaller in stature than his counterparts, Watson's dedication and positive attitude set him apart.
“He was very interested and he came but even when I saw him in September for the first time on the training field I thought he was very small. We have had very good success with small sprinters but he looked small.”
However, Francis emphasized the importance of attitude and commitment over raw talent. "It is all about what you do, how you learn, and your willingness to sacrifice," he explained.
Watson exemplified these qualities, showcasing steady progress throughout the year. Observing his discipline and dedication, Francis became increasingly confident in Watson's abilities, foreseeing the potential for a sub-10-second performance.
Watson's victory at the national championships affirmed Francis' belief in his athlete's capabilities. As they approach the World Championships in Budapest, scheduled for August, Francis envisions Watson as a genuine medal contender.
The coach noted that the track conditions during the national championships were not particularly fast, indicating that Watson's time could improve further in more favorable circumstances.
Assessing the global sprinting landscape, Francis acknowledged that the field is wide open, with a few key contenders such as British champion, Zharnel Hughes and potentially Fred Kerley, the reigning world champion. However, he expressed confidence in Watson's prospects, given his impressive performance in a championship setting and his ability to maintain his form over multiple rounds.
“I don’t know what Fred Kerley is looking like and Zharnel is looking looks very, very good but apart (from those two), I think he has as good a shot as everybody else.”
Little Big Bear’s participation in Saturday’s Pertemps Network July Cup is rated as only “50-50″ by Aidan O’Brien.
Runner-up to Shaquille in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, the pair had been set to cross swords once more on the July course this weekend.
However, the rematch may have to wait due to a stone bruise to last year’s leading juvenile.
“Little Big Bear is not definite to run as he had a foot bruise last week and he missed six days without doing any cantering,” said O’Brien.
“We might do something in the morning with him to see how he is and whether we decide to run him or not.
“If he does run, we won’t know until he has run how that has affected him. He is not guaranteed to run and we will decide in the next couple of days.
“I’d say it is 50-50 regarding his chances of running.”
Should Little Big Bear not run then Meditate, a winner at the Breeders’ Cup, could have her impending retirement delayed, despite only running in the Prix Jean Prat on Sunday.
“We have to decide whether we are going to retire Meditate or not. It is very possible that she could retire,” he said.
“France at the weekend was a bit of a mess. We thought Andrew’s (Balding) horse (Chaldean) would make the running, but he didn’t and the pace was just very messy so we didn’t get a clear picture with her.
“We didn’t want to carry on too long with her as she is a very high-class filly for the paddocks.
“She is obviously in the July Cup and if Little Big Bear wasn’t going to run we would give her a chance going back over six before she goes as she is a filly that has a lot of speed and was always very comfortable going forward over six furlongs.
“It is all a little bit up in the air, but it is dependent on Little Big Bear what happens to him during the middle of the week.”
As expected, Royal Ascot winner Khaadem has been supplemented.
Charlie Hills stated last week the Newmarket race was the “obvious target” for his surprise Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer, and the £36,000 supplementary fee was paid on Monday.
Julie Camacho’s Shaquille put up a remarkable display to win the Commonwealth Cup during the same meeting having missed the break, but this time he will have to beat his elders.
Another northern raider, the Michael Dods-trained Azure Blue, is also strongly fancied on the back of her win in the Duke of York Stakes over Highfield Princess.
Kinross is in there for Ralph Beckett, but he will have to do without his usual partner Frankie Dettori, who is currently on the sidelines suspended.
Cold Case, Art Power and Run To Freedom are also among the 14 possibles.
O’Brien’s exciting City Of Troy is one of 12 in the bet365 Superlative Stakes.
The Justify colt won easily on his debut, making even the usual reticent Ryan Moore reach for the superlatives.
Charlie Appleby’s Great Truth and the Richard Hannon-trained duo of Son and Haatem are among his possible rivals.
There are 42 left in the bet365 Bunbury Cup, with Saeed bin Suroor’s Shining Blue at the top of the weights.
Natoya Goule-Toppin ran 1:58.89 to claim her ninth Jamaican 800m title on day four of the JAAA/Puma National Senior and Junior Athletics Championships at the National Stadium inn Kingston on Sunday.
The multiple-time Olympic and World Championship finalist comfortably won ahead of 1500m champion, Adelle Tracey, who ran a season’s best 2:01.11. Clemson’s Jessica McLean was third in 2:05.76.
On the men’s side, Rajay Hamilton, who entered the championships as Jamaica’s leader in the event with 1:45.91, got the better of last year’s winner and the national record holder, Navasky Anderson, with a 1:47.28 effort.
Anderson ran 1:47.67 in second while Mississippi State’s Tyrese Reid ran 1:48.45 for third.
George Boughey’s Soprano has the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes in her sights after an encouraging Royal Ascot performance.
The chestnut daughter of Starspangledbanner won on debut in a Newmarket maiden in May, beating subsequent Hilary Needler winner Midnight Affair, and was then an admirable third in the Albany Stakes.
On the latter occasion she was two lengths behind the winner, Porta Fortuna, and a length behind Aidan O’Brien’s Matrika, since successful in the Group Two Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh.
Soprano will also be making the step up from Group Three to Group Two level when she heads to the July course on Friday.
Harry Herbert, of owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, said: “She’s in great form, she runs in the Group Two at Newmarket – the Duchess of Cambridge.
“That’s very much the plan, with Ryan Moore booked to ride.
“There’s been a really good form boost and she’s a very smart filly.
“I think she will be even better over further which is exciting for the future, but she’s in good form and I think a stiff six at Newmarket will suit her.
“She ran such a blinder at Royal Ascot, William (Buick) said that had things gone a bit differently, had she broken better and been a bit nearer the pace, then she might have gone very near to winning.
“We’ll see, she deserves to take her chance and she’s very exciting.”
Sonny Liston will be attempting to land a knockout blow at York on Saturday when he lines up in the John Smith’s Cup.
Ralph Beckett’s charge was outboxed by stablemate Jimi Hendrix when second in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot but now has the chance to get the judge’s verdict as one of 33 who remain in contention for the valuable £200,000 contest.
Owned by Chelsea Thoroughbreds, the four-year-old has not had his hand raised since striking on debut when trained by Charlie Hills, but connections are banking on the gelding relishing a step up to 10 furlongs to return him to the winner’s enclosure.
“He runs off his old mark and we wanted to get him in somewhere off that mark,” said Emma Spencer, managing director of Chelsea Thoroughbreds and also racing manager for the owners.
“He’s proven over a mile and a quarter and although he didn’t stay in the Derby, he was third at Chester in the Dee Stakes and then he was third in a Group Three at Goodwood.
“So there is a case for saying that a mile and a quarter is his ideal trip and if he runs like he did the other day and he seems to be in a good place then the race could really suit him.”
Richard Fahey’s course-and-distance winner and last year’s fourth Spirit Dancer is also among the possibles for the historic 10-furlong handicap, with Simon and Ed Crisford’s Sea The Casper, William Haggas’ Amleto and Andrew Balding’s Nobel all potential improvers who head to the Knavesmire appearing unexposed and on the back of victories last time.
Also looking to go one better than at Royal Ascot is Kerdos who will line-up in the John Smith’s City Walls Stakes.
The three-year-old son of Profitable was downed late on by Rhythm N Hooves when a silver medallist in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes and trainer Clive Cox hopes he can get in the mix once again as he steps up to Listed level.
“Kerdos ran a blinder at Ascot and the Listed race at York, the City Walls Stakes, that would be our next target for him,” said the Lambourn-based handler.
“Obviously it is against older horses, but he’s a progressive three-year-old who we are really happy is going the right way.
“We know the family very well. I trained his sire Profitable and he’s out of a half-sister to Priceless who was a Group Two winner in the Temple Stakes at Haydock. They normally progress with age and this fella seems to fit that profile well.”
Kerdos is one of 17 possible runners for the five-furlong Listed event, with Edward Bethell’s Regional chief featuring in the opposition following his Achilles Stakes victory at Haydock last month.
Achilles second and third Equilateral (Charlie Hills) and Raasel (Mick Appleby) are also involved, while Fahey’s Great State was a winner of the Listed Westow Stakes over course and distance during the Dante meeting and will be bidding to provide his Malton-based handler with more success at one of his local tracks.
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