Fresh from taking the top trainer title at Goodwood, Ralph Beckett is lining up a strong squad headed by Kinross for York’s Sky Bet Ebor Festival.
Kinross landed the Lennox Stakes last week, one of three winners for the Kimpton Downs handler across the five-day fixture.
The six-year-old will now follow the same route as last year, rolling on to the Knavesmire to defend his crown in the Group Two Sky Bet City of York Stakes – with the seven-furlong contest now boasting a prize fund of £500,000 to highlight the action on August 26.
Beckett said: “It was great to get his head in front again last week and our intention is to run in the City of York. He’s already shown a liking for the place.
“He’s very versatile, having won a Champions Sprint (at Ascot) and nearly won a Breeders’ Cup Mile as well. He’s not (trip) specific, but seven furlongs is definitely his optimum.”
Beckett also has Angel Bleu, another who runs in the colours of Marc Chan, in the City of York, although the ground would need to be testing for him to run.
“He would only go if it was wet. He’s in good form, but he does need slow ground,” he added.
Bluestocking is the only Group One entry of the week for Beckett, with the filly set to contest the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks on the second day of the four-day fixture, August 24.
Winner of her only juvenile outing, the Juddmonte-owned runner has placed in each of her three starts this term, posting a career-best effort when beaten just half a length by Savethelastdance in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh last month.
Beckett said: “It was a good effort. We were thrilled with her. Our intention is to run in the Yorkshire Oaks, certainly. She came back from Ireland in good shape and we’re on course.”
While Kinross and Bluestocking are set to be Beckett’s headline acts, he is eyeing the Group Three Sky Bet and Symphony Group Strensall Stakes for Royal Hunt Cup winner Jimi Hendrix, with the richly-endowed handicaps across the fixture also grabbing his attention.
He said: “It’s always important to show off at the festivals. We had a good Goodwood, hopefully we can carry it on into York.
“Jimi Hendrix will probably run in the Strensall Stakes (August 26). We’ll have a few for the handicaps as well. We’re hoping to come with a team, for sure.”
Bucanero Fuerte will bid to cement his position as one of the season’s leading two-year-olds when he lines up in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes.
The son of Wootton Bassett announced himself back in March when a commanding winner of a Curragh maiden and having gone on to be denied by only a length when third to River Tiber in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, he showed plenty of guts and class to come out on top in the Group Two Railway Stakes most recently.
Adrian Murray’s youngster – who is one of two in the race for the trainer alongside the filly Launch – will now attempt to make his mark at Group One level as he continues his climb to the top of the juvenile pecking order.
“On the back of what he did at Ascot we went to the Railway with confidence,” explained Tom Pennington, racing and operations manager for owners Amo Racing.
“He did progress from Ascot and Adrian and the team at home were really chuffed with the way he had progressed. He was showing all the right signs and then he got the job done.
“We’ve been building ever since Ascot and this has been the target since then, with the Railway in between. He hasn’t missed a day and the team have been very happy with him and it’s exciting.”
Although Bucanero Fuerte’s camp are certain there will be more to come when he steps up to seven furlongs and beyond, this six-furlong event appears the obvious spot to test his ability at the highest level.
He has the chance to become the first horse since Siskin in 2019 to do the Railway Stakes/Phoenix Stakes double which will allow connections to begin to dream about replicating the achievements of Ger Lyons’ Irish 2,000 Guineas winner when stepping up to a mile next term.
Pennington added: “All options are open to him and he’s always been a horse who has shown plenty of ability at home. Robson (Aguiar) is an integral part of the team and he has always been high up on his list.
“We’re taking it one race at a time and he’s come through everything with flying colours so far and hopefully everything goes well on Saturday and we can build again from there.
“He won’t be overraced this year, he will definitely improve from two to three and he’s a horse with lots of size and scope and lots of potential, so we’ll be mindful to look after him.
“His brother (Wooded) was a sprinter, but I would say he needs all of six furlongs and he will get seven standing on his head. He should progress to a mile next year. He looks like a miler and he’s still got a frame to fill, so I would be confident he will get a mile next year.”
Bucanero Fuerte just edged out Unquestionable for his Railway Stakes triumph and Aidan O’Brien’s colt is back for another crack at his course-and-distance conqueror.
Unquestionable will be the mount of Ryan Moore, with His Majesty also representing Ballydoyle looking to bridge his near five-length deficit with the front two from when third in the Railway.
He has since placed in the Prix Robert Papin and will be the mount of Seamie Heffernan, while the O’Brien family also hold leading claims in the form of Donnacha O’Brien’s Royal Ascot scorer Porta Fortuna.
Oisin Murphy comes in for the spare ride on the unbeaten daughter of Caravaggio, with O’Brien confident she can hold her own against the colts.
He said: “Everything has gone well since Ascot and this has been the plan for a good while. We left her in the Lowther as a back-up in case we had any hold-ups, but everything has gone perfect.
“We have no ground concerns as she’s won on the two extremes – heavy and good to firm. It looks like it will be beautiful ground on Saturday, just on the easy side of good, so no concerns that way.”
Also making their first appearance since the Royal meeting is Jessica Harrington’s Givemethebeatboys, who created a stir when changing hands for £1.1million on the eve of Ascot’s summer showpiece and was not disgraced when a place behind Bucanero Fuerte finishing fourth in the Coventry.
“I’m delighted with him, all good,” said Harrington.
“There’s no River Tiber, but it’s still a strong race – there’s no such thing as an easy Group One, we all know that.
“Hopefully he’ll run a good race and we don’t get too much rain between now and then so we have a bit of nice ground on the day. He’s won on soft, but I’d prefer better ground as he’s a good-moving horse.
“He’s a good horse, he really is. We’ll do our best and see what happens.”
Although still a a maiden, Gaenari has finished second in three of her four career appearances and completes the line-up for Curragh-based Brazilian trainer Diego Dias.
Al Aasy bids to continue his resurgence in the Betfred Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock on Saturday.
The William Haggas-trained six-year-old has suffered a few bumps in the roaf since pushing Pyledriver close in the 2021 Coronation Cup, but there is no doubt he is a high-class performer on his day.
He won the Buckhounds Stakes at Ascot on what proved to be his only competitive appearance last season, but was tailed off on his first start of the current campaign at Newmarket.
However, dropping back to a mile and a quarter at Newbury last month, he showed his true colours with an authoritative victory and he sticks to the shorter distance on Merseyside this weekend.
“It was great to see him come back and win like that at Newbury and this is the next step,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell.
“He’s been called some names, as Jim (Crowley) alluded to after he won on him at Newbury, but he did it well that day and I see no reason why he shouldn’t run another good race.”
In the immediate aftermath of his most recent triumph Haggas suggested that maybe he had been running Al Aasy over the wrong trip, but Gold is not so sure.
He added: “I thought William was hard on himself as you can’t say that he doesn’t get a mile and a half I don’t think. He was only beaten a neck in a Coronation Cup a couple of years ago, so it would be silly to say he doesn’t stay.
“But there were people who’ve ridden the horse at home who said ‘he’s got plenty of speed this horse, try a mile and a quarter’ and that certainly didn’t stop him.
“He’s a funny old character who gets beaten as often as he wins, but he’s been a very good horse at his best, so hopefully he can continue that on Saturday.”
Charlie Appleby is looking forward to running King Of Conquest, who having struck gold in Bahrain in the winter won his first two starts back in Britain at Newmarket and Goodwood respectively.
He could finish only sixth in the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot, but Appleby hopes the application of cheekpieces might help him raise his game.
“King Of Conquest keeps progressing and has done very little wrong throughout his career. He carried a penalty at Royal Ascot but still ran a decent race,” the trainer told www.godolphin.com.
“We are applying cheek pieces to help get some more natural pace into him. It looks as though we have Al Aasy to beat but our horse certainly doesn’t look out of place at this level.”
The Sean Woods-trained Savvy Victory is out to follow up a Listed success in the Gala Stakes at Sandown, while Richard Fahey’s talented filly Midnight Mile must be respected following an impressive victory in Listed company at York.
Phantom Flight (James Horton), El Drama (Karl Burke) and American challenger Classic Causeway (Kenneth McPeek) complete the field.
The 2023 Concacaf Boys’ Under-15 Championship was back in action on Thursday with teams in League A and League B taking the field in the Quarterfinals and Play-Offs.
In the League B quarterfinals at the Stadion Rignaal Jean Francisca in Willemstad, Curacao, Martinique upended hosts Curacao 4-1, Nicaragua emerged victorious 4-2 from a penalty shootout with Antigua and Barbuda after a 1-1 draw, Saint Lucia edged Barbados 1-0, while Bermuda came away with a 4-3 penalty shootout victory against Belize after a 0-0 draw between the two sides.
The League B Play-Off matches all took place at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, where Bonaire defeated Saint Kitts and Nevis 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw, Guadeloupe got past Guyana 2-0, Suriname slipped by Grenada 3-2 and Aruba beat Cayman Islands 4-1 in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.
The League A quarterfinals all took place at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, beginning with a 4-1 triumph for Jamaica over Honduras. Also registering a victory was Mexico, 1-0 versus Puerto Rico, Haiti handled Canada 1-0 and the United States fended of Guatemala 4-1.
In the League A Play-Offs at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, El Salvador defeated Cuba 3-0, Trinidad and Tobago downed Qatar 3-0, Costa Rica marched past Dominican Republic 3-1 and Saudi Arabia squeezed past Panama 2-1.
Young football talent Damek Rennie is about to embark on a journey that could change his life forever. The 17-year-old central midfield player is set to depart Jamaica later this month to join Panamanian first division team, Club Deportivo Universitario, on a one-year deal with an option for a second year.
Damek's story began on the fields of Camperdown High School, where he showcased his talents playing Colts football, and although he hadn't played in the prestigious Manning Cup, his dedication was unwavering.
Behind the scenes, Jevaughn Hutchinson, his manager, played a pivotal role in Damek's journey. It was Hutchinson who recognized the young player's potential and took him to Panama for those crucial encounters with Club Deportivo Universitario's youth teams. "He impressed them a lot," Hutchinson explained, reflecting on Damek's impact in those games.
The journey ahead was promising. The club saw the value in Damek's attributes - his height, his passing accuracy, his dribbling finesse, and his ability to maintain possession. The plan is to integrate him with the first team, allowing him to train alongside seasoned professionals until December. By then, Damek, who turns 18 later this month, would meet the qualifications to officially represent the club.
Damek is embracing this opportunity with open arms. "We have been working hard for the opportunity, and it finally came," he exclaimed with a sense of gratitude.
Damek's familiarity with Club Deportivo Universitario wasn't limited to just news clippings. Last summer, he had faced off against their U17 and U20 teams, leaving a lasting impression with his skills on the ball. This connection had sparked interest from the club, and now, Damek finds himself on the cusp of something incredible.
As he prepares to step onto the Panamanian soil, Damek is determined to make a lasting impression. "I want to go out there and play, help them win the championship, and elevate their standing," he expressed with a burning ambition.
Adapting to the new environment, connecting with teammates, communicating effectively, and blending seamlessly into the fabric of the club, are his primary objectives.
His mind, too, was a fortress of readiness. Damek revealed that his prior experiences in Panama have prepared him mentally for this adventure. His talent had taken him to Panama three times previously, an experience that expanded his horizons both on and off the pitch.
"It was the first time leaving the country to play football overseas. I learned a lot and brought that knowledge back to Jamaica," he said.
Jamaican track and field coach Victor Thomas is to be enshrined into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2023. The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced the news Thursday about Lincoln University track & field head coach Victor Thomas, a 14-time NCAA Division II champion.
Thomas, who has guided Lincoln's women's track & field program to nine NCAA Division II Outdoor and five NCAA Division II indoor titles, has coached athletes nearly 1,000 All-American performances and has been named the National Coach of the Year five times in his 22-year career.
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has named Thomas the MIAA Coach of the Year 10 times, and he was the 2004 Heartland Conference Coach of the Year.
Under the leadership of Thomas, the Blue Tigers have won 95 individual and 41 relay national titles and have recorded 671 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region awards.
A 16-time USTFCCCA Regional Coach of the Year honoree, Thomas has led LU's women's and men's track & field programs to 11 total MIAA championships and finishes among the top three of the NCAA Division II Championships 28 times. Between the years of 2003-2007, Lincoln won an unprecedented five-straight NCAA Division II Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and, in 2020, the LU men were ranked No. 1 in the country heading into the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, which were ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19.
In addition to their tremendous success in the field of competition, Thomas' athletes have also been stellar in the classroom. Since Lincoln re-joined the MIAA in 2011, over 200 Blue Tigers have made the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, and LU athletes have been the recipient of more than 50 MIAA Scholar Athlete Awards. Nine athletes have been named Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, and 11 have earned spots on the Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-District first team. Two Blue Tigers have been named the USTFCCCA Division II Indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the Lincoln women's outdoor track & field team was selected as the USTFCCCA Scholar Team of the Year in 2017 and 2018.
Due to the tremendous success, the Blue Tigers have enjoyed under Thomas' direction, the Lincoln University Track & Field Program was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Thomas himself was enshrined in the Drake Relays Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2021, Thomas was enshrined in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
The 2023 USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Presented by REKORTAN, will be held in Denver, Colo. on Tuesday, December 12.
Luke Morris makes his first appearance in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup as he heads up the home team at Ascot on Saturday.
The 34-year-old – who took his career to new heights last year, winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Sir Mark Prescott’s Alpinista – has never before taken part in the team event, which was first run in 1999 and now includes four teams competing for points over six races.
The Great Britain and Ireland squad is made up of Morris, Tom Marquand and Declan McDonogh, and the trio will aim to defeat a European team, a Ladies team and a team representing the Rest of the World.
Morris said: “When I was asked to participate, I was hugely grateful. It looks a great, fun day with a real buzz about the place.
“The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is something that I have grown up watching.
“The prize-money is great and it is real competitive racing.”
Morris has some well-fancied mounts at the weekend, including Clive Cox’s Tis Marvellous in the Dash and Stuart Williams’ Quinault in the sprint race – the latter a horse who has won his previous six races.
“From a participant’s perspective, everyone is really behind the Shergar Cup,” said Morris, who is favourite to win the Silver Saddle award for top rider, ahead of Rest of the World captain Frankie Dettori and Saffie Osborne.
“I know lots of jockeys would like to ride in it, plus lots of owners and trainers like running horses here,”
“To be honest, there is not much to dislike. I think it is a great initiative and the fact it is still going strong after so many years proves that it does work.
“I know my teammates Declan and Tom very well. Tom is flying at the moment and Declan is a former Irish champion.
“Throughout all the teams, there is real talent on show and hopefully it will be a great day.
“Riding winners at the highest level is always the aim. I am fiercely competitive and enjoy winning. I want to ride as many winners as I can each year, in the hope that it unlocks the door to ride nice horses.”
Any rain at the Curragh would be welcomed by Ken Condon, as he prepares to saddle Moss Tucker in the Rathasker Stud Phoenix Sprint Stakes.
The Excelebration gelding has not been disgraced since downing Tenebrism at Cork at the beginning of the year and was last seen finishing third to Art Power at the track in the Sapphire Stakes last month.
A Listed winner over course and distance in testing ground last October, the five-year-old thrives when the mud flies and his handler is eager to see a drop of rain at the Kildare track to add some further ease to the ground ahead of the Group Three contest.
“He ran very well last time and although he was no match for Art Power, in the main he is very consistent and he’s been in very good form since,” said Condon.
“The forecast is unsettled and any more rain will be most welcome for him, he’s obviously at his best when it’s testing conditions. At the moment it is nice ground, but any rain will be welcome.
“I think he’s probably at his best over five furlongs on soft ground, but it is a case if he doesn’t go there, then he’s probably sat on the sidelines for a little while.
“With this unusual weather at the moment, we might be able to take advantage of it, but it is hard to know how much rain the Curragh will get. It is forecast and hopefully a bit will fall.
“It’s a nice Group Three contest and we’re hopeful of a good run.”
Adrian McGuinness’ Go Athletico was just ahead of Moss Tucker when chasing home Art Power for a silver medal in the Sapphire Stakes and is another looking to make his mark in the six-furlong contest.
Bought by owners Team Valor International and Shamrock Thoroughbreds for €165,000 in the spring, he has made a good impression since joining McGuinness and the handler is expecting a bold bid.
“We’re looking forward to a big run,” said McGuinness.
“We were very happy with him the last day and he ran into a good horse. He actually had quite an easy race because Colin (Keane, jockey) was easy on him when the other horse had gone and we were well beaten.
“I’m expecting a very big run from him and he did a lovely piece of work the other day. Ronan Whelan rides him and I think he’ll run a huge race – I’ll be disappointed if he’s beat.
“I know sprints can go either way and it can depend on split-second decisions, but he is a very exciting horse to have and I definitely do think he is going to improve a bit more.”
The sole UK raider in the contest is Michael Dods’ Commanche Falls, who was a Listed winner over the track and trip on his penultimate start before following up in the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury.
The six-year-old has only once finished outside the first three this term and the Darlington-based handler is confident his speedster is in good order ahead of his hat-trick bid.
Dods said: “Drying ground would be a help but he’s in good form, he’s won there. It’s going to be competitive but we’re hoping for a good run.
“He hated the ground at Newbury last time but still did well and it’s hard for these sort of horses because there are not a lot of races around. It was either back to Ireland or we don’t go anywhere.
“We’re under no illusions and it will be a decent race, but we hope he will run his race and run well.”
Wales & The West and Saffie Osborne lead the way in the William Hill Racing League, after a dramatic evening that saw fire engines called to Chepstow on night two of the competition.
London & The South took maximum points in the first race as Eve Johnson Houghton’s Cabinet Of Clowns (15-2) was steered by Charlie Bishop to a half-length success.
But the action then came to an abrupt halt when an electrical fault caused a fire in a kitchen at the track, with some water also coming through the ceiling in the weighing-room area resulting in the complex having to be evacuated.
A number of fire engines arrived at the scene and the track was eventually deemed safe, creating a near 40-minute delay to the contest scheduled for 6.00pm.
“There’s been an electrical fault upstairs in the weighing-room complex and it’s turned off all the power in the weighing room,” clerk of the course Libby O’Flaherty told Sky Sports Racing during the delay.
“We’re waiting for the fire engine to get here so we can deem it safe to carry on.
“It’s (the water) just by the door when you go in (to the weighing room), the water came through and that’s all been cleaned up.
“We’re just waiting for the fire brigade to tell us everything is fine.”
The delayed race was won by Rod Millman’s Chinese Knot, the 7-4 favourite being steered to victory by last year’s leading rider as Osborne bagged the first leg of a double.
The same jockey then crossed line first in the next, with Executive Decision (5-2 favourite) prevailing after a photo finish to get even more points on the board for the Wales & The West outfit.
Scotland were triumphant in the fourth contest on the card when Totnes (4-1) struck for Paul Mulrennan and Andrew Balding, with Ireland enjoying their first success of the series when Star Harbour (12-1) was a winner for Adrian McGuinness and Dylan Browne McMonagle.
In both of those races Wales & The West had placed runners and when Tim Easterby’s Manila Scouse took the penultimate race as the 8-11 favourite for David Allan and Yorkshire, the third- and fourth-placed horses gained even more points for the leaders.
The final event went the way of the North, with the 9-2 favourite Ramazan winning for Richard Fahey and Oisin Orr in a race worth £100,000.
The evening left Wales & The West with a significant advantage in front on 319 points, whereas Ireland sit in second with 242 and London & The South third on 231.
Osborne is the leading riding so far as she sits at the top of the jockey leader board on 161 points.
Jamie Osborne, trainer of Executive Decision and father of Saffie, said: “We’ve got a good spread of horses, we don’t have the biggest trainers in the world but I think in a way that’s a help.
“Some of the bigger trainers have other fish to fry, this kind of prize-money is very important to our owners.
“We’re well positioned, but we’re not yet a third of the way through the competition so we’re not home and hosed yet. But I’d say it will take a good one to beat Saff!”
The year 2023 has been a historic one for football in Jamaica.
In fact, President of the Jamaica Football Federation, Michael Ricketts, described it as the greatest year in Jamaica’s football history at a press conference held at the JFF headquarters on Thursday.
“We are delighted to be here this morning basking in the glory of a number of the achievements of a number of our national units,” Ricketts said.
“I would say without apology that, so far, this must go down in history as the most successful year ever in the history of football in this country,” he added.
The biggest of those achievements is, undoubtedly, the recent exploits of the Reggae Girlz who became the first Caribbean team to ever advance to the Round of 16 at a FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Four years after their maiden World Cup appearance, the Girlz progressed from Group F including powerhouses France and Brazil, securing draws with both along with a 1-0 win over Panama to finish with five points and progress to the Round of 16 where they suffered a 0-1 loss to Colombia on Tuesday.
“The girls really, really made us proud. I want to reiterate the fact that these girls have impacted the whole world,” Ricketts said.
“Sometimes we don’t understand the magnitude of the achievement until we meet people overseas and they are so amazed that Jamaica, with less than three million people and hardly any world class facilities, can not just qualify for the World Cup, but also be competitive. I know their performance would’ve provided a catalyst for young girls and boys in Jamaica to want to play the sport,” Ricketts added.
On the men’s side, the Reggae Boyz got to the semi-finals of the Concacaf Gold Cup for the first time since 2019 and, in the process, got their biggest win ever in the tournament with a 5-0 group stage win over St. Kitts & Nevis.
The Gold Cup also saw the Reggae Boyz defeat Guatemala for the first time in 11 years and Trinidad & Tobago for the first time in seven years. Individually, Demarai Gray was named to the team of the tournament.
Some other achievements for Jamaican teams included the Under-20 Reggae Girlz defeating a Central American team at the Concacaf U-20 Championships since 2020 with a 4-1 win over Panama.
The Under-15 Reggae Boyz are currently in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf U-15 Championship for the first time. They will take on Honduras on Thursday.
Jamaica also produced the youngest scorer in the history of the CAC Games when 18-year-old Shaniel Buckley scored in a 1-1 draw with Puerto Rico.
Hukum appears increasingly likely to head straight for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe following his heroic success in last month’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The six-year-old edged out Westover in an epic renewal of Ascot’s midsummer showpiece, his second win at Group One level having landed last year’s Coronation Cup at Epsom before suffering an injury.
Having proved his ability remains very much intact, connections are happy to keep their powder dry for Europe’s premier middle-distance contest on October 1.
“Touch wood he’s in good shape and he seemed to come out of it well,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell.
“I haven’t spoken to Owen (Burrows, trainer) particularly about it, but from what I saw quoted I think he’s happy to go straight to the Arc unless something else presented itself.
“He’s a dual Group One winner, so we don’t have to run him just for the sake of it, and I think if we got him to Longchamp in good shape, he’d have a decent chance.
“That’s our job now, to get him there in the best possible shape.”
The Shadwell team enjoyed further Group One success at Goodwood last week, with the Roger Varian-trained Al Husn springing a minor upset in the Nassau Stakes.
She holds entries in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville and the Yorkshire Oaks at York before the end of this month, while a trip to the Breeders’ Cup could be on her agenda later in the year.
Gold added: “She’s in the Romanet and she’s in the Yorkshire Oaks. I was just speaking to Roger this morning and if we want to go further he’s always said he’d love to end up in America with her, possibly with the Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp as a race before then.
“We’re in the lucky position now where we’re not trying to make a Group One winner, she has achieved that, so we can just wait and see.
“She must have had a relatively hard race last week, although she’s a tough as nails, and now she’s a Group One winner we want to do the right thing by her.
“The options are the Romanet and the Yorkshire Oaks, or neither and just concentrate on the Opera and then maybe go to America.
“I was speaking to Roger this morning and we said Sheikha Hissa might be able to come to York and she might like to see her run. There’s lots of things to work out, so we’ll have a good think about it early next week and see what everyone thinks is the right course of action.”
Deepone will put his unbeaten record on the line when he lines up in the Coolmore Stud Churchill Stakes at Tipperary on Friday.
Paddy Twomey’s youngster has created a deep impression in his two outings so far, excelling at Leopardstown on debut, before further enhancing his reputation with a comfortable success over a mile at Killarney.
The son of Study Of Man will now make his first foray into Pattern company with his handler unable to fault what he has seen from the colt in his short career so far.
“He’s a nice horse and he’s answered every question we’ve asked of him to date,” said Twomey.
“Tomorrow is the next step of his education and hopefully he can continue in the same sort of form.
“He’s been an uncomplicated horse and everything we have asked he has done it. We think he will make a nice three-year-old and we’re just taking the steps and educating him at the minute.”
The O’Brien family is well represented in the Listed contest and Donnacha O’Brien’s Bremen is another to impress when winning over a mile at Killarney, while Joseph O’Brien will rely on Warnie who looked equally as talented when breaking his maiden at Bellewstown.
The Highland Reel colt was beaten only three lengths when making his debut in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Owning Hill handler believes his charge is more than capable of playing a part in this company.
He said: “He won nicely at Bellewstown and the race has worked out well. We think he is a smart enough colt and he can be competitive in this grade.
“The owners are Australian-based so it was nice they could be there to watch him make his debut at Ascot which was lovely and he came back and won well next time.”
Aidan O’Brien has a good record in this event and has won it with the likes of St Leger hero Capri in the past.
This time he saddles both Leopardstown scorer Brilliant and Democracy, while Dermot Weld’s Captain Maverick was behind Warnie at Bellewstown on debut before getting off the mark at Galway and is an interesting contender for the Rosewell House handler.
Adrian Murray’s Courageous Strike completes the select group of seven that will head to post.
Purosangue will head to York following his near miss in the Molecomb Stakes, with connections confident they have a high-class two-year-old on their hands.
Owned by Opulence Thoroughbreds and Teme Valley and trained by Andrew Balding, the son of Aclaim made a winning debut at Haydock in June before taking an encouraging step up to Group Two company at Newmarket’s July Festival when fourth to Jasour in the July Stakes.
Dropped back both in trip to five furlongs and slightly in grade to Group Three level at Goodwood, he produced a fine display to be beaten only a neck by Mick Appleby’s Windsor Castle scorer Big Evs and his owners now believe they have a top sprinting prospect to enjoy.
“He’s a proper horse definitely and he’s just going to go and get better and better as well,” said George Gill, director of Opulence Thoroughbreds.
“He’s not your typical breeze-up horse who can regress mentally after their first run, he’s actually mentally and physically improved from Haydock to Newmarket and then to Goodwood.
“I definitely think he’s a five-furlong horse for now. He’s sort of one you can imagine in the King’s Stand next year at Royal Ascot and I think if we come up against Big Evs again, I reckon we can beat him.”
Purosangue will continue campaigning in Pattern company, with Gill outlining an ambitious programme for the second half of the season.
The next stop for the talented youngster will be the Julia Graves Roses Stakes at York on the Saturday of the Ebor meeting, while there is the prospect Purosangue will end his season in Paris with a tilt at the Prix de l’Abbaye.
“It’s exciting and we’ll now head to York on August 26 for the Listed race which is valuable and is worth £100,000, and then there is the Flying Childers over five furlongs at Doncaster in September,” added Gill.
“There’s also a nice race at Newmarket in October but depending on how much he progresses, you also have the option of going for the Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc weekend.
“There’s plenty of options and he’s one of the soundest horses I’ve ever seen and bought at the breeze-up sales. His vetting was impeccable. He’s all speed in his dam line and has the speed from Aclaim and he’s a gorgeous looking horse as well.
“It’s very exciting and he’s with the right man to take him to the top as well.”
Jockeys who use their whip nine times or more in races in France will face immediate disqualification from September 1.
France Galop announced on Thursday that regulations would be revised with the stated aim “to further strengthen deterrence against whip abuse”.
Riders in France already face stringent limits on use of the whip, with four strokes the permitted maximum introduced in May this year.
From next month, if a jockey goes five strikes over that limit, their mount will be disqualified by the raceday stewards, before any bets on the race concerned are paid out.
The British Horseracing Authority amended its rules earlier in 2023, with seven strikes allowed over the jumps and six on the Flat. Any rider who exceeds those limits by four or more is disqualified, although that sanction is not imposed on raceday, instead being passed along to the Whip Review Committee, which meets on Tuesdays and Fridays.
There have been a limited number of disqualifications since the British rules were changed, while Jim Crowley came within one strike of the sanction when riding Hukum to victory in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
His nine uses of the whip resulted in a 20-day ban and a £10,000 fine.
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