Vauban staked his Melbourne Cup claim with an impressive victory in the Ballyroan Stakes at Naas.
Willie Mullins’ five-year-old is a three-time Grade One winner over obstacles, but has begun to make a real name for himself on the Flat, winning the Copper Horse Handicap by seven and a half lengths at Royal Ascot.
He needed to finish in the first three of this mile-and-a-half Group Three to secure his berth in the Flemington showpiece on November 7 and did so in fine style.
Vauban was ridden forward, tracking the pace set by Gooloogong and Pivotal Trigger in the hands of Colin Keane and loomed up menacingly as they straightened for home.
Keane soon asked his mount to launch his challenge and he immediately set about putting the race to bed, storming clear up the home straight with Joseph O’Brien’s Valiant King the only horse to get near the winner as the 4-6 favourite recorded a bloodless length-and-a-half triumph.
“We’re delighted with him and Colin was happy. He said they went a good gallop, a nice even pace, and it suited him,” said Mullins’ assistant trainer David Casey.
“It ticked a box, which we were here for today, to get placed to qualify for the Melbourne Cup.
“I think there is plenty of improvement in him. He had a little break after Ascot and was ready to start back today.
“Everything was right today, there was a bit of ease in the ground and there weren’t many runners, so it suited to come today. We’re obviously delighted with what he did.”
Vauban holds entries for York’s Lonsdale Cup as well as the Comer Group International Irish St Leger Trial Stakes and the Irish St Leger itself, both at the Curragh, and Casey says it will be down to Mullins whether the gelding takes up those engagements or heads straight to Australia for his Melbourne Cup bid.
He added: “He’s in all those races but I don’t know whether he’ll have another run or not, or go straight there. Willie will decide that.
“All those races are options, the Leger Trial and the Leger. I don’t know what he’s going to do but he’s entered in them all if he needs them.”
On the prospect of returning to hurdles next season, Casey said: “I’d say yeah, why not. I’d imagine so, but it depends on what happens.
“If he goes to Melbourne he doesn’t get back to the middle of November, so he wouldn’t be running at Christmas anyway.”
Coral make Vauban their 5-1 favourite from 6s for the Melbourne Cup, while the Closutton inmate is available at slightly bigger odds with Paddy Power who go 6-1.
Clive Cox will be keeping his eye on the weather forecast with a tilt at the Prix Morny a possibility for his crack two-year-old Jasour.
Although beaten a neck on debut, the son of Havana Grey gave a glimmer of his potential and having opened his account next time in a Nottingham maiden, he successfully moved up in class with a taking victory in the July Stakes at Newmarket.
He was due to try to build on that success in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood last week, but with the ground turning soft and bigger assignments lying in wait, Cox decided to hold fire with his star speedster.
Jasour could now take aim at Deauville’s Prix Morny on August 20, but if conditions are testing across the Channel, he could be diverted to York’s Gimcrack Stakes five days later.
“He’s in the Morny and the Gimcrack,” said Cox. “Obviously the ground was quite soft in Deauville last weekend, but the forecast is hopefully a lot more settled and I hope that continues to be the case.
“If conditions fall suitable there, we would be very much pleased to be heading that way and with the Gimcrack the following week, we have options if weather conditions turn against us.
“That was our reason for there being no urgency to run in the Richmond with the conditions how they turned out. While I was very happy with the horse, we knew we had some serious targets we were inclined to run in as well and it made that decision more pleasing with that in mind.”
A run in the Morny would represent a first taste of Group One action for Jasour, but with a Group Two under his belt, Cox believes his charge has all the attributes to follow in the footsteps of his 2012 Deauville scorer Reckless Abandon and strike at the top-table.
He added: “I hope it (his class) was visible in the July Stakes. We held him in high regard and amongst our really nice team of two-year-olds at home, he was our only entry for the Gimcrack which confirms our thoughts prior to the July success.
“He has done everything really well and I think especially that last run, that was the first time that we probably achieved what we had been seeing at home on the track.
“It was pleasing that everyone got to see that and he is a horse that has always encouraged our opinion to think top-end and I hope that continues to be the case.”
Another Cox youngster who could be sighted on the Knavesmire during the Ebor meeting is Symbology, who holds an entry for the Lowther Stakes and was an impressive winner at the track on debut.
She has since placed in a competitive renewal of Ascot’s Princess Margaret Stakes and the Beechdown Stables hander is pleased with her progress since her first foray into Group company.
“She has come out of the race really well and I think she was beaten by a really nice Dark Angel filly of Charlie Johnston’s (Sacred Angel),” continued Cox.
“I think she is a filly that has really only just started to come to herself and I hope there is much more progress and improvement to be seen following that pleasing placed effort in a Group Three.
“It was a big step from her maiden at York and she is a filly we hold in high regard.
“She has a Lowther entry and we had to make that entry before she had even run. It would nice to think she could run there, but we have options with her and I’m delighted with her following her second run.”
Spycatcher will be targeted at the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock following his near-miss in Sunday’s Prix Maurice de Gheest.
Having impressed in a Group Three at the track four weeks earlier, the five-year-old returned to Deauville for Sunday’s Group One feature and looked set to provide trainer Karl Burke with a first top-level success in almost four years when quickening clear of the field.
In the end he was mowed down by King Gold, with just a short head separating the pair at the line.
Burke said: “It was a bit frustrating as it was literally a nod of the heads, wasn’t it? Sometimes they go for you and sometimes they go against you, it’s just a shame it went against us in a Group One.
“I think he was probably the best horse in the race. Take nothing away from the winner, who stays really well, whereas we have that turn of foot and got away from them by that two or three lengths and probably thought we had the race in the bag at the furlong pole.
“The winner just cut us down and then we battled back again, credit to Spycatcher, but it was heads up heads down and it went against us.”
The Spigot Lodge handler is now hoping similarly testing conditions prevail on Merseyside on September 9 to give his charge the best chance of going one better ahead of a likely tilt at the Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot in October.
“Fingers crossed he stays in one piece and Haydock will be the plan, presuming the ground is right, and also Champions Day at Ascot, which nine times out of 10 does come up in our favour,” he added.
“We’re in the lap of the gods really as if either of those races are run on fast ground he won’t be there, but hopefully we’ll find some nice sprint races for him here or in France or wherever.”
Two and a half lengths behind his stablemate in fourth at Deauville was Cold Case, who Burke feels is now in need of more of a stamina test.
“He ran well, Cliff (Lee, jockey) just felt he was a little bit behind the bridle for whatever reason and he didn’t show his usual dash,” said the trainer.
“A step up in trip is definitely in the offing for him. He’ll go up to seven furlongs and we’ll probably try him at a mile before the season’s out.
“He’s a high-class horse but is probably not at that level just yet. Something like the Park Stakes at Doncaster next month could be a good one for him.”
The Jamaica Olympic Association has lavished praise on the country’s netball team that won the bronze medal at the just-concluded Netball World Cup in South Africa. After losing their semi-final 57-54 to eventual champions on Saturday, the Sunshine Girls rebounded on Sunday to defeat prior champions New Zealand 52-45 to secure the bronze medal, their first at the championships in 16 years.
According to the JOA, the Sunshine Girls quest for gold at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa, which had been the home of the Netball World Cup for the couple of weeks, ended with a well-deserved bronze. But their heroic journey remains imprinted in the sporting landscape and hearts of many and foremost the apex local body.
“Gold was not the medal but golden was the achievement, golden is the future of the sport and golden will be the legacy,” said Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, Ryan Foster.
“The JOA is reveling in the sunshine as we celebrate the commitment, courage, purpose and professionalism of our girls who continue steadfastly to keep their appointment with destiny.”
The hour will come when the world will acknowledge the Sunshine Girls as its champion in netball and the hope is “that the cup will, in the near future, come home to Jamrock where it will become the cornerstone of the ambitions of young girls in the sport and the foundation of Jamaica’s dominance on the global stage,” Secretary General Foster further commented.
The JOA is of the view that netball has earned a right locally to be a flagship sport and with the accomplishment in Cape Town and the historic gold medal in the recent inaugural tournament at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in San Salvador, it has nothing more to prove.
“Netball’s credentials are well established and its pedigree as a leading sport is not up for debate for as we say ‘argument done,” JOA President Christopher Samuda stated.
“The Tricia Robinson-led netball administration and national coach, Connie Francis, can be justly proud of the sport’s achievements which continue to gain the applause of a global audience. The future continues to be bright and secure in safe hands.”
England stalwart Jade Clarke believes they have broken the glass ceiling with their record-breaking Netball World Cup showing.
The Roses lost out 61-45 to Australia in Cape Town on Sunday with the Diamonds able to achieve a 12th world crown.
It has nevertheless been a memorable 10 days for Jess Thirlby’s side after they beat Australia earlier in the tournament and defeated 2019 World Cup winners New Zealand in the semi-finals, which ended the Southern Hemisphere stranglehold on the final of the competition.
New Zealand and Australia had contested the last six World Cup finals before this weekend but England, who won Commonwealth gold in 2018, are eager to go one better in four years time.
Clarke told the PA news agency: “Obviously we’re so disappointed to lose the final but today we have the bigger picture in mind and what we achieved just to step foot into that final.
“We’ve got to be so proud from the turnaround of coming fourth at the (2022) Commonwealth Games and with all the hard work the players and staff have done.
“I’m just so happy. Creating history is something I’ve always talked about and been my main driver so really cool to do that and for all the fans at home watching.
“We have broke the glass ceiling. We know Australia have been in 12 finals and that was our first, but we want to make this a regular occurrence.
“We want all the girls watching or playing netball at home to see it as something normal that England can get into finals, so we want to carry on that positivity.
“I’m so happy we have a lot of young players who have now stepped on that court in a World Cup final and hopefully those young players can go on and get gold next time.”
Thirlby, who replaced Tracey Neville in 2019, challenged England to go into uncharted territory ahead of the 16th edition of the World Cup.
After scoring more than 200 goals to top Group B, England firmly captured the imagination of the public back home with victory over Australia in the second group stage of the competition.
The thrilling 56-55 win over the Diamonds was backed up by an historic semi-final success by six goals over New Zealand and while Thirlby’s team depart South Africa with a silver medal, a sense of satisfaction is the overriding feeling for the most experienced member of the squad.
“We have very much been in our own bubble but we love to see what the fans are saying at home and let in that support. We’ve actually had a lot of people fly over here and seen so much red and white in the crowd,” Clarke added.
“They were singing Three Lions before we went on in the final and we could hear them all the time.
“Even though we have been in our bubble, we’ve been so aware of the growing support and I just hope a lot more people take up netball, carry on netball or get back into netball for watching this. We’re really grateful for all the support.”
Sunday’s appearance in the World Cup final is set to bring the curtain down on Clarke’s remarkable international career, which started in 2002.
England’s record cap holder was left off next year’s central contract list and this sixth World Cup is now expected to be her last alongside team-mate Geva Mentor, who confirmed her own plans to retire from international duty earlier this summer.
The 39-year-old is hugely proud of the strides made by the sport during the past two decades and has maintained her stance of not officially retiring in case the call ever comes again.
The London Pulse star insisted: “I will carry on playing domestic netball and I think while I’m playing and training my hardest, I will always be available for England netball.
“But if this is my last hurrah, I am so happy with it and so proud we could break into that final like we always wanted to do.
“It is my sixth time trying so really cool it happened right at the end of my career and for Geva as well.
“It has been a rollercoaster journey. Sport is so up and down. We believed we could get into that final and we made it happen, but this team still wants more.”
Quinault could bid to extend his remarkable winning sequence to seven at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup on Saturday.
Having begun the season with a basement rating of just 59, the Stuart Williams-trained three-year-old has rattled off six successive victories, seeing his mark rise to a much loftier perch of 97.
Mill Stream, who was beaten a nose by Quinault in a valuable sprint handicap at Newmarket’s July meeting, gave the form a significant boost with a dominant Listed success in France on Sunday.
Williams though is looking at another handicap for his fast-improving speedster and views Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint as a suitable target.
“I’ve been very happy with him since the July meeting, he’s been training well,” he said.
“I’ve just entered him for the Shergar Cup on Saturday in the six-furlong race for three-year-olds only. Hopefully that will be his next port of call.”
With jockeys in the Shergar Cup team competition allocated by a series of ballots, Williams will have no say in who rides Quinault in Berkshire.
But with world-class riders like Frankie Dettori, Olivier Peslier, Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle among those set to be in action, the Newmarket-based trainer is not overly concerned.
He added: “They’ve got some top-class jockeys, so you’d be hopeful that whoever rides him will be able to ride him fine. He’s not a difficult ride on the racecourse.
“He’s obviously surprised us – you wouldn’t have said at the start of the season he’d have a rating pushing 100 at this stage of the year.
“He hasn’t run on anything softer than good ground, but it’s usually fairly good on the straight course at Ascot unless it rains on the day and it’s supposed to be dry towards the end of the week so I can’t see it being a problem.”
A trip to Paris on Arc weekend and an appearance at the Breeders’ Cup are among the exciting options under consideration for Brave Emperor following his latest success in France on Sunday.
It has been quite the rise through the ranks for the Archie Watson-trained three-year-old, who began his campaign with a runner-up finish at Southwell in late January.
He had since won a Listed race at Cagnes-Sur-Mer, a conditions prize at Kempton, a Group Three in Germany and finished third in a Group Three in Sweden prior to his latest trip across the Channel.
Brave Emperor looked to face the toughest test of his career in the Group Three Prix Daphnis, but rose to the challenge under a power-packed ride from Luke Morris, leaving members of the Middleham Park Racing syndicate that own him eyeing loftier targets.
“It was a great piece of placement again from Archie. He’s placed him to perfection all season and I think Luke rode him to perfection as well,” said Middleham Park racing manager Tom Palin.
“You still need the horse to be able to do it, of course. It’s one thing finding these opportunities, but you’re still relying on a willing partner underneath you and this horse is definitely brave by name, brave by nature.
“He had to carry a 3lb penalty on Sunday, but he loves his racing and thrives on it. We’ve not really spared him, but he travels well and he’s just an absolute dude of a horse and a bit of a legend.
“There’s a small cohort of owners who follow him around. They’ve been to Sweden, they’ve been to Germany and they’ve been to France twice. He’s well supported wherever he goes and has a bit of a cult following here at Middleham Park.”
While plans for Brave Emperor’s next run remain fluid, Palin views the Prix Daniel Wildenstein – a Group Two run at ParisLongchamp in early October – as a likely objective for the autumn.
He added: “We’re probably going to have to start looking at bigger, sexier and dare I say scarier things with him going forward, but he’s fully entitled to now.
“The Wildenstein would be lovely and a very sensible target and we could look at the Prix du Moulin before then. I know that’s a Group One, but you are into Group Two/Group One territory now.
“We love to get our owners over for the Arc meeting if we can, it’s a meeting that’s served us well in the past, and maybe we’ll take in the Moulin on the way. It’s that or a Group Two in Germany, I think.
“I quite like the idea of the Wildenstein and then who knows, it could be onto the Breeders’ Cup. Archie and I have briefly mentioned that, but let’s see.
“Of course he’s going to have to improve, but that attitude he possesses is a huge asset, so why not give him a spin in those kind of races? You’re probably pitching him in for places, but who knows?”
Ground conditions will dictate whether Mick Appleby supplements Ascot and Goodwood hero Big Evs for the Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
The two-year-old was a Royal Ascot winner when landing the Windsor Castle Stakes in mid-June, sprinting to three-length victory having started a relative outsider at 20-1.
He was not so overlooked when stepping up to Group Three level in the Molecomb at Goodwood, where he started as the 9-4 joint favourite on ground vastly different to Ascot’s good to firm.
Rain had left the South Downs track soft underfoot, but Big Evs showed a great will to win when prevailing by a neck from Andrew Balding’s Purosangue.
Immediately after the race, connections discussed a supplementary entry for the Group One Nunthorpe on August 25, which would cost £40,000.
The race has not been won by a two-year-old since Kingsgate Native in 2007 and the state of the ground in the lead up to the fixture will determine whether or not Big Evs bids to become the latest juvenile to feature on the roll of honour.
“He’s fine, he’s all good and he’s come out of the race really well,” Appleby said.
“He didn’t really like the ground but he’s obviously quite tough and he toughed it out.
“We’ve got a great attitude, now we’ve got to decide whether we supplement for the Nunthorpe or not.
“We’ve had discussion about it with the owner, a lot will depend on the ground and we will probably not decide until the week before when we have to supplement.
“If it was soft ground we’d probably not go there with him, but we’ve got plenty of time until we have to decide.”
Marco Botti is eyeing a return to York for Giavellotto following his fifth-placed finish in last week’s Goodwood Cup.
A narrow winner of the Yorkshire Cup on the Knavesmire in May, the four-year-old sidestepped the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot to be saved for the second half of the season.
He made his return to action on the Sussex Downs and while unable to land a blow on the front-running Quickthorn, he was beaten just half a length for second in a blanket finish for minor honours.
While frustrated with how the Group One contest was run as Quickthorn built up a big lead the chasing pack were ultimately unable to bridge, Botti was pleased with his star stayer’s performance.
He said: “It was a funny race to watch, obviously. The winner is a good horse and with that margin of a lead he was never going to be caught.
“I thought our horse ran his race and ran well, it’s just a shame we were beaten a short head, a short head and a neck for second. To finish fifth just leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth.
“How the race was run was a bit disappointing, but credit to the winner. He’s a good horse and he has done that before, which is why I was surprised they let him take a big advantage.
“I think our horse he proved he’s up to that level and probably the ground was a little bit on the slow side for him – he’d definitely prefer better ground.”
Giavellotto is entered for the two-mile Lonsdale Cup at York on August 25 and the Irish St Leger over a mile and three-quarters at the Curragh on September 10.
And while Botti feels the shorter distance may be more suitable for his charge, Botti is leaning towards the Lonsdale due to likelihood of getting his favoured conditions.
“I think we have to say two miles is not an issue, but his optimum trip is probably a mile and six furlongs,” he added.
“He stays (two miles), he relaxes well and he enjoys the track at York, so we’ll see how he comes out and works in the next 10 days, but York has to be considered.
“The worry with the Irish St Leger would be if the ground went quite soft or heavy as that is not what he wants. I’m sure in terms of giving him a bit more time it wouldn’t be against him, but I don’t think I would run him on very testing ground.
“At the moment we’re waiting to see how he is, but we’re planning to go to York.”
England head coach Jess Thirlby admitted it would take some time to get over defeat by Australia in the Netball World Cup final, but believes her squad can be proud of their performances throughout the tournament.
The Roses were making their maiden World Cup final appearance and knew they had to be at their best to win the trophy against a side they had edged out by just a point in their group-stage match.
But Australia dominated the turnover battle and, after the first-quarter honours were shared, steadily built an unassailable lead to run out comfortable 61-45 winners and secure a 12th World Cup crown.
“We are really grateful for that silver medal and over time I think that will sink in, with that bit of history we made (in reaching the final), but right now it is a measure of the belief we had in ourselves, the route we took to the final… (that we are disappointed),” Thirlby told BBC Sport.
“We are obviously going to be gutted with a losing margin like that in our first final, but such is the difference between a team that has been in 12 of them and a team that has just broken into their first one, it’s a tough lesson.
“Today was always going to be a tough ask, you just can’t throw ball like that against Australia in a final. If we do that, we need to find a way to win it back. Unfortunately both of those things eluded us for long periods during the match.
“We fought very hard in the first half to keep a foothold in it, but you could kind of feel we didn’t quite have the flow and the confidence.”
England – bronze medallists at the last three World Cups and six times overall – had built on their group win over the Diamonds to go on to beat New Zealand as they booked a first World Cup final appearance.
Despite the setback, Thirlby feels the squad can return stronger.
“For us now it’s OK to feel a little bit disappointed just because of the level of belief and the capability of this team,” she said.
“I am incredibly proud despite the final result, we absolutely deserved to be there.
“We had to battle to get there and it’s just proven to us that you’ve got to be able to go again in a big game against the number one, and we just fell short today.”
Australia mid-court Ashleigh Brazill brought the curtain down on her netball career with a World Cup winners’ medal.
The 33-year-old – set to retire after the tournament – felt the Diamonds set the record straight following their defeat to England in the group stage.
“To beat England like that, they beat us in the group and everyone loved what Helen (Housby) said, that they were fitter and more energetic than us, that just fired things up,” Brazill told BBC Sport.
“The fact we have done it the way we wanted to, playing some of the best netball we have played in a long time. I’m just so proud of the girls.
“It has taken all of us to get here, the entire 22, all of us, and the fact we are stood here world champions, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.”
Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls gifted their country a bronze on Independence Day on Sunday when they defeated New Zealand 52-45 in the play-off for third place at the Netball World Cup in South Africa.
It was the first time that Jamaica was defeating New Zealand twice in the same global tournament relegating the Silver Ferns to their worst ever World Cup result.
Needing to rebound from the disappointment of losing 57-54 to Australia in the semi-finals, which denied them the chance to play for the gold medal, Jamaica took control of the match against the injury-riddled Ferns, who were among the favourites to win the tournament.
The defending champions had lost star shooter Grace Nweke to injury during the pool games and then were hit with an injury to Gina Crampton who was forced to leave the game with an ankle injury.
Jhaniele Fowler scored 43 goals at 98 per cent accuracy to help lead the Sunshine Girls while Shamera Sterling and Jodi-Ann Ward defended stoutly to ensure that the Sunshine Girls would have some consolation from the competition.
Ward said she is proud of the way her team rebounded from the loss to Australia on Saturday.
“We were very disappointed because obviously we wanted to be in the gold-medal match but we had to shake it off and came out here and we’re proud of the girls how they came out here and performed,” she said.
Ward added that the team simply wanted to play well to end the tournament on a high following Saturday’s let-down.
“We, as a unit, just wanted to execute because we didn’t do that very well yesterday (Saturday) so we just wanted to come out and execute as best as we could. Kudos to New Zealand they really put on a performance; they forced us to change a lot of things that we would normally do but I am extremely proud we came out with the win.”
Maia Wilson was the leading scorer for New Zealand with 19 goals.
Jamaica and University of Arkansas long jumper Wayne Pinnock has signed a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) contract with global sports apparel company Puma. The 22-year-old, two-time national champion made the announcement on Instagram on Saturday.
“I’m thrilled to announce that I’m now an official Puma NIL athlete,” said the former Kingston College athlete, who will represent Jamaica at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in a fortnight, after winning his second national title with a jump of 8.32m in July.
As of June 30, 2012, college student-athletes competing in states without an NIL law will have the freedom to receive compensation for their NIL however they see fit, as long as they do not violate pay-for-play or receive financial incentives to sign with or remain at a program.
Pinnock joins fellow Razorback alum Jaydon Hibbert as Jamaican student-athletes at the University of Arkansas to have announced signing NIL contracts with Puma. Hibbert is the world leader in the triple jump with a mark of 17.87m. The 18-year-old won the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor national titles in his freshman year at Arkansas.
Pinnock is part of a strong long jump contingent that will represent Jamaica at the World Championships set to begin in Budapest on August 19. NCAA champion Carey McLeod and 2019 World Champion Tajay Gayle complete the trio that will go for medals at the championships.
Shark Hanlon is in no rush to firm up the next plan of attack with Hewick after he finished down the field under a big weight in the Tote Galway Plate on Wednesday.
The eight-year-old was bidding for back-to-back wins in the Ballybrit feature, but after racing prominently he weakened to finish 14th of 20 finishers.
Hanlon believes the rain-softened ground was to blame for his stable star’s below-par performance and he will now give him a short break before returning him to competitive action later in the year.
“He’s come out of it perfect, the ground was just softer than he wants it and that’s it,” said the Bagenalstown handler.
“He obviously had a lot of weight and you can give away weight on good ground, but you can’t give away weight on soft ground.
“He ran a cracker until they came down the hill when the ground got soft.”
Following his Galway Plate success 12 months ago Hewick looked set to land another major handicap in the Kerry National at Listowel until unseating his rider at the final fence.
He famously sparked scenes of wild celebration by winning the American Grand National before being saved for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which he was still going well when falling two from home.
And while Hanlon is unsure on the route, he is keen to head back to Prestbury Park in March for another crack at National Hunt racing’s blue riband prize.
He added: “I don’t think we’ll go to Listowel this year as he’d have to give a lot of weight away again, maybe we’ll go back to America but we’ll see.
“We’re going to plan back from the Gold Cup, that’s what we’re doing. America might be in the plan and a run at Leopardstown over Christmas might be in it.
“I want to give him a bit of a break now. He’s gone back to the owner for a couple of weeks and we’ll see where we are after that.”
Courage Mon Ami has the Prix du Cadran on his long-range radar after connections admitted they failed to learn anything new from the Ascot Gold Cup winner when he suffered his first defeat at Goodwood on Tuesday.
Run on unseasonably good to soft ground, Quickthorn turned the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup into something of a procession, with Hughie Morrison’s charge routing his 10 opponents by six lengths and upwards.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained Courage Mon Ami, having just his fifth lifetime start, was sent off the 2-1 favourite to back up his Royal Ascot victory, but having taken a keen hold, did not get a clear run. His jockey, Frankie Dettori, realised he had no chance once the winner quickened clear.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani owns the gelding under his Wathnan Racing operation and Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock buys the horses on his behalf.
He was responsible for the purchase of Courage Mon Ami from Anthony Oppenheimer after the son of Frankel had won twice on the all-weather as a three-year-old, before opening his four-year-old campaign with a Goodwood handicap success.
Brown was left non-plussed by his latest display, however, and said: “He has come out of the race well, but it was a bit of a non-event, to be honest. It was a frustrating race to watch. We have just got to put a line through it.
“Frankie was very easy on him early when he knew his chance had gone.”
Courage Mon Ami is likely to take on Quickthorn again in the Prix du Cadran over an extended two miles at ParisLongchamp in October.
Connections hope to find out a little more about the inexperienced gelding in the meantime.
“He’s come out of it fine and the obvious end-of-season target would be the Cadran,” said Brown.
“We’ve got to decide what we do before then, but it was frustrating to be part of. We saw at Ascot what he is capable of.
“The problem is we didn’t learn anything. We didn’t learn anything about ground. Frankie said he went fine on it.
“Obviously, he has only run four times before then, including twice on the all-weather, and we are still learning about the horse.
“He is probably going to be better on top of the ground, and I’m hoping he’s going to be ground versatile.
“He already owes us nothing, but I very much hope there is a lot more to come from him.”
The unbeaten Gregory is on course for the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York later this month, after looking like he would represent the Wathnan team in the Goodwood Cup, only for the ground to change running plans.
The Golden Horn colt has won all three starts for the Gosdens this year, culminating in an emphatic Queen’s Vase win at the Royal meeting.
“All roads lead to the St Leger,” Brown added. “Although we are not committing to anything, John is quite keen to run him again before Doncaster, so the Voltigeur is quite an obvious race that we might take in along the way.”
The Ralph Beckett-trained Remarquee, who finished runner-up in both the top-class Coronation Stakes and the Falmouth, will be given a break after her latest fourth-placed effort in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville.
Winner of the Fred Darling at Newbury on her seasonal bow, she has proved herself as one of the leading milers without yet winning over that distance.
She will likely have another opportunity to do that at Newmarket on October 7, bypassing an engagement in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown next month.
Brown said: “Remarquee came out of her race in good shape. She has had three quick runs, so we have put a line through the Matron and are going to give her a little bit of a rest.
“She might have one more run, which is likely to be the Sun Chariot.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
