Oisin Murphy will reunite with Saeed bin Suroor’s 1000 Guineas heroine Mawj in Keeneland on Saturday night when she lines up for the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.
Off the track since beating Dermot Weld’s Tahiyra to claim Classic honours at Newmarket, Bin Suroor has elected to take the battle-hardened three-year-old Stateside for her comeback run.
She has reportedly settled well in Kentucky and the Godolphin trainer is optimistic his charge is in a good place ahead of her tilt at the $600,000 contest over a mile and a furlong.
“She has arrived there and is out of quarantine and away now to the stables,” said Bin Suroor.
“She is looking good, is in good form and happy, and we are looking forward to running her Saturday.
“Oisin Murphy is going over to ride and so far is so good. She has done her main work in Newmarket and Oisin rode her in her last piece of work on the Limekilns round gallop. We’re hoping we will see good results from her again.
“She will have to be in a good position in the race, but as usual I like to have my horses handy and if she is somewhere close I would be happy. Oisin knows her well and so far so good.”
Mawj will have further US assignments on the agenda in just under a month’s time, with the outcome of her performance in Keeneland set to help formulate running plans for the Breeders’ Cup where she could stick to a mile or stretch out to 10 furlongs for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
“She could go for the Mile or the Filly & Mare,” continued the trainer. “It is between the two races and we will see. We have to see which horses are running and which race might suit her.”
Hollie Doyle has been handed a one-month ban – suspended for year – having tested positive for traces of a banned substance found in a painkiller used to treat an elbow injury.
The charge relates to Doyle returning a positive test for Dihyrocodeine (DHC) following her return to riding from a lengthy injury lay-off.
Having undergone surgery on her elbow in February 2023, Doyle returned at Newcastle on March 31 having been prescribed DHC post-operatively.
Upon interview Doyle also said she had been taking what she believed to be ibuprofen tablets previously ‘over the counter’ in Japan and had used those as pain relief. These tablets are marketed as ‘Pabron Ace Pro’.
Following an investigation by the British Horseracing Authority it was thought the likely source of DHC was therapeutic consumption of Pabron Ace Pro and Doyle had attempted to check the ingredients using Google Lens.
Sarah Crowther KC, chair of the BHA’s independent disciplinary panel, said: “I agree with the BHA that in light of the investigative findings, it is appropriate to reduce the penalty from the entry point of two months’ withdrawal of licence to one-month suspension.
“The breach was unintended and Ms Doyle has been cooperative with the investigation and made appropriate and early admissions. There is no evidence to suggest that Ms Doyle’s suitability to hold a licence is affected and therefore withdrawal would serve no purpose.
“The period of one-month suspension reflects the seriousness of the breach and also the fact that there is an element of lack of care involved.
“This is a first offence and I am content that the penalty can be suspended for one year and maintain its deterrent effect. I am confident that Ms Doyle will have learned from this episode and the risk of recurrence is extremely low indeed.
“The BHA has given consideration to requiring Ms Doyle to take part in the Enhanced Sampling Programme, but in my judgement that would be unnecessary where all the evidence suggests that this was a one-off error rather than a situation of any potential underlying systemic issue and monitoring would serve no real purpose.
“I therefore approve the penalty of one-month suspension of licence, suspended for one year.”
In a statement, Doyle said: “In April, when returning to ride after my elbow injury, Dr Jerry Hill informed me that I had tested positive for traces of Dihydrocodeine, which is a painkiller used to treat moderate pain.
“I required elbow surgery in February and was prescribed dihydrocodeine, which I stopped consuming a few days after my operation as it made me feel unwell. In April I tested positive on my return to ride, and I stated that I has only been taking ibuprofen and paracetamol throughout my recovery to control some swelling.
“After some research we found that the contamination came from a packet of ibuprofen which I had purchased when riding overseas, that unknowingly contained small amounts of Dihydrocodeine. The BHA accepts that this was the likely source of the positive.
“The BHA also accepts that the breach was innocent and unintended, but due to it being a strict liability case, they found it appropriate to impose a one-month suspended suspension.
“I’m extremely grateful to my family, friends, and employers for the support and advice over the last five months. We’re all very glad it’s over.”
Via Sistina is fully on course for an outing on Qipco British Champions Day, with George Boughey warning his star filly has been training better than ever.
The five-year-old is yet to finish outside the first three since joining Boughey last October and has taken her form to the next level this season, emphatically claiming the Dahlia Stakes on reappearance before scooping Group One honours at the Curragh in the Pretty Polly Stakes.
Creditable placed efforts in both the Falmouth Stakes and Prix Jean Romanet have followed and Boughey opted against sending his thriving mare to ParisLongchamp for the Prix de l’Opera in favour of heading to Ascot in peak condition.
The Saffron House handler is now hoping for some assistance from the weather to enable Via Sistina to showcase her best at the Berkshire track.
Boughey said: “The ground has always been a big thing for her and I think she will be at her best if the ground is slower. But it would also be no surprise to see her take chance on normal sort of ground.
“I can’t imagine it is going to be fast. I’ve long wanted to run her at Ascot and it usually comes up very soft. It doesn’t like it’s going to come up very soft, but there is every chance the weather could break and we will be hoping.”
“She’s training as well as she ever has and is in great form and this has been the plan for quite some time.”
Via Sistina has the option of taking on the colts over her Group One-winning distance of 10 furlongs in the Qipco Champion Stakes or having a first crack at a mile and a half if staying among her own sex for the Qipco British Champions Fillies And Mares Stakes.
Boughey believes Via Sistina’s versatility means he could have a tough call to make ahead of Ascot’s end-of-season showpiece on October 21.
He added: “We’ll just sort of monitor both of them and see how we go and hopefully we will see her in one of them.
“I’ve always thought she has been very versatile and I think there is every chance if she did turn up in the mile-and-a-half race, then she might have been favourite for a Group One over a mile, a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half in the same season which I’m not sure many will have done.
“She is versatile and the way she travels off the pace is probably conducive to staying a bit further so all options are open and it’s a nice decision to have to make.”
The Jamaica Defence Force successfully defended their Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) All Island Limited Overs (AILO) 50 Overs Tournament title with a narrow five-run win over Melbourne Cricket Club via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the final played at Sabina Park on Saturday.
Melbourne, who entered Saturday’s final unbeaten, batted first and posted 245-9 from their 50 overs thanks to a 109-ball 99 from Jamaica Scorpions batsman Andre McCarthy and 47 from all-rounder Shalome Parnell.
National pacer Gordon Bryan took 4-29 from his 10 overs for the soldiers. Rather than chasing 246 for victory, JDF’s slow over-rate meant 15 penalty runs were added to Melbourne’s total, meaning they would need 261 to retain their title.
JDF’s reply got off to the worst possible start with the wickets of Tevin Gilzene (6), Marlon Saunders (14) and Oneil Weir (0) to be struggling at 34-3 in the eight over.
The ship was steadied, however, by a 104-run fourth wicket partnership between Deethmar Anderson and captain Kevin Daley.
Anderson made a top-score of 77 while Daley added 44.
Even when both their wickets fell, JDF were able to keep ahead of the DLS par score, eventually reaching 235-8 off 40 overs, five runs ahead of the par score when the umpires determined the light was no longer suitable for play.
Leg-spinner Matthew Comerie took 3-41 from six overs while Parnell ended with 2-44 from eight for Melbourne.
Ann and Ian Hamilton are thinking of giving Tommy’s Oscar the chance to replicate stable stalwart Nuts Well in the Jewson Old Roan Chase following his facile victory at Kelso on Sunday.
The eight-year-old has now won three times since turning his hand to chasing at the beginning of last season and he looked as good as ever when making his seasonal return in the Scottish Borders, cruising to a six-and-a-half-length success in the hands of Sean Quinlan.
With options limited and hesitations over their charge’s suitability to Cheltenham seemingly ruling out a shot at the Shloer Chase next month, the Northumberland-based team are tempted to step Tommy’s Oscar up to two and a half miles at Aintree later this month for a shot at the valuable Grade Two handicap.
Nuts Well’s victory in that contest ranks as one of the Hamiltons’ training highlights and having taken over the mantle of stable star, Tommy’s Oscar is a fitting candidate to try provide the husband and wife duo with a second chance of success in the race.
“He was good wasn’t he, giving them all that weight it was good,” said Ian Hamilton.
“We’re not sure where to go because he’s a two-miler, but we thought about taking the same route as Nuts Well and go to Aintree for the Old Roan.
“That’s two and a half, but on a flat track. He has won over two and a half but he wouldn’t get it on soft ground.”
He went on: “We’re hoping it will be all right for him because I’m struggling to find anything else. We’re too old to be travelling down to Cheltenham and them places and we’ve also got the farm up here.
“We’ll think about Aintree and he’s come out of the race well. It looks the best option if it’s not too soft.
“You wouldn’t think he has had a race this morning and looking at the race, it looks as if he would possibly stay. I don’t think he’s a Cheltenham horse and he likes a flat track I think. He has a high cruising speed so he can just sit in behind them.”
Grand National winner Corach Rambler will begin his season at Kelso – ground permitting – before a potential crack at the Betfair Chase.
Russell has targeted the Edinburgh Gin Chase at the Borders track close to home on October 28 before bigger targets await.
While a return to Aintree is being considered, Russell admits that off his new handicap mark of 159 emulating the likes of Tiger Roll and Red Rum will be difficult.
“We’re going to start him off at Kelso at the end of the month, providing the ground is OK, and then we’ll have a good look at the Betfair Chase at Haydock. That should give us a good idea of where we stand against these Graded chasers and we can then make a bit more of a plan on how his season will look,” said the newly-unveiled William Hill ambassador.
“It would be great to go back to the National as we know he loves it around there, but it’s obviously going to be a harder task this time given he’ll be much higher in the weights.
“I’m not sure if we know quite how good he is because to win a Grand National like he did and to be as fresh as he was after it out was something you don’t see very often.
“Scu (Peter Scudamore, partner and assistant) couldn’t believe how well he felt after it and if anything we think he’s improved again over the summer. The way he goes about things makes me think there might be a lot more under the bonnet that we don’t know about, which, if true, is incredibly exciting for all of us.
“He is different to any other horse I’ve ever been associated with. He just does things differently and he really does tell you how he’s doing and the mood he’s in. He’s so smart and clever in everything he does and we can’t wait to get the season under way with him.”
Michael Bell is thrilled to have secured the services of Frankie Dettori to partner his exciting juvenile Ambiente Amigo in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket.
With his retirement looming, Dettori is set to bid farewell to the Rowley Mile following this week’s two-day fixture and Bell is hoping to provide him with what could be a final Group One success at Headquarters, in a race the Italian has already won on a record seven occasions.
He said: “Frankie goes back a long way with the Gredleys (owners). He was their next-door neighbour for 10 or 15 years when he lived in Stetchworth, he won the Henry II Stakes for us on Big Orange and was second on him in the Goodwood Cup. We’re looking forward to it.”
Second on her July course debut, Ambiente Amigo has since bolted up twice at Lingfield – scoring by seven lengths on turf before a six-and-a-half-length verdict on the all-weather.
The daughter of Postponed clearly faces a significant step up in class in Friday’s feature, but Bell is keen to roll the dice.
He added: “Obviously she’s bossed two relatively ordinary races and this is a bit of a leap of faith, but I think it’s definitely the right decision to run and we’re looking forward to the race.
“She’s been very impressive in her two wins and this on our doorstep so we’ll give it a good go and see what happens.”
Former West Indies Women’s player Eugena Gregg was inducted into the Hartford Connecticut Cricket Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 7.
At the ceremony held at the Marriott Hotel in Hartford, the 57-year-old Gregg was inducted in acknowledgment of her outstanding contributions to cricket including her input towards growth and development, her service to the community and the many lives she impacted both as a player and administrator.
Gregg, a right-arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batter, was the first St Lucian to represent the West Indies Women and appeared in 10 One Day Internationals between 1993 and 1997. She was captain of the St Lucia Women’s team.
She made her ODI debut for the West Indies at the 1993 World Cup in England. At the World Cup, Gregg played in six of her team's seven matches, taking three wickets.
She was retained in the squad for the 1997 World Cup in India, and appeared in every match at the tournament and took a career best 3-35 from seven overs against Denmark.
She and Patricia Felicien were the only Saint Lucians in the squad, and the first Saint Lucians to be selected in any West Indies squad.
Gregg was named St Lucia’s Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993 and in 1997 when she was named St Lucia’s Sportswoman of the Year.
In 2006, she was elected President of the South Castries Cricket Association. Two years later she won the Ministry of Youth Development Award for outstanding administrative roles and contributions to the development of cricket in St Lucia.
She was named manager of St Lucia’s Women’s Junior and Senior Cricket teams and between 2017 and 2019 was the manager of the West Indies Women’s team.
There will be no Breeders’ Cup for Blue Rose Cen following her dazzling triumph in the Prix de l’Opera – but Christopher Head’s star filly will stay in training as a four-year-old.
The daughter of Churchill has led her handler’s charge to the upper echelons of the training ranks in France and having provided Head with a first Group One success in the Marcel Boussac last year, has gone on to become one of the leading fillies of her generation.
She became a dual Classic winner earlier in the spring when following up her ready Poule d’Essai des Pouliches victory with a breathtaking display in the Prix de Diane and although defeats followed both on the road at Goodwood and when tried over a mile and a half in the Prix Vermeille, she roared back to her best on Arc day to secure her third Group One of the campaign.
A trip to Santa Anita had been mooted as a possible finale for her season, but Blue Rose Cen will now enjoy a well-deserved break, with her trainer delighted owners Yeguada Centurion SL have decided she will race on next year.
“We have finished for the season with Blue Rose Cen, she has been sent for vacation and she will be coming back to the stables ahead of next season,” said Head.
“It’s brilliant and delightful to have her at four and I’m sure the next stage of her career at four will be very interesting.
“She has had a very good season and everything was perfect. We tried Goodwood and we tried her over a longer distance and we are now pretty much aware of what she is capable of doing, so next year I think we will have a very nice season. We have a very nice programme for her with some races in England, too.”
Having won four of her six big-race assignments this term Head can look back in pride at some of the her phenomenal achievements, including a four-length demolition in the French Oaks and proving her doubters wrong following two defeats at ParisLongchamp in the Opera.
Head added: “Of course the Prix de Diane was just enormous. What she did into the Prix de Diane was incredible as well and of course seeing her back in the Prix de l’Opera was brilliant too, as everyone was saying she had had a hard season and she showed that it was not finished for her.”
Meanwhile, Blue Rose Cen’s stablemate Big Rock is fully on course to try to break his duck at the highest level in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day.
The Rock Of Gibraltar colt, who also carries the colours of Yeguada Centurion SL, has been hitting the crossbar in a plethora of Group One assignments since handing Champion Stakes favourite Horizon Dore a five-length beating earlier in the season and Head is eager to see him gain a deserved first top-level success.
“Big Rock is a really brilliant horse and has been brilliant all season,” he continued.
“He has been beaten by some good horses throughout the season and I’m a bit sad to see him not win a Group One yet.
“We are looking forward to the QEII to try to win his first Group One.”
Array has been supplemented for the Native Trail’s Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday to join City Of Troy and 10 others.
Owned by Juddmonte and trained by Andrew Balding, Array was last seen winning the Mill Reef Stakes and will be having his first run over seven furlongs.
City Of Troy sets a tall standard to aim at, however. Aidan O’Brien’s colt has not been seen since creating a huge impression when winning the Superlative Stakes.
He was a late withdrawal from the National Stakes last month when Henry Longfellow stepped in to be Ballydoyle’s number one.
Henry Longfellow remains in contention along with stablemates Henry Adams, Johannes Brahms, River Tiber and Unquestionable but there is no doubting City Of Troy is O’Brien’s big hope.
Iberian looked a smart colt when beating subsequent Group One winner Rosallion in the Champagne Stakes and is well worth a shot for the Charlie Hills team, while Eve Johnson Houghton’s Indian Run, part-owned by England cricket star Jonny Bairstow, arrives off a win in the Acomb Stakes.
Alyanaabi, who came from an unpromising position to win the Tattersalls Stakes, Eben Shaddad and Haatem complete the list.
Dubai Future, Knight, Regal Reality, Spirit Dancer and Sir Busker are among 13 in the Earthlight Darley Stakes. Orne, a debut winner for John and Thady Gosden, is one of 14 in the Emirates Autumn Stakes.
A total of 40 remain in the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch, headed by David Pipe’s recent Bangor winner Wordsworth.
Willie Mullins has several options at the five-day stage M C Muldoon and Lot Of Joy.
Ryan Moore is due to partner Gordon Elliott’s Pied Piper, the ante-post favourite, with the 11-year-old Not So Sleepy, back to winning ways last time out, due to be partnered by Tom Marquand.
Emmet Mullins will be represented by The Shunter, a Cheltenham Festival winner over fences in 2021.
Owner JP McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry said: “Emmet was happy with him before the weekend and the intention then was to go.
“He ran a nice race on the Flat in the summer (fourth), Emmet was pleased with that and you’d expect him to come forward from that.
“He’ll go there in good nick, anyway, and we hope he runs well.”
Tashkhan, Tritonic, The Very Man and Jesse Evans are all engaged at this stage.
Array has been supplemented for the Native Trail’s Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday to join City Of Troy and 10 others.
Owned by Juddmonte and trained by Andrew Balding, Array was last seen winning the Mill Reef Stakes and will be having his first run over seven furlongs.
City Of Troy sets a tall standard to aim at, however. Aidan O’Brien’s colt has not been seen since creating a huge impression when winning the Superlative Stakes.
He was a late withdrawal from the National Stakes last month when Henry Longfellow stepped in to be Ballydoyle’s number one.
Henry Longfellow remains in contention along with stablemates Henry Adams, Johannes Brahms, River Tiber and Unquestionable but there is no doubting City Of Troy is O’Brien’s big hope.
Iberian looked a smart colt when beating subsequent Group One winner Rosallion in the Champagne Stakes and is well worth a shot for the Charlie Hills team, while Eve Johnson Houghton’s Indian Run, part-owned by England cricket star Jonny Bairstow, arrives off a win in the Acomb Stakes.
Alyanaabi, who came from an unpromising position to win the Tattersalls Stakes, Eben Shaddad and Haatem complete the list.
Dubai Future, Knight, Regal Reality, Spirit Dancer and Sir Busker are among 13 in the Earthlight Darley Stakes. Orne, a debut winner for John and Thady Gosden, is one of 14 in the Emirates Autumn Stakes.
A total of 40 remain in the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch, headed by David Pipe’s recent Bangor winner Wordsworth.
Willie Mullins has several options at the five-day stage M C Muldoon and Lot Of Joy.
Ryan Moore is due to partner Gordon Elliott’s Pied Piper, the ante-post favourite, with the 11-year-old Not So Sleepy, back to winning ways last time out, due to be partnered by Tom Marquand.
Emmet Mullins will be represented by The Shunter, a Cheltenham Festival winner over fences in 2021.
Owner JP McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry said: “Emmet was happy with him before the weekend and the intention then was to go.
“He ran a nice race on the Flat in the summer (fourth), Emmet was pleased with that and you’d expect him to come forward from that.
“He’ll go there in good nick, anyway, and we hope he runs well.”
Tashkhan, Tritonic, The Very Man and Jesse Evans are all engaged at this stage.
In what was a magnificent display of gymnastic excellence, a team of young gymnasts from Jamaica shone brightly at the COPA IGA tournament that concluded in Panama on Sunday. The team of 11 emerging talents wowed judges and spectators alike with several members of the team topping several disciplines.
Among the standouts was Selah Price, who while competing in the Beginners Group 2 category, was first in the All Around after topping the Floor Exercise (9.350), Beam (9.550) while finishing second in the Vault (9.375).
Also in that category, Marisol Hogarth finished third in the All Around having claimed second place in the Floor Exercise (9.350) and third in the Vault (9.300). She also did well on the Beam exercise. Joelle Williams placed fourth in the All Around. She was third on the Beam (9.400), fourth in the Vault (9.175) and sixth in her Floor exercise (8.550).
Harmony Burton finished in a commendable seventh place in the All Around. She was third in the Floor exercise (9.100) and sixth in the Vault (9.000). She scored an 8.75 on the Beam.
Not to be outdone, Dojanae Garwood, competing in the Beginners Group 3 category, was first in the All Around having topped the Vault with an impressive score of 9.8000 while finishing third in the Beam and Floor exercises with scores of 9.375 and 9.275, respectively.
Adriannah Bailey was second in the All Around in Group 3. She scored an impressive 9.550 to win the Beam and generated a score of 9.300 to finish in second place on the Floor. She was fifth in the Vault with a score of 9.500.
Not far behind was Leah Cowan, who finished in fourth place in the All Around. She impressed the judges while winning the Floor with a score of 9.350 and fourth in the Vault, scoring 9.525. She had a score of 8.900 on the Beam.
Emma-Marie Donaldson finished in sixth place in the All Around and had scores of 9.275 for fourth on the Beam, 9.250 for fifth place on the Floor and 9.175 in the Vault.
Lashay Chutcan shone brightly in the 12-plus category. She was first in the All Around and had excellent scores of 9.575 to finish first on the Beam, 9.450 to emerge victorious on the Floor and 9.700 for second place in the Vault.
Among the Beginners in Group 1, Harmonie-Jade Johnson was sixth in the All Around. She was fourth on the Floor (8.550), sixth in the Vault (8.675) and scored 9.110m on the Beam.
Meanwhile, Roshanique Ricketts was seventh in the All Around while finishing third in the Vault (9.350), fourth on the Beam (9.220) and seventh on the Floor (7.750).
The successful gymnasts are expected to return to Jamaica early Monday afternoon.
Hollie Doyle has been handed a one-month ban – suspended for year – having tested positive for traces of a banned substance found in a painkiller used to treat an elbow injury.
The charge relates to Doyle returning a positive test for Dihyrocodeine (DHC) following her return to riding from a lengthy injury lay-off.
Having undergone surgery on her elbow in February 2023, Doyle returned at Newcastle on March 31 having been prescribed DHC post-operatively.
Upon interview Doyle also said she had been taking what she believed to be ibuprofen tablets previously ‘over the counter’ in Japan and had used those as pain relief. These tablets are marketed as ‘Pabron Ace Pro’.
Following an investigation by the British Horseracing Authority it was thought the likely source of DHC was therapeutic consumption of Pabron Ace Pro and Doyle had attempted to check the ingredients using Google Lens.
Sarah Crowther KC, chair of the BHA’s independent disciplinary panel, said: “I agree with the BHA that in light of the investigative findings, it is appropriate to reduce the penalty from the entry point of two months’ withdrawal of licence to one-month suspension.
“The breach was unintended and Ms Doyle has been cooperative with the investigation and made appropriate and early admissions. There is no evidence to suggest that Ms Doyle’s suitability to hold a licence is affected and therefore withdrawal would serve no purpose.
“The period of one-month suspension reflects the seriousness of the breach and also the fact that there is an element of lack of care involved.
“This is a first offence and I am content that the penalty can be suspended for one year and maintain its deterrent effect. I am confident that Ms Doyle will have learned from this episode and the risk of recurrence is extremely low indeed.
“The BHA has given consideration to requiring Ms Doyle to take part in the Enhanced Sampling Programme, but in my judgement that would be unnecessary where all the evidence suggests that this was a one-off error rather than a situation of any potential underlying systemic issue and monitoring would serve no real purpose.
“I therefore approve the penalty of one-month suspension of licence, suspended for one year.”
In a statement, Doyle said: “In April, when returning to ride after my elbow injury, Dr Jerry Hill informed me that I had tested positive for traces of Dihydrocodeine, which is a painkiller used to treat moderate pain.
“I required elbow surgery in February and was prescribed dihydrocodeine, which I stopped consuming a few days after my operation as it made me feel unwell. In April I tested positive on my return to ride, and I stated that I has only been taking ibuprofen and paracetamol throughout my recovery to control some swelling.
“After some research we found that the contamination came from a packet of ibuprofen which I had purchased when riding overseas, that unknowingly contained small amounts of Dihydrocodeine. The BHA accepts that this was the likely source of the positive.
“The BHA also accepts that the breach was innocent and unintended, but due to it being a strict liability case, they found it appropriate to impose a one-month suspended suspension.
“I’m extremely grateful to my family, friends, and employers for the support and advice over the last five months. We’re all very glad it’s over.”
Michael Dods will be targeting major prizes with Azure Blue next season, having seen the campaign of his improving sprinter come to a premature end.
The four-year-old – who found the scoresheet four times in 2022 – made a blistering start to the season, winning a Listed event at Newmarket before claiming the scalp of Highfield Princess in the 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes at York.
She was subsequently saved for Newmarket’s July Cup where she finished sixth but has not been since, having suffered a foot injury which has kept her on the sidelines and ruled her out of tilts at both the Nunthorpe and Haydock’s Betfair Sprint Cup.
Sights were turned to Qipco British Champions Day, but having lost the battle to fully prime the daughter of El Kabeir for Ascot action, Dods is now relishing the prospect of Azure Blue returning in 2024.
He said: “She’s fine, we just ran out of time to get her back for British Champions Day so we’ll leave her now and she will back.
“We’re looking forward to next season now.”
When asked if she will be campaigned as a Group One sprinter next season, Dods added: “That will be the plan, I would say so definitely.”
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