Rothschild Takes Centre Stage On Sunday
Watch Me | Scoop Dyga
Deauville stages the first of its August features on Sunday, with the fillies and mares granted the opportunity to strike at the highest level in the G1 Prix Rothschild. Alexander Tamagni-Bodmer and Regula Vannod’s Watch Me (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) sets the standard, having won last year’s G1 Coronation S. and finished third in the G1 Prix de l’Opera and she looked primed for another big effort when taking the course-and-distance Listed Prix de la Calonne on July 12. Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard is expecting a bold show. “She is in great form and has improved a lot since her seasonal comeback three weeks ago,” he said. “It’s a Group 1 and they are always hard to win, but I could not be happier with her condition.”
Watch Me meets Godolphin’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), who put up a markedly-improved performance when taking Epsom’s G3 Princess Elizabeth S. over an extended mile on July 4. Enjoying the run of the race there, she still managed to beat three classy fillies in Cloak of Spirits (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Rose of Kildare (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and Onassis (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Charlie Appleby is hoping she can build on that confidence boost. “We were very pleased with the performance of Summer Romance at Epsom and she came out of the race well,” he said. “She made the running there, but doesn’t have to go from the front–it wasn’t the plan to make it last time out but nobody else wanted to go on, so we took the bull by the horns. We feel that this is a good opportunity to hopefully step up to Group 1 level.”
Another who is looking to make a jump forward is Qatar Racing Limited’s July 1 G3 Derrinstown Stud Fillies S. scorer Know It All (GB) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), but the manner of her success in that Leopardstown mile contest suggests she can make an impact. Trainer Johnny Murtagh said, “She’s going there in great form, hopefully. Sheikh Fahad picked this race out and I’m glad he did because it’s a fillies’ only Group 1 with six runners. There are obviously some good ones in it.” One of those is Rashit Shaykhutdinov’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches runner-up Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who is back over a mile having failed to stay the 10 1/2-furlong trip of the G1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly on July 5. She is probably still underestimated and this could be her chance to make amends for her unlucky defeat in the June 1 Classic here.
In the G3 Darley Prix de Cabourg, which has been won in recent times by Dabirsim (Fr) (Hat Trick {Jpn}), Ervedya (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal), the 2-year-olds get a chance to prove worthy of a tilt at the upcoming G1 Prix Morny over the same six-furlong trip. There does not look to be an Earthlight among the domestic contingent this year and, as ever, there is a strong British challenge via the July 18 Listed Rose Bowl S. runner-up Mighty Gurkha (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) and the unbeaten Cairn Gorm (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}).
At Dusseldorf, there is Classic action with the 162nd renewal of the 11-furlong G1 Henkel-Preis der Diana seeing a formidable collection of foreign raiders. Francis-Henri Graffard has already taken one of Germany’s Classics after In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) caused an upset in the G1 Deutsches Derby and is back again with another import from this country in Tickle Me Green (Ger) (Sea the Moon {Ger}). Third in the G3 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp on May 11 and ninth in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches at Deauville on June 1 when under the care of Andre Fabre, Gestut Gorlsdorf’s homebred made her debut for Graffard a winning one in the Listed Prix Madame Jean Couturie over 10 furlongs at Vichy on July 20.
Gary Barber and Team Valor International’s Silence Please (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) beat her stablemate and subsequent G1 Nassau S. runner-up One Voice (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) in the 10-furlong Listed Salsabil S. at Navan on June 10 before finishing third behind Even So (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) under a penalty in the July 4 Listed Naas Oaks Trial. That form may be good enough in this context with no stand-out among the German brigade. One of the least exposed of them is Gestut Wittekindshof’s Elle Memory (Ger) (Maxios {GB}), the Peter Schiergen-trained daughter of the prolific Elle Danzig (Ger) (Roi Danzig) who captured this in 1998 when it was a Group 2. The second dam of Saturday’s Listed Chalice S. winner Katara (Fr) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), her Shamardal filly Elle Shadow was second in this in 2010. Although it would make a nice story if Elle Memory is to go one better, she has to progress some way from her narrow defeat of Sister Lulu (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}) in the 10 1/2-furlong Listed Preis Dusseldorf on June 21.
fonte : TDN
IMPROBABLE WINS WHITNEY AT SARATOGA AND EARNS AUTOMATIC BERTH INTO LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (Aug. 1, 2020) – WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing’s 4-year-old Improbable ($8.50) won Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile Whitney (G1)
at Saratoga Race Course by two lengths, and became the fourth horse this year to earn an automatic berth into the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1)
through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge is an international series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 6-7.
Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Improbable won his sixth race in 13 starts, completing the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.65 over a fast track. Allied Racing Stable’s By My Standards, ridden by Jose Ortiz and trained by Bret Calhoun, finished ahead of Tom’s d’Etat, ridden by Joel Rosario, by a half-length for runner-up honors. Tom’s d’Etat, the even-money favorite, stumbled badly at the start and came out of the gate last.
Improbable joins previous Classic “Win and You’re In” qualifiers Capital System’s 6-year-old Mozu Ascot, winner of the February Stakes (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse on Feb. 23; GMB Racing’s 7-year-old Tom’ d’Etat, winner of the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs on June 27, and Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing’s 3-year-old Authentic, also trained by Baffert, who won the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park on July 18.
Improbable bested the five-horse field to notch his second consecutive Grade 1 victory following his 3 ¼-length score in the Hollywood Gold Cup on June 6 at Santa Anita. The City Zip colt was shipped to New York for the first time off that race, and the trek netted the conditioner his second straight Whitney win, following McKinzie last year.
“Finally, he’s grown up a little bit. He turned into a nice horse,” said Ortiz, Jr. “Mr. Baffert did a great job with him. He broke really good today. Honestly, I just took a little hold. I know Mr. Buff, he’s the speed of the race and I sat second. Last time, [Drayden] Van Dyke rode him second in the clear and he ran so good, so I just tried to do the same thing.”
Code of Honor, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, was bidding to become the first horse to capture the Travers, Jockey Club Gold Cup and Whitney in a career since the McGaughey-conditioned Easy Goer in 1989. The 4-year-old son of Noble Mission finished fourth, with the New York-bred Mr. Buff completing the order of finish.
As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders’ Cup will pay the $150,000 in entry fee and guarantee a starting position for Blank to start in the Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track at Keeneland . In addition, Breeders’ Cup will provide a $10,000 travel allowance for starters within North America that are stabled outside of Kentucky.
fonte : Breeder’s Cup
Ippodromo del Mediterraneo, Siracusa. Arrivi & Quote riunione di sabato 1 agosto 2020
Imperial State vincente in Condizionata; TQQ per Perla dell’Etna
Dalla forma più che positiva, Imperial State squarcia il gruppo degli avversari e si impone nella prima competizione legata alla II Tris Nazionale all’Ippodromo del Mediterraneo. Su un gruppo agguerrito, che si rimescola più volte per provare a vincere il Premio Mastroianni, Condizionata da 11 mila euro per cavalli di 3 anni e oltre sui 1400 metri di pista piccola, Seby Guerrieri ci crede e spinge il suo Imperial primo sull’arrivo. L’attesa Sharming Girl non manca di mettere in mostra le sue belle doti e si aggiudica la seconda piazza, mentre risale con un poderoso allungo Emblouis Moi per il terzo gradino assegnato, dunque, all’Alca Torre di Canicarao. È questo l’ordine di arrivo della prima corsa del convegno siracusano dedicato, stasera, al galoppo con sei competizioni in programma dalle 18:55 in poi.
Riscatta l’ultima opaca prestazione Complimentor che vince, in categoria più abbordabile, una Vendere legata al Premio Vittorio Gassman, mentre si attende la terza prova abbinata alla TQQ.
Qui, Perla dell’Etna, particolarmente stimata dal suo team, fa numero finale e risucchia nel suo allungo Natural Storm che resiste da un capo all’altro dei 1700 metri di questo Premio Anna Magnani e ipoteca la piazza d’onore. Una corsa combattuta sul finale anche da Thesan che, al centro pista, prova a risalire fino al terzo gradino del podio. Ci riesce e si pone davanti ai mezzi finalmente mostrati di Rock Of Paloma e di una Ela Speed che, alla seconda uscita siracusana, fa vedere qualcosina in più. Quartè ben pagata al betting, mentre nessun vincente per la Quintè.
Si continua con un duello ingaggiato dal vittorioso Royal Alhebayeb e Ladycammyofclare. È la cronaca di un handicap, Premio Nino Manfredi, svoltosi sui selettivi 2300 metri di pista grande.
Scenicroute, con Gabriele Cannarella in sella, regolarissima tra i giovanissimi, fa tutto secondo i pronostici e vince il Premio Ugo Tognazzi, così come City Red Girl, nelle mani di Carmelo Zappulla, vince in totale controllo la prova di chiusura sui 2100 metri di pista piccola, Premio Alberto Sordi.
arrivi-e-quote (fonte : Ippodromo del Mediterraneo)
