There is no soft opening to the Group 1 portion of the European flat-racing season, with super-filly Treve set to take on the wonderful 8-year-old gelding Cirrus des Aigles in the Prix Ganay on Sunday at Longchamp.
Top Notch Tonto, second in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot last October, makes his 2014 debut in Friday’s $159,600 bet365 Mile at Sandown Park, outside of London.
Isla Bonita won his third consecutive graded stakes in Sunday’s $1,973,447 Japanese 2000 Guineas at Nakayama Racecourse, a victory likely to lead to a start in the Japanese Derby at Tokyo Racecourse on June 1.
It’s a Dundeel earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita in November with a victory in Saturday’s $3.67 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick in Sydney, Australia.
Harp Star closed from last in the final half-mile to win Sunday’s $1,820,078 Japanese 1000 Guineas for 3-year-old fillies at Hanshin Racecourse.
The Australian stakes winners Lankan Rupee and Sacred Falls earned fees-paid berths to Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita this fall with wins in Group 1 races at Royal Randwick in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.
Kingman vaulted to the fore of the future book for the English 2000 Guineas on May 3 with an easy win in Saturday’s $100,200 Greenham Stakes for 3-year-olds at Newbury, England.
Berkshire and Kingman, two leading contenders for the English 2000 Guineas in May, make their first starts of 2014 in Saturday’s $100,200 Greenham Stakes for 3-year-olds at Newbury, England.
Trainer Jamie Osborne on Tuesday made official what he and owner Michael Buckley had insinuated for the past week: Toast of New York, the winner of the United Arab Emirates Derby, will not travel to the United States for the May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Jockey Leighton Aspell had a plan for riding Pineau De Re in Saturday’s $1.66 million Grand National over 4 7/16 miles at Aintree Racecourse in England. Aspell, who once retired from racing and later made a comeback, did not want to reach the front too soon in the grueling steeplechase race over 30 fences. So, he waited 3 1/2 miles into the race before asking Pineau De Re, who took the lead two fences from the finish. Pineau De Re responded to the patient approach and pulled away to win the Grand National by five lengths as a 25-1 shot in the field of 40.
