The 4-year-old filly Siyouma scored the biggest win of her career Saturday at Newmarket when she landed the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Elusive Kate.
Snow Fairy, one of the favorites for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe next weekend, and an eagerly anticipated runner in the Breeders’ Cup, won’t race again in 2012 after suffering an undisclosed injury during a workout on Friday in England.
Battle of Marengo, who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Trial at Leopardstown, can move closer to a potential trip to California for the Breeders’ Cup in November when he starts in Sunday’s Group 2 Beresford Stakes at the Curragh in Ireland.
The talented 2-year-old Certify ran her career mark to 4 for 4 when she dominated the Group 1 Fillies' Mile on Friday at Newmarket, looking like a horse for the 2013 English 1000 Guineas.
The Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes is the best race on a big Saturday program at Newmarket in England, featuring high-class fillies like Elusive Kate and Beauty Parlour. Beauty Parlour’s name has come up as a potential Breeders’ Cup runner, but the Newmarket race with the strongest link to the American scene is actually the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes, for 2-year-old colts and geldings.
The undefeated Certify should be heavily favored to win the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile for 2-year-old fillies on Friday at Newmarket in England.
The Japanese horse Orfevre punched his ticket to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, while the French horse Moonlight Cloud booked trainer Freddie Head passage back to the Breeders’ Cup Mile during the course of a major day’s racing Sunday at Longchamp.
Royal Diamond, a 6-year-old who had failed to win a race of consequence in any of his previous 24 starts, came out on the right side of a three-horse photo finish in the Group 1 Irish St. Leger on Saturday at the Curragh.
The cheers that greeted Derby and 2000 Guineas winner Camelot as he loped past the finish post on his way to the start for Saturday’s classic St. Leger Stakes turned to stunned mumbles some 10 minutes later, after chances for the first English Triple Crown winner in 42 years went down by three-quarters of a length at the hands of the 25-1 longshot Encke carrying Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin blue.
Somewhat lost amid Camelot’s bid for an English Triple Crown this weekend is the presence of Japanese Triple Crown winner Orfevre at Longchamp on Sunday.
