Old Vic, winner of the French and Irish Derbies in 1989 when ridden by Steve Cauthen, was euthanized at Sunnyhill Stud in County Kildare, Ireland, on Monday after suffering a bout of colic at the age of 25.
Michael Jarvis, one of Britain’s leading trainers for many decades, announced his imminent retirement on Tuesday because of ill health.
Mahbooba appears to have her six rivals in the Group 3, $250,000 UAE Oaks over a barrel at Meydan on Thursday night. The Australian-bred Mike de Kock-trained Mahbooba whistled three weeks ago when taking the UAE 1000 Guineas by 3 3/4 lengths. At 1 3/16 miles, the Oaks is 3/16 of a mile longer than the Guineas, but that should only work to the advantage of Mahbooba, a daughter of Galileo.
Friday’s card at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand has been called off after an earthquake registering 6.3 on the Richter Scale struck the area on Tuesday afternoon.
Connections of Transcend are angling for an invitation to the Dubai World Cup after the 5-year-old son of Wild Rush led throughout to win the Grade 1, $2.2 million February Stakes at Tokyo on Sunday.
Calvin Borel won the Meydan Masters International jockey competition at Meydan Racecourse on Friday, a night when trainer Mike de Kock scored a one-two knockout in the Group 2, $200,000 Balanchine Stakes with River Jetez and Reem.
Transcend will prepare for his March 26 date in the Godolphin Mile at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday when he takes on Furioso in the $2.2 million February Stakes, a Grade 1 one-mile dirt race that his been won in recent years by Japanese dirt champions Espoir City and Kane Hekili.
Derbaas held off the late challenge of Raihana to win the Group 2, $250,000 Al Fahidi Fort on Thursday night at Meydan, where Calvin Borel leads the Meydan Masters jockey challenge after the first two legs of the four-race series.
The in-form Aspectoflove meets the off-the-layoff Strawberrydaiquiri in an intriguing running of the Group 2, $200,000 Balanchine Stakes at Meydan on Friday night when Calvin Borel will ride in legs 3 and 4 of the Meydan Masters jockey competition.
The Group 2, $250,000 Al Fahidi Fort, the second of three local stepping-stones to the $5 million Dubai Duty Free at Meydan, is a wide open affair Thursday night, lacking a standout, in which a pair of fillies could steal the show.
