Johnny Murtagh and Aidan O’Brien may be parting company at the end of the year, but they are going out with a bang as the duo landed the Group 1, $340,000 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on Saturday with Recital.
Irian rallied late to win the Group 2, $387,000 Jockey Club Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday, thus presenting himself as a key contender for the Hong Kong Cup on Dec. 12.
Britain’s English and Irish Oaks winner Snow Fairy scored an astounding four-length victory in the $2.1 million Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Kyoto on Sunday.
Ave comes into Sunday’s $2.1 million Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup at Kyoto in the best form of her career. The Roger Attfield-trained Ave is fresh from a victory in the Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park on Oct. 2, but has drawn unfortunately wide in a field of 18 fillies and mares going 1 3/8 miles.
The revamped local prep for the $2.6 million Hong Kong Cup will be run at Sha Tin on Sunday. Formerly known as the International Cup Trial, the 1 1/4-mile, $387,000 contest has had its name changed to the Jockey Club Cup and will be run for the first time with international Group 2 status.
The connections of Dangerous Midge, the 8.50-1 winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf, have declined an invitation to run in the Japan Cup.
Three stakes winners from last month's West Virginia Breeders' Classic program will challenge defending champion Saxet Heights in a highly competitive field of 10 statebred fillies and mares in Saturday night's $50,000 My Sister Pearl Stakes at Charles Town.
The Group 1, $345,000 Criterium de Saint-Cloud at 1 1/4 miles on Saturday will feature the first three home from the 1 1/8-mile, Group 3 Prix de Conde, but there is much more to this, the world’s longest juvenile group race, which has drawn a competitive field of 11 without a standout.
Roger Attfield reports from Kyoto Racecourse that his Flower Bowl Invitational winner Ave is on course for her Sunday assignment in the $2.3 million Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup. After watching her gallop around the right-handed turf course Thursday, the Woodbine-based Englishman pronounced himself pleased with her condition.
Jockey Johnny Murtagh resigned as contract rider for the Irish-based Ballydoyle on Monday. A statement released by Eddie Byrne, the agent for the 40-year-old Irish rider, read, ”Johnny Murtagh has spoken to John Magnier, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, and Aidan O’Brien today and informed them that he will not be renewing his contract to ride as stable jockey to Coolmore/Ballydoyle next season, 2011.”
