Persian King has ascended the throne among French 3-year-olds this season, and despite a poor draw is widely expected to maintain his reign Sunday at Chantilly in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club.
France’s version of the Derby is contested at 1 5/16 miles around right-handed bends and drew 15 entrants who will race over a course termed good-to-soft as of Friday.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien has the favorite for Saturday’s Group 1 English Derby at Epsom. And the second favorite, fourth favorite, and sixth favorite. What O’Brien has is a veritable army of Derby runners – seven of the 14 entered in one of the world’s top races.
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, June 2, 2019)
Race 1: #6 Gorgeous Again, #2 Best Effort, #3 Dragon Warrior, #10 Celebration
Race 2: #4 Classic Unicorn, #3 Aurora Steed, #1 Allied Agility, #6 Simply Fluke
Race 3: #1 Buddies, #13 Nice Fandango, #4 Intrepic, #5 Murray’s Partners
Race 4: #8 Silver Fig, #3 Victory Machine, #7 Red Desert, #9 Ambitious Heart
Race 5: #1 Chairman Lo, #3 The Createth, #10 Destin, #8 Emerald Spur
For a filly without a group stakes win in her brief career, Pink Dogwood is the focus of high expectations in Friday’s Group 1 English Oaks at Epsom Downs.
Pink Dogwood’s race record, pedigree, and support team suggest her role of favorite is deserved. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, who has won the English Oaks seven times, Pink Dogwood won her 2019 debut in the minor Salsabil Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Navan by a calculated half-length under jockey Ryan Moore, who has the mount on Friday.
Brett Davis
R1 – 9-3-5-1
R2 – 3-6-12-1
R3 – 9-11-8-2
R4 – 4-7-2-5-9
R5 – 5-3-6-9
R6 – 8-10-4-5
R7 – 10-12-8-1
R8 – 6-9-12-2
Best – R8 n6 First Responder
Longshot – R5 n5 Gentry
Best Play – R3 Q/Qp 2,8,9,11
Andrew Le Jeune
R1: 1-9-3-11
R2: 3-12-10-4
R3: 11-3-2-1
R4: 6-4-5-2
R5: 8-3-9-12
R6: 8-5-4-9
R7: 10-5-1-12
R8: 10-6-4-2
Best: R1 N1 Star Luck
Long: R4 N6 Cheeky Bee
Play: Q/QP R4: 4-5-6
True Grit and Waldorf have each won their last two starts at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong and the geldings can give jockey Joao Moreira a sweep of the late double at the same venue on Wednesday.
True Grit, trained by John Size, won handicaps at a mile and 50 yards in consecutive starts on April 10 and May 15, closing from off the pace to oblige as the favorite. Those races were against a lower class of runners than True Grit will face in Wednesday’s $175,818 Shan Pui River Handicap at the same distance.
Roger Barows, a 92-1 outsider, turned in a stalking trip into a shocking win in Sunday’s Grade 1 Japanese Derby at Tokyo Racecourse.
Ridden by Suguru Hamanaka, Roger Barows was second behind runaway leader Lion Lion for the first mile of the $3.8 million race at 1 1/2 miles before taking the lead in the final quarter-mile. Roger Barows held off a late charge from 7-2 Danon Kingly to win by a neck in stakes record time of 2:22.60.
The Japanese Derby was the first stakes win for Roger Barows, who was seventh and second in Grade 2 races in March and May.
Aidan O’Brien dominates high-end racing in Ireland, and two fillies from his training yard, Magical and Hermosa, dominated the Group 1 races Sunday at The Curragh.
Magical made short work of a short field in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, beating stablemate Flag of Honour by seven lengths, and one race later, Hermosa gave O’Brien his eighth win in the Irish 1000 Guineas.
