Recoletos won his stakes debut and third consecutive start in Monday’s Group 2 Prix Greffulhe for 3-year-old colts and fillies at Saint-Cloud Racecourse in Paris. The win is expected to lead to a start in the Group 1 French Derby at Chantilly on June 4.
Ridden by Olivier Peslier, Recoletos closed from fourth in a field of five to win the $143,247 Prix Greffulhe at 1 1/4 miles on turf by 2 1/4 lengths over Waldgeist, the 11-10 favorite.
The 3-year-old filly Winter won the English 1000 Guineas by two lengths over her stablemate Rhododendron on Sunday at Newmarket Racecourse.
Winter gave trainer Aidan O’Brien a sweep of the two English Guineas races this weekend after Churchill had won the 2000 Guineas on Saturday. O’Brien ran one-two in Sunday’s race as Rhododendron finished second, meaning O’Brien-trained fillies have taken five of the six top placings in the race the last two years following O’Brien’s sweep of the top three spots in 2016.
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, May 7)
:: Get free PPs, analysis, and watch Sunday's card live from Sha Tin
Brett Davis
Race 1: 1-4-10-12
Race 2: 1-8-6-4
Race 3: 2-5-9-1
Race 4: 8-12-5-11
Race 5: 7-11-4-8
Race 6: 1-2-3-13
Race 7: 4-1-3-2
Race 8: 3-2-4-10
Race 9: 1-13-2-5
Race 10: 8-7-3-5
Churchill made the most of a perfect trip under Ryan Moore to give trainer Aidan O’Brien his eighth win in the English 2000 Guineas on Saturday at Newmarket, as the connections of the second- and third-place finishers, Barney Roy and Al Wukair, were left wondering what might have been.
If she carries her 2016 form into her 2017 debut, Rhododendron is a likely winner of the English 1000 Guineas Stakes on Sunday at Newmarket Racecourse.
Rhododendron won three of her five starts last year at age 2, and it was in her season’s finale that she took a serious step forward, winning the Group 1 Fillies Mile by more than two lengths.
The New York-bred filly Rieno Tesoro, purchased for $250,000 as a yearling at Saratoga in 2015, will make her Grade 1 debut in Sunday’s $1,821,571 NHK Mile for 3-year-old colts and fillies at Tokyo Racecourse.
Rieno Tesoro, one of five fillies in the field of 18, reeled off four consecutive wins to start her career as a 2-year-old. The streak ended with a fourth in the Anemone Stakes at a mile on turf at Nakayama Racecourse on March 11.
Despite the loss, Rieno Tesoro fits in the crowded field of the NHK Mile, which lacks a standout.
The Group 1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Sunday will provide a stern class test for the brilliant 4-year-old Rapper Dragon.
Earlier this year, Rapper Dragon swept the 4-year-old Triple Crown in Hong Kong – the Hong Kong Classic Mile, Hong Kong Classic Cup, and Hong Kong Derby – and followed with a win in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy at a mile on April 9.
The $2,056,211 Champions Mile will be the Group 1 debut in Hong Kong for Rapper Dragon, an Australian-bred gelding by Street Boss who has won 9 of 17 starts, all in Australia and Hong Kong.
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, May 7, 2017)
RACE 1: #1 Ah Bo, #7 Hit A Home Run, #10 Unique Joyful, #8 Lightning And Gold
RACE 2: #1 Ensuring, #3 Green Dispatch, #8 Jolly Gene, #2 Sharp Sailor
RACE 3: #2 Sight Leader, #9 Infinity Endeavour, #5 Multigogo, #7 Enjoy Life
RACE 4: #1 Club Life, #5 Lucky Power, #12 Polymer Luck, #8 Triumphant Light
RACE 5: #7 Gorgeous Again, #11 Garlic Yeah, #6 Blazing Pass, #4 Allcash
