Sun, 08/07/2011 - 14:56

Europe: Fillies upset Maurice de Gheest, Phoenix

Fillies provided upset wins in Group 1 races in France and Ireland on Sunday.

Moonlight Cloud, one of two fillies in a field of 13, pulled an upset in Sunday’s Prix Maurice de Gheest for sprinters in Deauville, France. Dream Ahead, the joint champion 2-year-old of England last year, could only finish seventh after a troubled trip.

Fri, 08/05/2011 - 14:13

Deauville: Dream Ahead back for more

Dream Ahead made a successful voyage to Deauville, France, last summer to win the Group 1 Prix Morny, part of a season in which he shared the 2-year-old English championship with the undefeated Frankel.

This weekend, Dream Ahead makes another cross-Channel journey to Deauville, where he will be favored in Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over 6 1/2 furlongs. Trained by David Simcock, Dream Ahead will be after his second consecutive win at the highest level, having won the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket last month in his second start of 2011.

Thu, 08/04/2011 - 14:38

Canford Cliffs, top European miler, retired with injury

Canford Cliffs, widely considered England’s best older miler this year, has been retired after sustaining a leg injury, trainer Richard Hannon announced on Thursday.

The injury, to the pastern of his left foreleg, was detected after Canford Cliffs finished second by five lengths to the undefeated 3-year-old miler Frankel in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on July 27 when attempting to win his sixth consecutive Group 1 race. In the final quarter-mile of that race, Canford Cliffs drifted noticeably to the left.

Sun, 07/31/2011 - 14:21

Goldikova captures Prix Rothschild for fourth straight year

Goldikova won Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Rothschild for a record fourth consecutive year at Deauville, France, holding off Sahpresa by a short neck. The margin at the end of the one-mile race was somewhat deceptive, as Goldikova was being eased down by jockey Olivier Peslier in the final sixteenth.

The victory gave Goldikova her 14th win in a Group 1 or Grade 1 race. Three of those wins have come in the last three runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Mile – twice at Santa Anita, once at Churchill Downs.

Sat, 07/30/2011 - 14:19

Goodwood: Midday wins Nassau for record third time

Press Association Images
Midday wins the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood under little urging from jockey Tom Queally.

Midday won the Group 1 Nassau Stakes for a record third time at Goodwood Racecourse in England on Saturday, giving trainer Sir Henry Cecil his eighth win in the race.

Midday won by two lengths over the multiple Group 1 winner Snow Fairy with little urging from jockey Tom Queally in the final sixteenth. Sent off as the 3-2 favorite in the race over 1  1/4 miles, Midday took the lead with a quarter-mile remaining and was in command with a furlong to go.

Fri, 07/29/2011 - 15:36

Goldikova makes rare appearance vs. females in Prix Rothschild

The brilliant turf miler Goldikova will be heavily favored to win her second Group 1 race of 2011, and the 14th such race of her career, in Sunday’s Prix Rothschild at Deauville, France.

The winner of the last three runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Mile – twice at Santa Anita, once at Churchill Downs – Goldikova will be after her fourth consecutive win in the Prix Rothschild, a one-mile race for fillies and mares which has drawn a field of eight. The race has a purse of approximately $429,000.

Thu, 07/28/2011 - 15:36

Goodwood: Midday won't be favored when she shoots for third Nassau win

Tom Keyser
Midday is expected to be second or third choice in the betting for Saturday's Nassau.

Midday can become the first filly or mare to win three runnings of the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse in England on Saturday, but a win would be a slight surprise.

Midday, 5, is expected to be the second or third choice in the betting behind the upstart 3-year-old Misty for Me, trained by Aidan O’Brien, and the 4-year-old filly Snow Fairy. Midday and Misty for Me met for the first time in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh in Ireland on June 25, which Misty for Me won by six lengths.

Wed, 07/27/2011 - 11:57

Goodwood: Frankel cruises to win in Sussex

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Believe the hype. Three-year-old superstar Frankel proved he has substance to match his reputation, decisively defeating top miler Canford Cliffs in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes on Wednesday at Goodwood in England.

Mon, 07/25/2011 - 16:14

Goodwood: Frankel gets biggest test against Canford Cliffs in Sussex Stakes

Press Association Images
Frankel will test his perfect record against Canford Cliffs in Wednesday's Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

Unbeaten 3-year-old sensation Frankel has humbled rivals in his age set, but Wednesday, Frankel faces the strongest foe he has yet met, 4-year-old Canford Cliffs, in a highly anticipated renewal of the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at the Glorious Goodwood meeting in England.

Only two others were entered, and while both Rajsaman and Rio de la Plata are nice horses, the one-mile Sussex widely is viewed as a match race between Frankel and Canford Cliffs. The English bet-taker Coral, in fact, will refund losing wagers on Frankel and Canford Cliffs should neither win.

Sat, 07/23/2011 - 14:13

Frankel puts unbeaten streak on line vs. Canford Cliffs in Goodwood's Sussex

The five-day Glorious Goodwood meeting begins on Tuesday in southern England, and the first-ever match-up between the undefeated 3-year-old Frankel and the red-hot 4-year-old Canford Cliffs in Wednesday’s Group 1 Sussex Stakes figures to be the highlight of the week.

Both Frankel and Canford Cliffs won Group 1 races at Royal Ascot on June 14. Canford Cliffs beat two-time Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Goldikova in the Queen Anne Stakes an hour before Frankel extended his unbeaten streak to seven races in the St. James’s Palace Stakes for 3-year-olds.