Sat, 08/18/2007 - 00:00

Literato rallies at Deauville

Literato rallied from last to first at Deauville on Saturday to win a contentious renewal of the Group 2, $175,000 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano for 3-year-olds. The 6-5 favorite, Literato rallied under a perfectly timed ride from Christophe Lemaire to defeat Spirit One by a half-length, covering the 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.90 on good ground. Loup Breton finished 2 1/2 lengths back in third and three-quarters of a length in front of the previously unbeaten El Comodin.

Sat, 08/18/2007 - 00:00

Notnowcato capable of repeating

Dylan Thomas and Notnowcato renew their rivalry in the Group 1, $990,000 Juddmonte International Stakes at York on Tuesday while Epsom Derby winner Authorized attempts to get back on the winning track while seeking to redeem the tarnished reputation of this year's 3-year-olds.

The Juddmonte highlights opening day of York's three-day Ebor meeting, which runs through Thursday.

Fri, 08/17/2007 - 00:00

Top juveniles meeting at Deauville

Four of Europe's very best 2-year-olds will clash Sunday in the $470,000 Prix Morny, a six-furlong Group 1 dash that is Deauville's premier juvenile contest.

Fri, 08/17/2007 - 00:00

Gate problems not an issue in Japan

NEW YORK - There seems to have been some difficulty at Saratoga this month in getting horses into and out of the gate in good order. Some horses have refused to enter their starting stalls. Others have entered only after the gate crew have employed either the most duplicitous means of trickery or simply brute force to get them to do so. Still others, once properly positioned, refuse to do any running at all, or behave so petulantly as to require their dismissal from the business at hand.

Fri, 08/17/2007 - 00:00

York often spawns stars of fall

The medieval city of York becomes a thoroughly up-to-date place each year during the third week of August when its famous racecourse just outside the city walls runs three races that have a long history of producing big race winners during autumn.

Trainers at this time of the year are beginning to think about which season-ending finale to aim for with their best horses. York offers them a perfectly placed springboard from which they might choose.

Thu, 08/16/2007 - 00:00

Literato heads Guillaume d'Ornano

Last Saturday's Arlington Million card should provide plenty of clues to the outcome of this Saturday's Group 2, $175,000 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano, a 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-olds at Deauville that annually competes with the Secretariat Stakes for entries.

The Guillaume d'Ornano is headed by French Derby runner-up Literato, a Jean-Claude Rouget trainee who finished a neck in front of Secretariat winner Shamdinan in that 1 5/16-mile French classic. Previously the winner of the 1 1/4-mile Group 3 Prix La Force, Literato will be ridden by Christophe Lemaire.

Mon, 08/13/2007 - 00:00

Saoirse Abu upsets in Phoenix

Saoirse Abu sprung a 25-1 filly surprise in the $408,000 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday, denying the 1-2 favorite, Henrythenavigator, with a come-again one-length victory in the European season's first Group 1 race for 2-year-olds.

Mon, 08/13/2007 - 00:00

Manduro takes Marois mile; Arc or BC Classic on slate

Either the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe or the Breeders' Cup Classic is on Manduro's agenda after the German-bred 5-year-old cruised to an impressive victory in the Group 1, $817,000 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville on Sunday. The 4-5 favorite, he defeated Holocene by three lengths. Turtle Bowl was third, a half-length farther back, with the French Derby winner Lawman bringing up the rear. The time for the straight mile on good ground was 1:37.40.

Fri, 08/10/2007 - 00:00

Lawman facing Manduro

Manduro, the highest-rated older horse in Europe, will square off against France's leading 3-year-old, Lawman, in the Group 1, $820,000 Prix Jacques le Marois over the straight mile at Deauville on Sunday.

Trained by Andre Fabre, Manduro has done nothing wrong this season, winning the Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes and the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan, both at 1 1/8 miles, before slamming subsequent Group 1 winners Dylan Thomas and Notnowcato in the 1 1/4-mile Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Thu, 08/09/2007 - 00:00

Dubai sets '08 World Cup date

Dubai World Cup Night will be held at Nad Al Sheba on Saturday, March 29, 2008, the Emirates Racing Authority announced on Thursday.

The six-race, $21 million card, the single richest day of Thoroughbred racing in the world, will as usual, feature the world's richest race, the $6 million Dubai World Cup, plus, at $5 million each, the world's two most valuable turf races: the Dubai Duty Free and the Dubai Sheema Classic. The $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen, the $2 million UAE Derby and the $1 million Godolphin Mile complete the program.