The Taj Mahal defends his title in the Zipping Classic! @NCW717
RECAP: bit.ly/2TeZe2W
Moore & Capri set for Japan Cup challenge
Fri 23 Nov 2018
Ryan Moore feels Capri needs to return to his best form as a three-year-old to make his presence felt in the Japan Cup at Tokyo on Sunday.
Capri won the Irish Derby and the St Leger in 2017, beating a host of top-class horses in the process, but has not had the roll of the dice so far this year after missing a chunk of the campaign.
However, Moore reported Capri to be in good form after exercising the Aidan O’Brien-trained grey on the track this week and is looking forward to the mile-and-a-half showpiece.
“We’re very happy with him. He’s travelled and settled in very well,”
“This year, he started well and then he had a setback after his win. He ran a very credible race in the Arc and I feel that the race in Ascot (Champion Stakes) was too short of a turnaround.
“He didn’t run badly, this horse very rarely runs a bad race. His form is very good – when you look back when he won the St Leger, he beat Crystal Ocean and Stradivarius and Rekindling.
“When he won the Irish Derby he beat Cracksman, Wings Of Eagles and Waldgeist who are all Group One winners.
“He needs to come back to that to be involved against some high-class horses and show the exceptional form that he had last year.”
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The Taj Mahal won his second Zipping Classic at Sandown on Saturday In what turned out to be a thrilling race, The Taj Mahal looked set for a comfortable win but the import Dal Harraild refused to yield on the rails and the pair went to the line with just a short half head separating them. A length-and-three-quarters away in third was the mare Our Libretto. Stablemate Sir Isaac Newton finished 6th.
His victory for Ben Melham registered an eighth win for the Macedon Lodge team headed by Lloyd Williams in the race named after their former champion and four-time winner of the race.
Nick Williams said the Classic win made up for a tough spring for The Taj Mahal.
"He had hard runs in the Caulfield Cup and the Moonee Valley Cup, but he showed how tough he is to come out and do that today," Nick Williams said.
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Mendelssohn may target Cigar Mile & Pegasus
November 10th
We after all may not have seen the last of Mendelssohn, the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf & 2018 UAE Derby Winner returned back to Ireland on Monday with the rest of the Balydoyle Breeders Cup Squad.
Robyn Murray, head of sales and marketing for Coolmore America, said "at present it is possible" the son of Scat Daddy trains on toward Aqueduct's December 1st Cigar Mile Gr1 and then for Gulfstream Park's January. 26th Pegasus World Cup. "After that plans are fluid and a decision will be made at a later date," Murray said.
Mendelssohn also appeared as one of six early entries For Aidan for the Hong Kong Cup Gr1 run on December 9th on the turf at Sha Tin, though that was not mentioned on Friday as an option.
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Coolmore announce Breeding Roster and fees as 5 Newcomers join the roster in 2019
The fees have been announced for 2019 including those of our five new horses. “Coolmore have long been associated with standing top class two-year-olds and classic three-year-olds but the new additions for 2019 see the introduction of some really quality speed,” commented Director of Sales David O’Loughlin. “War Front’s son U S Navy Flag was last year’s European Champion 2-Year-Old and was a runaway winner of the July Cup when dropped back to six furlongs. Merchant Navy who won Group 1 races over six furlongs both in Australia and at Royal Ascot is the fastest son of his champion sire Fastnet Rock. Saxon Warrior is the best son of Deep Impact to stand in Europe to date. He bested Roaring Lion in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy to remain unbeaten at two and displayed a devastating turn of foot to win the Guineas (pictured). All three are by top sires and all three have exceptionally strong pedigrees on the female side.”
“The 2018 racing season was a fantastic one for Castlehyde,” said manager John Kennedy. “Our stallions Champs Elysees and Holy Roman Emperor sired three classic winners between them while Ruler of the World sired the Group 1 Fillies Mile winner from his first 2-year-old crop. Amongst the many high-class horses foaled here were Irish Derby winner Latrobe and Prince of Wales’s Stakes and ‘King George’ winner Poet’s Word. We are thrilled to have two very exciting horses coming for 2019. There is every reason to believe that Scat Daddy’s Norfolk and Phoenix Stakes winner Sioux Nation could be the next No Nay Never while Gustav Klimt was a very high class two-year-old, is the highest-rated son of Galileo over six furlongs and comes from the family of Invincible Spirit and Kodiac.”
No Nay Never
COOLMORE FEES 2019
Sire - Rise Or Fall In Fee
Australia - €35,000 - Unchanged
Camelot - €40,000 - +€10,000
Caravaggio - €35,000 - Unchanged
Champs Elysees - €6,500 - Unchanged
Churchill - €35,000 - Unchanged
Excelebration - €8,000 - Unchanged
Fastnet Rock €70,000 - Unchanged
Footstepsinthesand - €10,000 - Unchanged
Galileo - Private - Unchanged
Gleneagles - €30,000 - -€10,000
Gustav Klimt - €7,500 - (NEW)
Highland Reel - €17,500 - Unchanged
Holy Roman Emperor - €15,000 - Unchanged
Ivawood - €5,000 - -€1,000
Kingston Hill - €5,000 - Unchanged
Mastercraftsman - €30,000 - +€5,000
Merchant Navy - €20,000 - (NEW)
No Nay Never - €100,000 - +€75,000
Pride Of Dubai €12,500 - +€2,500
Requinto - €4,000 - -€1,000
Rock Of Gibraltar - €7,500 - Unchanged
Ruler Of The World - €8,000 - Unchanged
Saxon Warrior - €30,000 (NEW)
Sioux Nation - €12,500 (NEW)
Starspangledbanner - €17,500 - +€2,500
The Gurkha - €17,500 - +€7,500
US Navy Flag - €25,000 - (NEW)
War Command - €8,000 - Unchanged
Zoffany - €25,000 - Unchanged
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REPORT & REPLAY: "Sleepy" Cliffs Of Moher wakes up in time to boost Derby credentials with Dee Stakes triumph >>> bit.ly/2qaFW2n
Cliffs Of Moher comes with a late surge under Ryan Moore to land the Coolmore Camelot @IrishEBF_ Mooresbridge Stakes at @NaasRacecourse:
Niamh Townsend has sent us some lovely pictures of Cliffs Of Moher at Last Years Champions Day
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Ballydoyle Melbourne Cup Trio bid to go one better in 2018
Aidan O’Brien will fire a three-pronged assault in a bid to win his first Lexus Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.
The Ballydoyle handler came as close as he has ever done in last year’s renewal, with Johannes Vermeer beaten just half a length into second place by Rekindling, trained by O’Brien’s son, Joseph.
O’Brien senior is back in force this year and counts the ante-post favourite Yucatan among his three challengers.
The four-year-old was a conclusive winner of the Herbert Power Stakes on his prep and will team up with James McDonald once more.
O’Brien said: “We thought the Melbourne Cup would suit him well. He’s on a perfect mark and I imagine James McDonald will go forward on him.”
The trainer fields two other live chances in the Ryan Moore-ridden Cliffs Of Moher, who will run as The Cliffsofmoher in the big race, and Rostropovich.
The first-named finished third in the Caulfield Cup in the second of two Australian starts, while Rostropovich was fifth behind the mighty Winx in the Cox Plate on his prep run.
O’Brien added: “Cliffs Of Moher is a very classy horse, but he has plenty of weight. The Cup is a tough, difficult race, but we’ve always thought he could have a big one in him.
“Rostropovich won a Group Three at Leopardstown and he’s running off a lovely weight. He had a run to sharpen him up in the Cox Plate and Wayne (Lordan) is going to ride him.”
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The Pentagon suffers injury in Australia
The Pentagon broke down at Werribee during track work on Monday morning.
The Pentagon had been working with stable mate Latrobe when he was pulled up abruptly at about the 100 metre mark of the home straight with what appeared to be a serious leg injury. He was quickly put aboard a float and taken away to be thoroughly examined.
The Pentagon had been part-purchased by owner Lloyd Williams, who races the horse in conjunction with Coolmore.
We will keep you posted on any news and we pray he will make a full recovery.
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Coolmore splash out $3.5 Million Dollars on Daddys Lil Darling
Coolmore's M. V. Magnier bought one filly at The November Sale. He made sure she was a good one.
Sticking to his guns Nov. 4 while bidding in Fasig-Tipton's outdoor pavilion, Magnier went to $3.5 million to land Daddys Lil Darling, a grade 1-winning daughter of Scat Daddy and half sister to 2015 TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Mongolian Saturday. The bay filly out of the Houston mare Miss Hot Salsa was consigned as Hip 180 by Gainesway and was offered as a broodmare prospect for breeder Normandy Farm.
"She's a lovely filly … I'll have to talk to Michael Tabor, but I'd say the chances are she'll go to Galileo," Magnier said. "It's quite an incredible sale. A lot of these race fillies are bringing a lot of money. It's quite amazing."
Included among the filly's five wins en route to earning more than $1.3 million were the American Oaks (G1T) and Pocahontas Stakes (G1). Her stakes placings include a runner-up finish in the 2017 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). She was sold as part of a gradual reduction of stock from Normandy. The farm's owner, Nancy Polk, passed away in August.
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Antilles makes all to win the McAuley Place Nursery At Naas
Antilles made all in the McAuley Place Nursery, completing a quick-double for Aidan O'Brien, who was successful in the previous contest with Turnberry Isle.
Last on debut over the course and distance in July, the son of War Front finished fifth on his next two starts.
Making his debut in handicap company this afternoon, the bay colt proved easy to back, opening on-course at 7/1 before eventually going off at 10s.
Pushed along from the stalls by Michael Hussey, he soon got to the front, and was three lengths clear as they entered the straight.
He was ridden from the two furlong pole, and while his advantage was rapidly diminishing inside the final furlong, he just held on to prevail by a neck.
Colfer Me (8/1) was the one lunging late, but he ultimately had to settle for second under Shane Crosse for Joseph O'Brien.
Crimson King (11/2) completed the places another four lengths back in third, while the 7/4 favourite Ferretti, who is also trained by Aidan O'Brien, could only manage a disappointing fifth.
Hussey said afterwards: "The plan was to make it but he was just a bit slow away with the blinkers. Once I got him out he travelled away well and kept going to the line. He just got a bit tired at the line but faced it out well."
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Turnberry Isle leads home Gentile Bellini in Ballydoyle 1 2 in Naas Maiden
The son of Galileo and Rosdhu Queen beats the son of Dubawi and Sky Lantern - Turnberry Isle gets off the mark at @NaasRacecourse, beating @Ballydoyle stablemate and fellow Classic entry Gentile Bellini. Eyecatching debut from Hazran in third too!
Turnberry Isle, just denied at Leopardstown last weekend, made no mistake when justifying odds-on favouritism on his third start in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Naas.
The Galileo colt is certainly bred for the job being out of the Group 1 winner Rosdhu Queen, and was up with the pace throughout under Seamie Heffernan.
The 9/10 favourite disputed the running with Gentile Bellini but got the better of his Ballydoyle stable-companion inside the final quarter mile, and was just pushed out to beat that rival by two lengths.
Hazran caught the eye when staying on nicely from off the pace on debut to take third a further two and a half lengths adrift.
Heffernan said, “I was always comfortable and he’s a horse I like. Sometimes you can win a maiden and that’s as good as they are but I’d say he has a fair bit to give.”
A stalls malfunction led to a false start after the five drawn on the outside where the only stalls to open while the remainder (stalls 1 to 14) remained closed.
The quintet didn’t go too far and a fair start at the second attempt soon took place.
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Aidan on Breeders Cup Team after their first workout at Churchill Downs
1st November
“We’re pleased that the bulk of the rain came yesterday and today. I don’t think there will be as much tomorrow and it is forecast to be dry on Saturday. The turf course has an unbelievable drainage under it here, similar to the one at Adare Golf Club, and if any track will drain well, it’s this one.
The horses have been in the barn the last few days and I couldn’t be happier with them, They came out just now and trotted round once the opposite way, then turned round and did a gentle canter back to the winning post.
Donnacha rode Mendelssohn this morning and was pleased. He has a very good constitution, this horse, and Ryan is looking forward to him. It will be interesting The horse is by Scat Daddy, who himself is by Johannesburg and Ryan is planning to talk to Jerry and come up with a plan, which we will leave to him. I’m pretty sure he will go forward and see how the race develops".
