Railbird 2004–2019

International Archive

Yeats Repeats at Ascot

– Yeats went to post at 8-13 odds and looked every bit the well-bet favorite in today’s Ascot Gold Cup, romping home to take consecutive runnings of the 2 1/2 mile race. The win was the third of the meet for trainer Aidan O’Brien, who’s already considering bringing Yeats back for a third shot at the Gold Cup next year. “This race is the ultimate staying race and a third crack at it would be on the agenda. It would be great to be back again” (Sporting Life).
– Today was Ladies’ Day at Ascot: Topshop topped Dior in the fashion stakes (Guardian), and there are rumors of a palace leak after cream, “untouched as an 8-1 shot all week,” suddenly emerged as the prohibitive favorite for the Queen’s hat color (Times), leaving bookmaker Paddy Power with a £15,000 bill when the Queen arrived at Ascot in a cream-and-chocolate number (BBC).
– Superfecta is agitating for a Ladies’ Day stateside, perhaps on Breeders’ Cup Friday. It’s a fine idea, and would be a nice way to showcase the newly added races to the BC program.

Posted in International on June 21, 2007

Tuesday Evening Notes

– A blanket finish in the Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot, with the Godolphin-owned Ramonti coming out a head in front of the rest, giving Sheik Mohammed his first Group 1 winner in Britain since 2005. “We needed that, badly,” said trainer Saeed bin Suroor afterwards (Guardian). Hot favorite George Washington finished fourth. “We were delighted with his run. After going to stud and covering 60 mares you would be a bit fresh, wouldn’t you?,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien of the colt’s effort (Sporting Life Ascot blog).
– Aidan O’Brien had better luck in the Saint James Palace Stakes, in which his starters finished one-two-three (ThoroTimes).
– An intriguing idea from Bill Finley for keeping racing stars in training: “Imagine what would happen if every Grade I race in the country, or even just the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup races, were restricted to horses whose sires were 5-years-old or older at the time the horse was conceived” (ESPN).
– Saying she’s “already proven herself against the boys,” owner Michael Tabor said it was unlikely Belmont winner Rags to Riches would face colts again this year. Rather than run in the Travers, she may start next in the Coaching Club American Oaks and then in the Alabama. “We plan to run her next year, and who’s to say she won’t run as a 5-year-old?,” said Tabor. “We have all the time in the world to consider running her against the boys” (NY Times).

Posted in International on June 19, 2007

Royal Ascot Opens

Royal Ascot opens Tuesday and stud dud George Washington, winner of last year’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, will make his much anticipated return to the races in the Queen Anne Stakes. “He’s good. We think he has matured, we’ve been very happy with him and he is behaving very well,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien of the colt (Sporting Life). George Washington is the hot favorite in the race, at even money on Ladbrokes, 11-4 on Betfair in the early wagering.
On Wednesday, rivals Notnowcato and Dylan Thomas clash in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Times), won last year by Ouija Board, now retired and in foal to Kingmambo. A beautifully illustrated biography written by owner Lord Derby has recently been published about the tremendous mare, who often trounced the best of her peers, male and female, during her 22-race career run in seven different countries.

Posted in International on June 18, 2007

Epsom Derby 2007

Authorized wins “by a street,” giving jockey Frankie Dettori his first Derby victory (Guardian).
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Dettori followed up on Sunday with a win in the French Derby aboard Lawman. Bookmakers wept: “Plenty of customers picked up their Authorized winnings on Sunday morning and many kept the faith in Frankie doing the Derby double, making this a weekend to forget for us,” said David Stevens, spokesman for the bookmakers Coral (Guardian).

Posted in International on June 3, 2007

Epsom Results

– “Bargain-buy Sir Percy was delivered on the line to gain a famous victory in a pulsating finish to the 227th Vodafone Derby at Epsom.” The colt won the race by a head in one of the closest finishes seen in the Epsom Derby in years, with the top four all finishing within a head or nose of each other. The race was marred by the tragic breakdown of second favorite Horatio Nelson, who was pulled up in the stretch after fracturing his right front leg, an injury unfortunately foreshadowed before the race when jockey Kieren Fallon expressed concern that the colt wasn’t warming up well. Trainer Aidan O’Brien and racecourse vet Peter Webbon watched Horatio Nelson trot and determined that he was fit to run. “Thus was the equine Horatio Nelson killed in action, sharing the fate of his illustrious namesake, Lord Nelson, killed in action at Trafalgar.” Owner John Magnier, asked about the pre-race concerns, declined to lay blame on anyone for the accident. “If there was something, it was checked by the people down there and they passed it.”
– At Epsom on Friday, Alexandrova “ran away with the Oaks,” winning by six lengths under a handride from jockey Kieren Fallon. “She just took off with me,” Fallon said. “Any filly that wins in the Oaks is very special, and I’ve been lucky enough to win it three times before today, but I never thought until today that I’d get a feel from a filly in the Oaks like I did from Ouija Board two years ago.” In the Coronation Cup, Shirocco was briefly tested by Ouija Board, but then easily drew away to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Posted in International on June 4, 2006