Angel Bleu secures Group One double at Saint-Cloud

Maintaining the overseas stranglehold on the G1 Criterium International, Guy Pariente, Thomas Lines and Qatar Racing's Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}-Kensea {Fr}, by Kendargent {Fr}) struck for the David Menuisier stable at Saint-Cloud on Sunday. Putting the pressure on the leader Navy Seal (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) soon after the start, the 4-1 shot bagged…

On British Champions Day, the stated aim is to find the champions of the season which is drawing to a close. On those idealised terms, Paddington absolutely deserves to be a warm order for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He has won this season's Irish 2000 Guineas, St James's Palace, Eclipse and Sussex. Where Champions Day occasionally falls down is…

You gotta love it when a $2 million plan comes together. That is precisely what happened Saturday when Ancient Rome rolled in from Europe for the race at Kentucky Downs that was the focus of his connections all summer. "It was the race we came for," jockey Jamie Spencer said after Ancient Rome (6-1) stalked the early pace and closed going five wide…

There was a great four days of racing at York and lots to digest - so what did we learn from the last seven days? Despite four days of brilliant action at York's Ebor meeting, the lack of a standout St Leger candidate remains. The ante-post betting is headed by 7-2 joint-favourites Continuous and Gregory, who finished first and third in the Great…

With Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) having annexed the G2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood just 20 minutes earlier, ' TDN Rising Star' Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}-Ceilidh House {GB}, by Selkirk) stepped forward to register a quickfire double for the Marc Chan-Ralph Beckett axis by successfully defending his title in Saturday's £500000 Sky Bet City…

The 32-year-old Italian ensured his final ride in Britain was a winning one before swapping Europe for Asia when partnering the daughter of Zoustar to her first victory since tasting Group One glory in last year's Group One Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes. After finishing down the field in both the QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket and the…

A neck was all that came between Kinross (10/11 favourite) and a hat-trick in the World Pool Lennox Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival. A winner of the seven furlong Group Two in 2021 but beaten in a photo by Sandrine last year, Kinross made amends for Frankie Dettori and Ralph Beckett under his ideal conditions. Buried on the inside by Dettori…

Ralph Beckett is hoping his prosperous link with Frankie Dettori can yield further success when the jockey returns to the saddle after suspension to ride Lezoo in the Group 3 bet365 Hackwood Stakes (3.00) at Newbury on Saturday. The last two weekends have gone by without Dettori after he picked up suspensions for whip use and careless riding at…

The Weekend Winners team are back with an in-depth look at Ascot's Summer Mile, as well as their best bets from across the action at Newmarket on Saturday. Won last year by Ascot favourite Chindit, the Group Two contest has attracted a star-studded field of nine, headed by Charlie Appleby's Master Of The Seas. William Haggas' Aldaary, who has…

Senior form analyst Jamie Lynch runs the rule over those out for Group Two glory at Ascot on Saturday in the Fred Cowley MBE Memorial Summer Mile, live on Sky Sports Racing. The Fred Cowley MBE Memorial Summer Mile is one of the most self-assured races around. Very occasionally, a horse will hijack it as a stepping stone to the top, like Mohaather…

This season's bet365 Mile is streets ahead of the previous running and ranks among the best in its recent history. The lowest-rated of the seven this year, Imperial Fighter (109), would have been the second highest-rated in 2022, while favourite Light Infantry is the only horse in the last decade with a rating in the 120s bar 2021 winner Palace…

Fabrice Chappet enjoyed arguably his best day as a trainer at Deauville six years ago when Precieuse landed the French 1000 Guineas. The two mile Classics have since been restored to their regular home at Longchamp and it will be there that Good Guess will head on May 14, following a fine comeback success here in the Prix Djebel. He defeated Breizh…

The daughter of Camelot made a big impression when making scoring by four lengths on her racecourse debut on the all-weather at Chantilly in February, and successfully stepped up to Listed class with a seven-length verdict at Saint-Cloud last month. Pensee Du Jour was a hot favourite to complete her hat-trick under Bauyrzhan Murzabayev and was well…

Our Senior Form Analyst Jamie Lynch runs the rule over a red-hot renewal of Wolverhampton's flagship contest, live on Sky Sports Racing on Saturday. ANGEL BLEU Trainer: Rossa Ryan | Jockey: R M Beckett Three words which neatly sum up where we find Angel Bleu: Control+Alt+Delete. In short, it's reboot time for him. In the 2-y-o class of 2021, only…

Secret Oath, seen winning the 2022 Kentucky Oaks, returns against a tough field in Saturday's Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Photo courtesy of Churchill Downs March 10 (UPI) -- With just eight weeks left on the clock, Kentucky Derby prep action swings to the Gulf Coast of Florida this weekend, with a lot to be sorted out in the Tampa Bay Derby. In…

Aidan O'Brien may have provided the odds-on favourite, Aesop's Fables (8/13) in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at The Curragh on Sunday, but it was his two sons, Joseph and Donnacha, who dominated proceeding at the end of the Group 1 contest. Joseph O'Brien beat his younger brother Donnacha as Al Riffa held off Proud And Regal by a…

So far, so good for Baaeed, who might not be Frankel yet and probably never will be, but he is not doing a bad impression of the Juddmonte superstar's 2012 campaign. Then, as a four-year-old, the legendary colt swept to victories in the Lockinge and Queen Anne before the midsummer miling highlight, which he won in customary commanding…

The colt was last seen finishing third in the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh in late May, coming home two and a half lengths behind Godolphin's English Guineas runner-up Native Trail. The French Derby represents a step up in trip for the bay son of The Gurkha, something Balding feels will be of benefit to him as he runs over an extended 10…

The received wisdom that the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, the de facto French 2000 Guineas, is a draw race stands up to scrutiny. Across the seven runnings held at Longchamp over the last ten years, if you had picked out a horse at random you would have had about a 5-2 chance of that horse making the first four. Had you been offered only those drawn…

Nations Pride further strengthened Charlie Appleby's formidable three-year-old squad with a dominant display in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Newmarket Stakes. As well as saddling the first two in the betting for Saturday's Qipco 2000 Guineas in Native Trail and Coroebus, Appleby has unearthed a clutch of potentially high-class…

Native Trail and the Godolphin team after the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last season Godolphin's unbeaten colt Native Trail has been overwhelmingly rated the top two-year-old in Europe for 2021 and is 7lb clear of his nearest rival after the classifications were released on Wednesday. The Charlie Appleby-trained star has been handed a rating of…

Ralph Beckett's Angel Bleu won the Group One Criterium International under Frankie Dettori at Saint-Cloud on Saturday. The Dark Angel colt made it back-to-back victories in France after success in the Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp earlier this month. Stepping up to a mile for the first time in his career, Angel Bleu was ridden…

Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty in morning trackwork Oct. 11, preparing for his return to action. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Two-year-olds are on display this weekend at tracks from France to England and on to California, while much of the globe girds for the Breeders' Cup World Championships in two weeks'…

Racingfor the first time outside Germany for a trainer who has only 1 1/2 years ofexperience on his own, Torquator Tasso pulled off one of the biggest upsets inEuropean racing history by winning at odds of 71-1 on Sunday in the Group 1, $5.8million Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Tarnawa(4-1), who may yet try to defend her 2020 victory in the Breeders'…

Victor Ludorum: exciting colt returns at Longchamp on the day racing resumes in France French racing looks set to return with a bang as unbeaten Classic favourite Victor Ludorum launches his hugely anticipated second season on the opening day. Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe third Sottsass is also scheduled to be in action on a star-studded card at…