#Cristian Demuro

MOST of you will never have heard of Al Hakeem - but I'm hoping that will change in the next 48 hours. Al Hakeem is a French-trained colt and horses across the channel have been pants at home in Group 1 races this season. So, the Jean-Claude Rouget runner is a massive price to land tomorrow's Arc. The Longchamp thriller, screened live on ITV, has…

The ball drops at Times Square, fireworks explode around the globe and North American Thoroughbreds celebrate their birthdays at midnight on Jan. 1. A few of the newly turned 3-year-olds waste no time starting their once-in-a-lifetime quest for the Kentucky Derby starting gate as Aqueduct rings in 2018 with the $150000 Jerome Stakes. On New Year's…

Six runners from the fans' top choices, including Titleholder, Efforia and Equinox, plus Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) winner Geraldina are expected to also be the most popular betting options Sunday in the Grade 1, $6.5 million Arima Kinen, the 67th annual Grand Prix of Japan. Staged at Nakayama, the 1 9/16-mile race boasts Japan's top purse, which…

It's Flat racing's Arc weekend - 12 horses, the smallest field in 12 years, are due to be chasing Europe's grandest prize at ParisLongchamp racetrack in the Bois de Boulogne on Sunday. Though two-time winner Enable is hogging the build-up headlines as she and Frankie Dettori seek an historic treble in the mile-and-a-half-long feature, the…

Godolphin pair Adayar and Hurricane Lane, the Aga Khan's superstar mare Tarnawa and dual Oaks winner Snowfall have been declared for Sunday's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as 15 runners stood their ground on Thursday. The Roger Varian-trained Teona, who beat Snowfall in the Prix Vermeille this month, misses the race as the ground will be…

The record of André Fabre is without equal in the French training ranks. As well as clinching a 30th trainers' title in France in 2019, Fabre saddled a record eighth winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the shape of Waldgeist, his first victory in the race since Rail Link in 2006. Fabre first won the Arc with Trempolino in 1987, followed by…

Not even a pixel could separate Lord North and Panthalassa as the Group 1 Dubai Turf was shared after the stewards pored over a photograph for what was an agonising amount of time. The John and Thady Gosden-trained Lord North strolled to a three-length success in the race last season but needed to fight with every sinew as Frankie Dettori delivered…

There was no stopping Contrail once his burst of speed propelled him to the front with about 200 meters remaining. With a few hundred meters remaining, Contrail, Shahryar and Authority all appeared to have a shot at outsprinting the rest of the field to claim the marquee victory. As Kiseki disappeared from the front, Contrail zoomed past Authority,…

Royal Ascot's final day features a stunning field of 27 in the Group One Platinum Jubilee Stakes and Sky Sports Racing's Kieran O'Sullivan has cast his expert eye over every single one. Of all the top-class races at Ascot, the Platinum Jubilee Stakes (and perhaps the King's Stand) has become the most targeted race for international horses. Open to…

The 2000-meter Dubai World Cup concluded the day's festivities at Meydan Racecourse, with American trainer Bob Baffert's Country Grammer, ridden by Italian Frankie Dettori, securing a 1¾-length victory over Hot Rod Charlie in 2 minutes, 4.97 seconds. Country Grammer returned to competition after a nine-month layoff following the Saudi Cup in…

THE Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is the race that stops a continent. Worth a stonking £4.3million, Europe's richest contest always throws up a top class winner. This year's race over 1½ miles takes place at Longchamp on Sunday October 3 - and it looks to be an absolute stonker. Epsom Oaks winner Snowfall was the runaway favourite but has now drifted…

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Bay Bridge takes on Japan's runner Shahryar in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot on Wednesday, live on ITV. The weather looks warm for the rest of the week Royal Ascot's international theme continues when Shahryar goes for gold in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes. Day one of the meeting saw crack Australian sprinter…

Queen of the turf. King of the saddle. A master trainer and the sporting prince. But could the weather rain on racing royalty's parade? Sunday sees record-breaking mare Enable aimed at one more piece of history in probably her final competitive outing - an unprecedented third victory in Europe's richest race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Victory…

Equine superstar Enable bids to bow out on a high in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Frankie Dettori's mount is racing for a record third success in the autumn highlight. After winning in 2017 and 2018, she found Waldgeist, a member of the home team, too good on rain-softened going last year. Conditions are going to be wet again for the 11-time…

The Japan Cup takes centre stage internationally next Sunday and while the race - worth a cool £2.5 million to the winner - has not gone to a horse trained outside Japan since 2005, that hasn't deterred connections of four European runners from making the journey, the biggest contingent in a decade. And there are reasons for hope of a breakthrough,…

Eight top-level Group One winners are among 14 hopefuls in Sunday's 100th running of Europe's richest race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Adayar will bid to become only the third horse to complete the Derby, King George, Arc treble at ParisLongchamp. Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby also saddles St Leger winner Hurricane Lane. Breeders' Cup Turf…

This Sunday, Nov. 28, Tokyo Racecourse hosts the Grade 1 Japan Cup, the iconic invitational gala that has been instrumental in boosting Japan's horses and horsemen to the heights of international competitiveness they now enjoy. Some JPY 648 million, over USD 6 million, is up for grabs. Japan's horses have monopolized the winner's circle for the…

Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Kentucky-based horses ably defended their home turf in the weekend Claiming Crown series at Churchill Downs, while 2-year-olds, some still eyeing a shot at next year's big races, were at work at tracks from coast to coast. Del Mar swung back into operation, and Woodbine and Churchill Downs had rich stakes offerings. On the…

For Geraldina's trainer Takashi Saito, it was his seventh career G1 victory. Four-year-old Geraldina, who was assigned the 18th post on the far outside, moved toward the front of the pack late in the race and galloped to the wire from the middle of the turf track. (Watch the race here.) The winning jockey's older brother, 43-year-old Mirco Demuro,…

In a disintegrating country, stuck for the moment with a Prime Minister who can't see the difference between a proliferation of photo-ops and the act of governing, we needed a Royal Ascot week. No racecourse in the world does photo-ops better than Ascot - the carriage processions, the toppers and tails (and yes, Madam, wear what appears to be a…

Race 5: 1 3/16ths, 1900m (Dirt), UAE Derby (G2), Purse $1 Million, 3 (Saturday) There are many paths to the 148th Kentucky Derby, but they are dwindling as we head towards April. The Dubai World Cup Carnival is a "last ditch" opportunity, especially for international runners. Specifically, the Group 2 UAE Derby represents one of the last…

Sea Of Class (right) giving Enable a scare in the 2018 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe You can place bets on Sunday's Arc with your favourite bookmakers on the Racing Post. Sign in with your favourite bookmaker via the Bookmakers tab at the top of your screen, and then bet directly from our racecards by clicking the odds buttons.