#Sprint Cup

The HK$18.5 million Longines Hong Kong Sprint has fast become a global sprint championship race, with horses lining up regularly from many of racing's leading jurisdictions to determine which horse is quickest. Originally run over the straight 1000m course as a Listed race, Hong Kong legend Fairy King Prawn won the first edition in 1999. The…

Buckpasser's unraced daughter, Sex Appeal, has made her mark on the breed in no uncertain terms and this year is to be found in the pedigrees of top thoroughbreds ranging from US Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) and Mecca's Angel (Dark Angel), winner of Friday's Gr1 Nunthorpe Stakes over 1000m. Sex Appeal's name is also…

Darby Bloodstock had to wait three years after they bought Amortal to see him at the races but it was all worth it in the end. For all that his trainer Mark Newnham does know about the flashy chestnut, he, like his huge band of owners, is now waiting to see what Amortal's ceiling is. Amortal's first public appearance since the 2019 Magic Millions…

3.00) at Royal Ascot on Saturday, as he bids to bounce back from his disappointing third in the 2000 Guineas. The Charlie Appleby-trained son of Shamardal was defeated for the first time in the Newmarket Classic and will once again take on Wichita, who finished second. Appleby said: "Naturally, you are always disappointed when you lose that…

The Tin Man and Tom Queally after winning the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot in 2017 Popular sprinter and three-time Group 1 winner The Tin Man has been retired after breaking down on the Newmarket gallops on Saturday morning. The nine-year-old, a star for the James Fanshawe stable over six seasons, sustained a fractured cannonbone during a routine…

Sha Tin: FWD Champions Mile (Group 1) 1m, 3yo+ Beauty Generation enjoyed nothing more strenuous than the equivalent of a morning workout to repeat last year's success, coming home a length and a half clear of Singapore Sling, and in the process beating Hong Kong records for the highest career prize-money, and the biggest winning sequence in a…

CHURCHILL made an eye-catching start to his stallion career, featuring among the leading freshmen sires of 2021 and supplying a double-digit tally of winners that included six blacktype earners; three won listed races. Ladies Church (dam by Rio De La Plata) landed the Marwell Stakes at Naas and finished third in the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes at…

The Belgian jockey was the retained rider for the Aga Khan until an incident occurred at Saint-Cloud in September involving Rossa Ryan. Soumillon appeared to elbow Ryan out of the saddle during a race, causing him to fall, and subsequently served a 60-day suspension which led to him being released from his contract with the Aga Khan. After missing…

Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum has died at the age of 75, but his racing legacy will live on after an involvement with the sport spanning over four decades. From Nashwan to Dayjur, some of the greatest names of the Turf have carried Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's colours to victory over the years. There are too many to mention, but here is a very select…

The Weatherbys Super Sprint was devised by Richard Hannon Snr and Lord Carnarvon as a lucrative prize for two-year-olds who hadn't cost a fortune at the sales. Accordingly, it has been the source of numerous wonderful rags-to-riches stories in its 30-year history. But just because the popular five-furlong dash staged at Newbury each July caters for…

More has made it all the merrier for the multiple members of the Fred Archer Racing syndicate, who have shared the sort of ride an owner could spend millions on without coming close to thanks to their redoubtable old-stager The Tin Man. Saturday's run in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes marked the sixth year in succession he has competed for Group 1…

Richard Kingscote: gets the plum ride back on board Great Ambassador in the Ayr Gold Cup Richard Kingscote will be reunited with Great Ambassador in the Ayr Gold Cup (3.40) after the ante-post favourite was confirmed in a full field of 25 runners for Saturday's feature race. The son of Exceed And Excel has been in flying form since moving to Ed…

It is nearly ten years since Frankel put up the best performance in Timeform's history when he beat Excelebration by 11 lengths in the 2012 Queen Anne Stakes, earning a rating of 147. Unsurprisingly, no horse since has come close to reaching that lofty figure. In fact, only a dozen other horses have reached the 140 benchmark since Timeform was…

Go Bears Go: classy sprinter was a winner in Ireland last time Dave Loughnane on Monday played down any fears about the health of his string and reckons Go Bears Go has a fine chance of underlining that in the Betfair Sprint Cup (3.30) at Haydock on Saturday. Loughnane has saddled 30 British Flat winners this year and 14 came in April and March,…

LATEST RESULTS, TIPS AND UPDATES: Find out every winner of every race, plus pictures and videos as the drama unfolds on Day 5 Royal Ascot 2018: behind the scenes of a top stables where the Queen's racehorses are trained Brighton-born Ryan Moore clinched a big-race double on the final day of Royal Ascot to leapfrog veteran Frankie Dettori in the…

On Saturday, the Ayr Gold Cup will be part of the first major race day in Scotland to attract a sell-out crowd since the easing of pandemic restrictions. The feature race of three days of superb Flat racing at the Scottish venue, the Ayr Gold Cup, is worth more than £77000 to winning connections, and it has attracted a maximum field of 25…

Highfield Princess and Jason Hart claim the Prix Maurice de Gheest on Sunday Victory in the Group 1 Arc Prix Maurice de Gheest was secured with the brilliant execution of not one but two plans. The first piece of foresight was for trainer John Quinn to give Highfield Princess a short break after running an excellent sixth in the Platinum Jubilee…

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…

Jim Wilson, one of only three amateur jockeys to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, has died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 72. Wilson partnered Peter Easterby-trained Little Owl, which he owned jointly with his brother Robin, to win the 1981 Gold Cup. But Wilson's massive association with jump racing's biggest meeting extended way beyond…

FOR all the buzz around Baaeed and a bid for Arc glory, plenty of other big race wannabes have been overlooked. William Haggas' unbeaten star is 7-4 to win the Longchamp showpiece and will be plenty shorter if he makes it to the race. He is the likeliest winner by a stretch, but there are still holes you can poke at. Even without the obvious…

A year ago at Del Mar it was World Approval coming from just off the pace to capture the Breeders' Cup Mile. When the $2 million turf event is run at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3, it appears that a host of European invaders will be at or near the front throughout, with four Group I winners this year across the pond set to make the trip, with three…

Lucky Eight's raw ability was there for all to see at Sha Tin on Sunday and Ricky Yiu Poon-fai wasn't tempering his opinion of the three-year-old, comparing him to Group One winner Amber Sky. Lucky Eight cruised to victory on debut in the first section of the Class Four Spessartine Garnet Handicap (1200m), travelling just off the pace under Karis…

There was little doubt that Highfield Princess was the sprinter who achieved the highest profile during the season, thanks mainly to completing a Group 1 hat-trick in three countries in the space of not much more than a month in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, the Nunthorpe at York (replay below) and the Flying Five at the Curragh. The…

The Queen's runner King's Lynn was third in the Wokingham (5.00pm). Dream Of Dreams won the feature Diamond Jubilee Stakes as Ryan Moore celebrated a treble The Queen just missed out on a winner as she attended Royal Ascot's final day. Making her first appearance at the big meeting this week, the reigning monarch arrived to a round of applause from…

In South Africa, daughters of Querari (a son of Green Desert's champion sprinter son Oasis Dream) in the form of Maria Querol and Fleeting, ran first and second respectively in Saturday's Listed World Sports Betting Stormsvlei Stakes, while Green Desert sire sons and grandsons made their mark overseas on the same day. Oasis Dream made headlines in…

Day Two of the Irish Champions Weekend features two more Breeders' Cup Challenge'Win and You're In' race, when Nunthorpe Stakes heroine Highfield Princess heads a big field of 19 as she heads for as G1 hat-trick in the Flying Five. Sponsored by Dubai's Al Basti Equiworld, the sprint is the first of four successive G1 races at the Curragh on…

Owen Burrows on Saturday put the finishing touches to Alflaila's preparation for this month's Group 3 Bahrain International Trophy. The trainer has won £946644 in British prize-money this season, which towers over his previous best of £603394, but overseas wins for Hukum and Anmaat have added more than £200000 to the pot. In Alflaila, he has a…

Adam Houghton highlights the key changes to the Timeform ratings following the weekend's action, including the big turf races at the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland. The Breeders' Cup as a whole underlined the current strength of European horses on turf compared to their American counterparts and Meditate (114 from 109), in particular, looked simply a…

Beauty Generation, shown during morning track work Thursday, is one of many headliners on the Champions Day program Sunday at Hong Kong's Sha Tin Racecourse. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club April 24 (UPI) -- With much of the world's horse racing still out of action because of the coronavirus, Hong Kong steps up this weekend with a trio of…

Classic glory, hard-luck stories and one of the most controversial defeats in modern times - the career of Sky Lantern pretty much had it all. The strong-travelling filly with a potent turn of foot produced some memorising performances over a two-year period to become an all-time favourite at the powerful Hannon stable in Wiltshire. Ridden…

Ce Ce, shown winning the Azeri Stakes on March 12 at Oaklawn Park, is among the favorites for Saturday's Grade I Apple Blossom over the same track. Coady photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park April 22 (UPI) -- As spring blossoms, horse racing stars including Letruska, Ce Ce, Pizza Bianca, Malathat and Channel Maker return from winter vacations this…

Partnered with jockey Blake Shinn for trainer Douglas Whyte, Russian Emperor savoured his second Group 1 success with a performance deserving of recognition as Hong Kong Champion Stayer (2021/22) after previously blitzing the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m/1m2f) and Golden Sixty in February. Returning to Australia at the conclusion of this…

Tarnawa, defending champion and favorite for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Turf race, stretches her legs over the Del Mar track Monday. Photo courtesy of the Breeders' Cup DEL MAR, Calif., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships have attracted a record 56 international entries for the two-day event that opens Friday at Del Mar in…

An exceptional footballer in his day, Mick Channon has been responsible for a whole host of exceptional performers in his second career as a racehorse trainer. Here are six of the best: Youmzain Youzmain consistently made the frame in top-flight races all across the globe - heartbreakingly going close in three attempts on the Prix de l'Arc de…

The Group One Sun Chariot Stakes headlines another excellent afternoon of action on ITV Racing this Saturday. Along with three races from Newmarket, we'll head to Ascot for four valuable contests and hop over to Redcar for the Two Year Old Trophy. While there are several talented, race-fit fillies around her in the market, I'll take a chance on the…

A busy week for the ITV Racing team continues with action from three meetings on Saturday, with an eight-race broadcast dominated by Lingfield's Classic Trials card. ITV4 is the place to tune in from 1.30-4.30pm, with three races from the Surrey course plus two from Ascot and three from Haydock Park. John Hill has recommendations for all eight…

A total of 19 horses were left in Haydock's Betfair Sprint Cup (3.30) at the six-day stage on Monday with Nunthorpe winner Highfield Princess the most notable absentee. With John Quinn's star filly not going for a hat-trick of Group 1 wins, the £350000 sprint which highlights Saturday's action looks wide open. We assess the key contenders. .…

Following the deluge of rain on Thursday evening, conditions at Ascot remain extremely testing for the final day of the royal meeting. Five of yesterday's seven winners had winning form with soft in the going description heading into the day, and these four horses should relish the conditions. The highly regarded Mutasaabeq appeared to have no…

First run in 1840, the Unibet Stewards' Cup Handicap has always been a staple of the summer racing calendar. A maximum field of 28 will contest Saturday's renewal with a first prize of £115965 up for grabs. As ever, the draw can be vital and it was televised live on Racing TV with high numbers in demand. Eight of the past ten winners drawn have…

LEGENDARY racehorse Rock of Gibraltar - central to the Glazers' takeover of Manchester United - has died aged 23. The 2002 European Horse of the Year passed away with heart failure, Coolmore Stud revealed earlier today. Rock of Gibraltar will be remembered on the track for his record-breaking seven consecutive Group 1 wins in the Northern…

Harry Allwood has a quartet of fancies chalked up at double-figure odds on QIPCO British Champions Day, live on Racing TV this Saturday. General odds: 25-1. On the form of his latest effort, there is no way Garrus should be 25-1, and that makes him a bet in what looks a wide-open contest on paper. The six-year-old finished a length behind Highfield…

The flat racing season might be drawing to a close, but it's still an exciting time of the year for its loyal following - with the prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe recently taking place at the iconic Longchamp racecourse in Paris, while British Champions Day, the big-money Breeders' Cup World Championships in America and the Melbourne Cup are…

The top four in the betting for the Darley July Cup say it all. We have last year's winner, Oxted, a five-year-old, bidding to become the first repeat victor of the race since Right Boy in 1959. Then there's Starman, a four-year-old, lightly-raced and one from one this season after an impressive Group 2 win at York at the Dante meeting in…

The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes has produced any number of top-class winners over the years, but the 2011 renewal, at the inaugural British Champions Day at Ascot, was won by a horse like no other in Frankel, who put up another scintillating performance to extend his winning sequence to nine on his final three-year-old start. The eight-strong field…

Emaraaty Ana: beat Starman in last year's Sprint Cup at Haydock The Betfair Sprint Cup (3.30 Haydock) is the standout feature over the weekend and we have looked back over a number of factors to see who may win Saturday's Group 1 showdown. In the last ten years, Twilight Son (2015) has been the only winner rated lower than 110. He was rated 104…

Ascot hosts a high-quality six-race card on Saturday with the Challenge Cup Handicap supported by two Group 3 races in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes and the Bengough Stakes. Ascot Tote Placepot predictions - Saturday picks Already got a Tote account? Take advantage of the latest Free Bets offers for new customers. For the next four Saturdays, Tote's…

The first Sunday of October in Paris always serves up a feast of Breeders' Cup clues. The pi èce de r ésistance, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), is historically the key race for the Turf (G1), even long before the "Win and You're In" (WAYI) provision. Since we've covered the leading Arc contenders in the "10 storylines to know" feature, let's…

The grey was a runaway winner of the latter Group Three contest last season, streaking home five lengths to the good under David Allan. The same rider has received the leg-up all season, guiding the horse to fourth in the City Of York Stakes before coming home eighth on unsuitable ground in the Sprint Cup at Haydock. Back in Ireland for a repeat…

Update Sunday, 5:51 a.m. ET: Saturday night's race at Daytona International Speedway was rained and rescheduled for Sunday. The regular-season finale, which will decide the final 2 playoff spots, is now slated to start at 10 a.m. ET (CNBC/Peacock). (Original column below - published Friday, 5:02 p.m. ET) The NASCAR Cup Series is at Daytona…