International Review

 Week of the 20th May 2017

• Preakness Stakes -- Classic Empire looked in control of the race but Cloud Computing starting at 13/1 ran on strongly to nose out the favorite right on the post. The Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming finished down the field. The Maryland Jockey Club witnessed a record crowd of 140,000 for the 142nd running of the Preakness, the middle jewel in the triple crown.

• Ribchester -- In the UK, the group 1 Lockinge Stakes was won by Ribchester for the Godolphin stable. The Iffraj colt has now won 1.33 million pound after last year being named three year old of the year in Britain.In Navan Ireland, it was Naughty or Nice another Fastnet Rock saluting in the Yeats Stakes over 13 furlongs.

• Soul Stirring -- Another winner for Frankel with his filly winning the Japanese Oaks. 

 Week of the 13th May 2017

• Hertford Dancer -- Newgate Farm's Foxwedge is riding the crest of a wave at the moment and he struck with another stakes winner in England overnight. The John Gosden-trained Hertford Dancer hit a new high with a win in the  Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial.The race turned into a two-horse battle, down the straight ,with Frankie Dettori on Hertford Dancer gradually getting the better of Ryan Moore on  Pocketfull of Dreams.

•  Zhukova -- by Fastnet Rock won the G1 Man O' War Stakes at Belmont Park the first female to win the race in almost 30 year. European trainer Dermot Weld, who had not won a race in North America since 2009 produced the five year old mare looking a treat for the $400,000 race.  Sent to the gate as the odds-on favorite, the Irish-bred daughter of Fastnet Rock, sprinted away from her four competitors to win easily by six lengths.

Zhukova winning the Group 3 Man O War

• Fastnet Tempest -- The four-year-old Fastnet Rock horse, blew away his rivals after a slowly run race in the Victoria Cup at Ascot. Ridden by Josephine Gordon , Britain's number one female jockey and trained by William Haggas who trained Yeats the winner of the cup 21 years ago. Past winners

Fastnet Tempest winning the Victoria Cup

• Timeline -- The Hard Spun three year old  continued his ascent in the ranks  on May 13 at Belmont Park with a commanding victory in the 63 rd running of the $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes (G3). He splashed his way to victory ridden by Javier Castellano to make it three from three.

Timeline winning the Peter Pan 

• South Africa -- On Saturday we saw a Redoutes Choice Group 1 double at Turfontein racecourse, Johannesburg for the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum. The Sheik owned Redoute’s Choice full-brothers are out of National Colour, South Africa’s champion 3-year-old filly and she has been serviced by Redoutes Choice again this year,  Mustaqueem in the 2 year old Group 1 and Rafeef, the 4yo ,winning the Computaform Sprint both are trained by Mike de Koch. Mustaaqeem was the third highest-priced horse at the 2016 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale on a bid of A$1.75 million. 

Mustaqueem
as Lot 433 Inglis Easter Sales 2016 sold for $1.75 million

• Hong Kong -- On Sunday night we saw the big Shatin meeting which included the Champions Mile and the race Chautauqua won last year the Chairmans Sprint Prize. The day that promised so much excitement and elation with the Hong Kongs champion 4 year old Rapper Dragon expected to rein as horse of the year . Then tragedy struck on the back turn and the crowd was left stunned as Joao Moreira jumped off , he was transported to the equine hospital but was unable to be saved. The Street Boss four year old was in line for horse of the year, but now there is a question mark as he has yet to officially qualify because he has not won a group 1 event.He was expected to pass that criteria in this race. Contentment the winner of the Champions Mile is now heading to take on Japans best in the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen and if he was to win, that its possible he could be named Hong Kongs horse of the year. Contentment is by Hussonet out of a Commands mare. 

•       Horse racing is certainly a sport of ups and downs and the Magic Man must be feeling low right now as in the following race, the Group 1 Chairmans Sprint he was beaten on the line on favorite Mr Stunning by one of the most honest performers around . Lucky Bubbles the 5 year old Sebring gelding ridden by Hugh Bowman got the split late to nose out an unlucky Mr Stunning the Exceed and Excel 4 year old on the line who ducked in at the 100 metre mark which probably cost him the race. 

Lucky Bubbles winning the Group 1 Chairmans Sprint Prize 2017

• Europe and USA -- UK's champion 2 year old Churchill made his return to win the first Group 1 of the season in the 2000 Guineas. The Galileo colt is out of Storm Cats daughter Meow while on the other side of the Atlantic at Churchill Downs another Storm Cat mare Untouched Talent produced Always Dreaming through a mating to Empire Maker to win the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby with a crowd of 158,000 watching on. 
• At Newmarket Sunday the 1000 Guineas was won by another Galileo.The filly Winter who is out of a Choisir mare. Galileo the Sadlers Wells stallion foaled in 1998 has continued to dominate group races over in the UK, much like his father did before him. 

Sadlers Wells Stallions 

Montjeu 

High Chaparral

In The Wings 

Carnegie

El Prado

Scenic

Barathea 

King of Kings