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