News of Epsom and Kentucky Derby winners, a trainer switch for White Abarrio plus the arrest of Frank Stronach hit the racing headlines. Catch up with our weekly digest
City Of Troy to run in Coral-Eclipse
Ireland: Brilliant Epsom Derby winner City Of Troy will cut back in trip to a mile and a quarter for his next start in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park on July 6.
Stablemate Los Angeles, who was third at Epsom, will do the honours for trainer Aidan O’Brien as he seeks a remarkable 16th win in the Irish Derby at the Curragh on June 30.
Coolmore confirmed the news in a statement, in which they also said that 2023 Derby winner Auguste Rodin will run in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday [June 19], while Chad Brown-trained Sierra Leone will head to the Travers Stakes – a race also mentioned for City Of Troy. More here
Mystik Dan scopes dirty after Belmont Stakes
USA: Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan scoped dirty after finishing well beaten behind surprise winner Dornoch in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday [June 8].
The only horse to contest all three legs of this year’s Triple Crown, Mystik Dan faded to eighth place in the $2m Belmont, run this year at Saratoga while its traditional home is renovated.
“He scoped with a little bit of mucus, and on a scale of five it was probably a two,” said trainer McPeek, who confirmed the Travers Stakes on August 24 as his next target. “He’s had a great spring, and obviously it was a small step backwards, but nothing we can’t fix. It’s all good, he just scoped a little bit dirty.”
Stablemate Thorpedo Anna, who confirmed her status as America’s leading three-year-old filly with an easy win in the G1 Acorn, now heads for the CCA Oaks on July 20.
Belmont winner Dornoch will head for the Travers, via the Haskell or the Jim Dandy. Similar races are on the table for runner-up Mindframe. More here
Royal Ascot takes centre stage
GB: Royal Ascot kicks off on Tuesday [June 18] with the usual glittering card the first three three of eight G1 races across the five-day stand, which carries record prize-money in excess of £10m (£12.8m).
Among recent developments ahead of the most most prestigious meet on the British calendar are news that Christophe Soumillon is to replace Aurelian Lemaitre on high-profile French pair Big Rock and Blue Rose Cen, while leading fancy Passenger has been ruled out of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes with an infection. More here
Tuesday’s highlight is likely to be the St James’s Palace Stakes for three-year-olds, which is set to feature a clash of the three major Guineas winners in Notable Speech, Rosallion and Metropolitan, who has been supplemented. On the same day, Breeders’ Cup winner Big Evs tops the G1 King Charles III Stakes (former King’s Stand) while BC heroine Inspiral takes on Dubai Turf winner Facteur Cheval in the G1 Queen Anne. More here
Breeders’ Cup hero White Abarrio returns to Joseph
USA: Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio is to rejoin trainer Saffie Joseph after finishing a lacklustre fifth of six behind National Treasure in the Met Mile at Saratoga on Saturday [June 8].
The five-year-old won both the G1 Whitney and the BC Classic after being switched to New York-based Rick Dutrow while Joseph was banned from running horses at Churchill Downs and NYRA venues in mid-2023 after two of his team died in the run-up to last year’s Kentucky Derby.
“The only reason we switched to Rick in the first place is what happened at Churchill, obviously,” said co-owner Mark Cornett, speaking to the Daily Racing Form. “He ran so good with Rick, how are you going to give the horse back to Saffie at that point? This feels like the right time to do it now.” More here
Frank Stronach charged with sexual assault
Canada: Former leading racetrack owner Frank Stronach, who has won a multitude of Eclipse Awards as both breeder and owner, has been arrested and charged with five counts related to sexual assualt.
According to the Daily Racing Form, police in Ontario, Canada, confirmed they have charged the 91-year-old with rape, indecent assault on a female, forcible confinement, and two counts of sexual assault. The alleged offences date from the 1980s to as recently as 2023.
Stronach, who was arrested on Friday [June 7] denies the offences. More here
BC Mile target for Tokyo G1 winner Ten Happy Rose
Japan: Shock Victoria Mile winner Ten Happy Rose is to be pointed towards the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on November 2.
The six-year-old mare was returned at 209-1 when scoring her first G1 success at Tokyo racecourse in May. Winning rider Akihide Tsumura is set to join her on the trip to California. More here
Elsewhere in racing …
USA: Farewell to Golden Gate Fields More here
GB: Winning debut for Enable’s half-sister Zilfee More here
USA: Louisiana rescinds all drug policy changes More here
USA: Jose Ortiz hits 3,000-win mark More here
GB: BHA chief exec Julie Harrington to stand down More here
Ireland: Racing shocked by RTE documentary revealing abattoir abuse More here
New Zealand: Lisa Allpress excited by Japanese invitation More here
Australia: Ciaron Maher hits 300 winners for 2023-24 More here
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