A 90-1 winner in Australia’s greatest race, a pair of Epsom Derby winners at Coolmore, who are switching high-profile purchase Storm Boy to Aidan O’Brien – all this and more in our weekly digest of recent international racing news
90-1 longshot Knight’s Choice claims Melbourne Cup
Australia: The Melbourne Cup ended in a tight finish at Flemington on Tuesday [Nov 5] as 90-1 longshot Knight’s Choice just got the better of Japanese-trained Warp Speed.
A crowd declared at 91,168 were treated to a thrilling finish as Knight’s Choice – trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon – burst through horses inside the final furlong and staved off the runner-up; the official margin was a short head.
Laxon was landing her second renewal of the celebrated A$8.56m ($5.64m/£4.36m) contest after Ethereal in 2001. Knight’s Choice was ridden by expat Irish jockey Robbie Dolan, hitherto best known as a contestant on The Voice Australia.
Irish visitor Absurde came fifth but 5-1 favourite Buckaroo was only ninth, two places ahead of Absurde’s Willie Mullins-trained stablemate Vauban. More here
City Of Troy stud fee set at €75,000
Ireland: After City Of Troy’s disappointing display in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Coolmore have released a stud fee for the Derby winner, who will stand for €75,000 next year at their Irish base.
Fellow Epsom Classic hero Auguste Rodin, set to bring the curtain down on his career in the Japan Cup, will stand alongside City Of Troy at an initial fee of €30,000. Also set to stand at Coolmore Ireland is leading miler Henry Longfellow, whose fee is set at €15,000.
Top stallion Wootton Bassett’s fee is increased to a a career-high €300,000 for 2025. His first Irish crop since his acquisition from Haras d’Etreham are now two-year-olds – and they have produced a record ten Group-race winners, including Breeders’ Cup winner Henri Matisse. More here
• Sea The Stars hits new high as Aga Khan Studs release 2025 fees More here
Strom Boy set to join O’Brien for Royal Ascot
Australia: High-profile Australian three-year-old Storm Boy is set to to join Aidan O’Brien’s string in Ireland for a crack at Royal Ascot in the summer.
Like the retired City Of Troy, Storm Boy is a son of US Triple Crown winner Justify. According to reports, he was bought by Coolmore in a deal worth a potential A$50m after winning the Magic Millions Classic for the training partnership of Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, for whom he finished eighth on his most recent start in the Everest. More here
Royal Ascot is also under consideration for Chris Waller-trained Switzerland, who ensured the sponsors kept their money in-house when winning the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on Saturday [Nov 2]. More here
Preakness winner National Treasure to Spendthrift at $40,000
USA: National Treasure, forced to miss the Breeders’ Cup with a minor injury, has been retired to Spendthrift Farm where he will stand a 2025 fee of $40,000.
Trained by Bob Baffert, the son of Quality Road was a three-time G1 winner. Having claimed the Preakness Stakes as a three-year-old, National Treasure went on to land this year’s Pegasus World Cup before a dominant 6¼-length success in the Metropolitan Handicap.
However, he came out of a runner-up effort in the California Crown with a foot bruise, which meant missing the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, where he would surely have been favourite. More here
G1-winning mares aplenty at Fasig-Tipton as top lot goes for $6m
USA: The annual post-Breeders’ Cup sale at Fasig-Tipton brought several seven-figure prices, headed by G1-winning mare McKulick, for whom the gavel came down at $6m.
Narvick International, agent for Japan’s Grand Stud, landed the five-year-old daughter of world-leading sire Frankel, while Coolmore went to $5.1m for star French filly Ramatuelle.
A total of 25 horses sold for $1m or more among 172 horses sold at The November Sale in Lexington on Monday [Nov 4]. Other headline lots included Breeders’ Cup winner Moira, knocked down for $4.3m, plus multiple G1-winning mares Adare Manor ($2.8m) and War Like Goddess ($1.8m). More here
Bahrain and Saudi race upgrades
Bahrain: The King’s Cup has been elevated to international G3 status among three upgrades to the Bahraini programme following a review by the Asian Pattern Committee. Both the HH Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup and HH Shaikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup have been granted Listed status for the first time.
Held in March, the King’s Cup is now the finale of Bahrain’s international programme, won in 2023 by subsequent Royal Ascot winner Isle Of Jura. The $1m Bahrain International Trophy, the island kingdom’s biggest race, was last year upgraded to G2 level. This year’s edition is scheduled for Friday week [Oct 15]. More here
In Saudi Arabia, two races on the Saudi Cup card have been promoted to G2 status, namely the Riyadh Dirt Sprint and the Red Sea Handicap. In addition, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup [Jan 25] is now a G3 event, thereby becoming Saudi Arabia’s first Group race outside the Saudi Cup meeting.
Elsewhere in racing …
Japan: Traditonal armoured horse racing returns to Tokyo More here
Australia: Cieren Fallon appeals against month-long ban and A$100,000 fine More here
France: Racing on the march over tax threat More here
USA: Whip bans at Breeders’ Cup More here
USA: Owner-breeder Frank Calabrese dies, aged 96 More here
GB: No joy for Stoute as final runner finishes last More here
GB: Enhanced online education to support safety and wellbeing of racing’s workforce More here
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