Europe
Notable Speech dazzles in the City Of York, BC Mile next
By Tom Frary
Heading to Saturday's G1 Sky Bet City Of York Stakes with little to prove, Godolphin's Notable Speech (Dubawi) added another string to his bow with a sixth top-level triumph tackling this seven-furlong trip for the first time.
Always comfortable tracking his target Marvelman (Invincible Spirit) under William Buick, the 9-4 favourite swooped approaching the furlong pole and drew away impressively to score by two and three quarter lengths from Lake Forest (No Nay Never), who denied Marvelman by a short head.
“He's come into his own over the last couple of weeks,” Charlie Appleby explained. “With the ground as it is, we decided to ride him more prominently than usual but Will (Buick) knows the horse inside out and once I could see that he hadn't thrown the kitchen sink at him, there was never going to be a horse that could pick him up.
“Will (Buick) knows the horse inside out and once I could see that he hadn't thrown the kitchen sink at him (Notable Speech), there was never going to be a horse that could pick him up.” - Charlie Appleby
“What's lovely is that he's shown his versatility on different ground and you might get that question mark at Keeneland. He will go straight there now.”
This was Notable Speech's first attempt on ground easier than good since 2024 when disappointing in the G1 Prix du Moulin, but it is a measure of his maturity that he was able to conjure his trademark explosive speed to settle matters quickly.
Better than ever at five, he has had excuses each time he has met with a reversal with Ascot plainly not a track with which he is enamoured and it will clearly take a huge performance to take him down in his title defence at Keeneland.
“I get a bit more emotional with these older horses and he fully deserved that,” Appleby added. “When he quickens, he's got a devastating turn of foot and we thought if we could get over to the stands' side we'd find a fresher strip of ground. His versatility gives us the confidence going into the Breeders' Cup–it might be lovely quick ground at Keeneland or it could be autumnal.”
“I get a bit more emotional with these older horses and he (Notable Speech) fully deserved that.” - Charlie Appleby
Charlie Appleby | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Notable Speech will be retired at the end of the year and his trainer believes he will prove a valuable addition to the Darley stallion roster.
“I applaud these horses that win at two and three and are still doing it at four and five – I feel you've really got to take your hat off to them as they've shown their durability and, hopefully, he will take that into his stud career,” he said. “One thing people like nowadays is a bit of speed and one thing that horse doesn't lack is pace and a turn of foot.”
Pedigree notes: Notable Speech, who completed a double for his potent sire at York on the afternoon, is the first foal out of the UAE Oaks runner-up Swift Rose (Invincible Spirit) who is a half-sister to the G1 Natalma Stakes and G3 Fred Darling Stakes winner Wild Beauty (Frankel) and Dubawi's G3 Burj Nahaar winner Desert Wisdom.
The Listed-winning and dual Group-placed second dam Tulips (Pivotal) is a granddaughter of the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup and G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest heroine Cherokee Rose (Dancing Brave), who is also the ancestress of the G1 Eclipse Stakes hero Mukhadram (Shamardal) and the G1 Challenge Stakes-winning sire Cable Bay, who shares Invincible Spirit as a sire with Swift Rose. Her unraced 2-year-old is a full sister to Notable Speech.
United States
My Gun's Loaded comes out firing in Alabama
By Steve Sherack
My Gun's Loaded (Gun Runner) made a menacing move while floated out five wide by Counting Stars (Honor A. P.) at the top of the stretch and kept on coming with massive strides down the lane beneath Manny Franco to outbattle Measure (Essential Quality) in dramatic fashion by a neck in Saturday's G1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.
Counting Stars, the 1-4 favorite following statement-making victories over My Gun's Loaded's Chad Brown-trained stablemate and G1 Kentucky Oaks heroine Always A Runner (Gun Runner) in the G1 Acorn Stakes and G1 Coaching Club American Oaks, had to settle for third after setting an easy pace.
My Gun's Loaded, a perfect two-for-two at Saratoga going seven furlongs and one mile this season June 6 and July 24, was off at odds of 3-1 while making her stakes debut in the 1 1/4-mile Alabama.
“I'm so proud of the horse,” Brown said. “I'm so appreciative of (winning owner) Douglas Scharbauer, who gave me this horse to train over the winter, and of course, she is three-for-three for us and she's three-for-three at Saratoga. She really likes it here. Going from a mile to a mile and a quarter is a big ask, but the thing that gave me some confidence was we won the Alabama a few years ago with a horse named Randomized that did the same thing, so it has been done.”
“I'm so appreciative of (winning owner) Douglas Scharbauer, who gave me this horse (My Gun's Loaded) to train over the winter, and of course, she is three-for-three for us and she's three-for-three at Saratoga.” - Chad Brown
Brown continued, “Counting Stars is a great horse. I had the benefit of a fresh horse today. I mean take nothing away from the way she (Counting Stars) fought, she's danced every dance from the Oaks on through, and I needed a fresh horse to beat her, goes to show you how good she is.”
As for what's next, Brown added, “I'm going to talk to Mr Scharbauer and his manager Donny, great team back at the farm he has that selected this horse. They have a close-knit team. They selected her and with them managing her, they are wonderful to deal with. Off the top of my head, races like the Beldame (at Belmont Park) or the Spinster (at Keeneland) versus older horses might be in play. She is lightly raced and her numbers are fast.”
Pedigree notes: My Gun's Loaded, a US$650,000 (AU$907,000) Keeneland September yearling, becomes the 41st Graded/61st stakes winner for leading sire Gun Runner, who is now responsible for 15 Grade 1 winners. Chad Brown also tightened the girth on Gun Runner's brilliant 2024 G1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone and this year's G1 Kentucky Oaks heroine Always a Runner.
My Gun's Loaded's dam, the stakes-placed Congrats mare Strive, brought US$220,000 (AU$307,000) from winning breeder Corser Thoroughbreds at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. My Gun's Loaded is bred on the same Gun Runner x Congrats cross as two-for-two G3 Indiana Derby winner Leading Change. My Gun's Loaded is the eighth Grade/Group 1 winner for broodmare sire Congrats.
Tam Tam wins Del Mar Oaks, Medaglia d'Oro Gets 100th Graded winner
By Jill Williams
Rigney Racing LLC's Tam Tam (Medaglia d'Oro), a US$975,000 (AU$1.36 million) Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy and a granddaughter of 2005 G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Folklore (Tiznow), shipped west for the G1 Del Mar Oaks going 1 1/8 miles at the oceanside oval Saturday. Not only did she take home her first Graded victory–in a Grade 1, no less–but she became the 100th Graded winner worldwide for the already legendary Medaglia d'Oro.
A daylight winner of the Tepin Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 27, Tam Tam broke like a shot at Del Mar, but was outfooted to the front by favored Kensington Lane (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). The bay, under Junior Alvarado, settled kindly along the rail behind the 0:24.14s and 0:48.29s fractions, so kindly that Alvarado wasn't sure how involved she would be.
“Normally, she is a filly that likes to pull a little more in the bridle, and she was completely off the bridle today,” he said. “She was traveling beautifully, but I just didn't know what to expect when I asked her to go. Normally she is more aggressive, but I guess she was just in a good rate and enjoying the ride.”
As the field strung out by about 13 lengths from first to last, Tam Tam held her stalking spot as Kensington Lane–winner of the G1 Belmont Oaks on July 4–continued to show the way.
As they rounded the turn, Tam Tam threatened as she tipped out and made good on that threat, running right by the pacesetter to leave no doubt as to the best filly in the field on the day. Alvarado waved the crop and wrapped up late as Tam Tam crossed the line one and a quarter lengths the best. Lookin At Diamond (Lookin At Lucky), a maiden winner and longshot at 40-1, passed Kensington Lane for runner-up honors.
“When I turned for home and I asked her (Tam Tam) for her best, she just really had a good turn of foot.” - Junior Alvarado
“When I turned for home and I asked her for her best, she just really had a good turn of foot,” said Alvarado. “She seems like every race she matures. If she starts doing it like she did today where she can actually relax and not pull too much, that is just going to make her tough going on.”
In addition to her Tepin victory, Tam Tam also captured the Sanibel Island Stakes in March at Gulfstream for her first black-type win. Two Graded tries ensued, resulting in placings in both the G2 Edgewood Stakes and G3 Regret Stakes, each contested at Churchill.
“I was happy (with the Del Mar Oaks trip), but at the same time mildly concerned because I thought in the Regret it was a similar trip and she didn't punch home as well,” said winning trainer Phil Bauer, who won his first stakes at Del Mar in the Oaks.
“When (Alvarado) was knuckling at her in the turn, I was a little nervous, but boy she answered the call. This is just pure relief. We felt like we had some fillies the last few years with Grade I talent and we just couldn't get it done. Glad we could get the tag next her name.”
Pedigree notes: Medaglia d'Oro, pensioned last October after a truly remarkable stallion career, showed he isn't ready to be counted out just yet. With his final foals born this spring, the Darley stalwart has 189 black-type winners among his 19 crops to the races to go along with those 100 Graded winners. Top among his runners of 2026 is Nitrogen, the reigning 3-year-old filly champ who most recently finished second against the boys in the G1 Whitney Stakes on August 8.
Tam Tam's broodmare sire, Distorted Humor, has had great success with Medaglia d'Oro. Among the baker's dozen of stakes winners bred on the identical cross is three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty, as well as multiple Grade 1 winners Elate and New Money Honey. A daughter of 2005 champion 2-year-old filly Folklore (Tiznow), Tam Tam's dam Princess Julia has a 2-year-old filly by Charlatan, and a weanling filly by Twirling Candy. She was bred to Omaha Beach for 2027.
Princess Julia's granddam, the unraced Contrive (Storm Cat), was a US$3 million (AU$4.19 million) Fasig-Tipton purchase by John Ferguson on behalf of Godolphin in 2005. Her descendants include champion Essential Quality (Tapit), now a Darley sire, and Japanese champion and sire Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
Knightsbridge romps in Pacific Classic
By Steve Sherack
Knightsbridge (Nyquist) took it to G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast) through blazing fractions of 0:22.68s and 0:45.45s and showed no mercy in the stretch, romping in jaw-dropping fashion by six and a quarter lengths in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' G1 Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar.
The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard,' favored at even-money from his wide draw in post 11, completed the 1 1/4-mile distance in 2:01.79s. Original Sin (Curlin) rallied from last for second. Full Serrano held third.
Winning owner/breeder Godolphin and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, of course, also campaign last year's Horse of the Year and dominating G1 Whitney Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief).
“It was quite impressive,” Mott said. “I thought maybe they were going a little too fast down the backside. They were going 0:45s and two or three, a pretty honest pace for a mile and a quarter race. They went quick, but gosh he had something to finish with.”
“They went quick, but gosh he (Knightsbridge) had something to finish with.” - Bill Mott
Winning jockey Junior Alvarado added, “When we got to the first turn, I thought we were moving along pretty well and at the backstretch my horse switched leads to the right and that's when I kind of wanted to give him a little breather and kind of engage a little bit again. My horse kind of went on with him and I was getting a little worried for how we wanted to go, but at the same time, it wasn't like he was overly trying. He was kind of skipping over the ground.
“I had my hopes that when I asked him he would give me his best right when we turned for home. It was all heart there. In the gallop out, I couldn't even pull him up he was going so strong. He's a horse that has a lot of talent.”
Pedigree notes: Knightsbridge becomes the 12th Grade 1 winner for Nyquist. He is a half-brother to young Darley stallion Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), winner of the 2022 G1 Carter Handicap.
Knightsbridge's second dam is G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine Round Pond (Awesome Again), who brought US$5.75 million (AU$8 million) from Sheikh Mohammed's global operation at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November sale.
Knightsbridge's unraced dam Tyburn Brook (Bernadini) is a half-sister to G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Highland Falls (Curlin) and G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 winner Long River (A.P. Indy). The Nyquist x Bernardini cross is also responsible for Grade 1 winners Gretzky the Great, Immersive and Nysos. Tyburn Brook had a colt by Curlin in 2025 and a filly by Nyquist this year.
