England
Fourth Group 1 in a row for Blue Bolt
By Sean Cronin, TDN Europe
Having comfortably dominated her peers in the G1 Falmouth, G1 Prix Rothschild and G1 Matron this term, rare Juddmonte purchase Blue Bolt (Blue Point) collected a fourth straight Group 1 rosette with yet another impressive display in Saturday's G1 BetMGM Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.
“She's just improved all year, it's extraordinary and a great credit to the guys at home,” said Andrew Balding. “She takes a bit of managing and she's not easy. Alfie Redman, one of my apprentices who rides her every day, has done a lovely job. She looked as good as ever and I was happy to see Sir Mark's horse [Moon Target] kick on, so we could relax a little. It was a good performance in a good time and the form looks strong.”
This month's Breeders' Cup meet at Keeneland is very much on the agenda, with options being the Mile and Filly & Mare Turf. “I think she'd have no problem with the extra furlong-and-a-half [of the Filly & Mare Turf] on those types of tracks,” the trainer added. “Obviously, the Mile is a more significant race in many ways, but it's a decision for the owners and I'd be happy with whatever they decide.”
Colin Keane, who partnered Tamfana to success here in 2024, continued, “She was a little bit fresh. I suppose we went steady and I just brought her away and let her go forward. David (Probert aboard Moon Target) went on by a couple of lengths, so I had something to aim at and to bring us along. She's obviously taken her racing very well and if we can get her to America in this form, you'd be hopeful of a big run.”
The 1-4 favourite tanked along in third after a sharp getaway from the stalls and inched into second passing halfway as Moon Target (Cracksman) established a clear lead. Looming large with a quarter-mile remaining, she seized control approaching the final furlong and was a class above her rivals in the closing stages, hitting the line with a 2.75-length buffer back to Falmouth and Rothschild fourth Evolutionist (Night Of Thunder).
Matron runner-up City Of Memphis (Sioux Nation) fared best of the remaining quintet and finished a neck further adrift in third.
Pedigree: Blue Bolt, who is now six-for-six in 2026, is the fifth of seven foals and one of four scorers out of G3 Prix Allez France victrix Mayhem (Whipper), herself a full sister to G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein winner and G1 Hong Kong Mile runner-up Royal Bench.
Mayhem is also kin to G3 Ormonde Stakes winner and G1 Irish Derby third Memphis Tennessee (Hurricane Run) and Listed Glencairn Stakes placegetter Vega Magnifico (Lope De Vega).
The €400,000 (AU$650,000) Arqana August graduate is a half-sister to stakes-winning G2 German 1000 Guineas and G3 Prix Imprudence runner-up Sky Angel (Dark Angel), three-time stakes winner Sea Theme (Sea The Stars), the once-raced 2-year-old filly Heureuse (Dark Angel) and a yearling colt by Baaeed.
France
Caballo De Mar goes back to back in G1 Cadran
By Tom Frary, TDN Europe
Capping a day to remember at ParisLongchamp for Victorious Forever and George Scott, Caballo De Mar (Phoenix Of Spain) did what for so long this year has seemed the unthinkable and got the better of Scandinavia (Justify) to record back-to-back successes in the G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran.
Having to survive an inquiry as the pair came together in the dying strides, the 6-1 second favourite, who has also won the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier and Doncaster Cup, edged home under Oisin Murphy with the 1-5 market leader a short neck back. It was 3.5 lengths back to Queenstown (Galileo) in third.
“What an amazing performance by the horse. He was beaten two furlongs by Scandinavia at Ascot so all credit to my team at home and who travel with him, it's quite emotional,” the winning trainer said after completing a double following the exploits of the G2 Prix Dollar winner Wimbledon Hawkeye.
“He went past him easily and then Scandinavia showed himself a champion to come back. These moments are what we do it for. I'm so proud of the team.”
The result underlined the quality of Meydan's Dubai Gold Cup from March, where the afternoon's G1 Prix de Royallieu heroine Fairy Glen had denied Caballo De Mar. Caballo De Mar could be headed to Ascot now, while the runner-up is finished for the year.
“I thought if there was an opportunity to beat him it was today because my horse loves it here, he was showing all the right signs and Scandinavia had a very hard race in Ireland last time,” Scott added. “We'll see how he comes out of it, but he could go to Ascot on Champions Day.”
Pedigree: Caballo De Mar is only the second but also the last foal out of Oberyn (Holy Roman Emperor), a granddaughter of the Prix Minerve winner and excellent producer Daralinsha (Empery). She is in turn out of Darazina (Labus), the fourth dam of the Aga Khan Studs luminary Daryz (Sea The Stars), while the family also features the stars Darjina (Zamindar), Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) and Darsi (Polish Precedent).
Fairy Glen win Royallieu to frank Dubai form
By Sean Cronin, TDN Europe
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed Al Maktoum's G2 Dubai Gold Cup heroine Fairy Glen (Farhh) had made just one prior start in elite-level company, running fifth in May's G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier, and outstripped all prior form to down a quality field in Saturday's G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp.
“The race unfolded exactly as Mickael (Barzalona) had predicted,” said trainer Ed Crisford. “He said that they would start racing from a long way out and he wanted to take his time with Fairy Glen. He just followed them and then threaded his way through. He knows her really well from Dubai, where he rode her, and she is a very brave filly.
“She will never win by two or three lengths, but she simply does what she needs to do to win. She has raced over one mile and won in Dubai, so she is very versatile. Above all, she is a top-class filly and now a Group 1 winner. She is entered at Ascot in the (G1 British Champions) Fillies & Mares and will retire from racing at the end of this year. There may also be something here (in France) for her, so we will see how she is and speak to her owner and make a plan for her.”
The 77-10 chance, who defeated dual Group 1 winner Caballo De Mar (Phoenix Of Spain) in that Meydan feature, employed patient tactics from flagfall and raced at the tail of the field until turning for home in this 14-furlong marathon.
Rowed along to reduce arrears in early straight, she moved into contention out wide with 300 metres remaining and momentum carried her beyond Sunly (Night Of Thunder) and Amelia Earhart (Camelot) in the dying embers to prevail by a short-neck and three-quarters-of a length.
Pedigree: Fairy Glen, who becomes the fifth Group 1 winner and second this season for her sire, is the first of three foals produced by the multiple winner Natural Scenery (Dubawi), herself a daughter of Listed Prix Rose de Mai victrix and G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Argentina (Sadler's Wells).
Argentina is the leading performer bred from Listed Prix de la Cochere winner Airline (Woodman), who is a full sister to the Listed-winning G3 Prix Edmond Blanc runner-up Art Moderne.
Airline, in turn, is out of G3 Prix de Sandringham victrix Action Francaise (Nureyev), whose quintet of stakes winners includes G3 Prix des Reservoirs victrix and G1 Prix de Saint-Alary runner-up Article Rare (El Prado) as well as the G3 Prix de la Jonchere victor Android (Riverman).
Wimbledon Hawkeye makes a big day for Scott
By Tom Frary, TDN Europe
Significantly boosting his stock in last month's Irish Champion, Victorious Forever's Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko) suggested he is still improving when taking a strong renewal of ParisLongchamp's G2 Qatar Prix Dollar on Saturday.
A Royal Lodge winner and Futurity Trophy-placed at two and a Nashville Derby winner last term, the Gredley Family's homebred's current spike of progress can be traced back to a narrow defeat by Map Of Stars (Sea The Stars) in Royal Ascot's Wolferton Stakes prior to his sale to his current owners. Third to Hotazhell in Munich's Grosser Dallmayr-Preis which acted as an unexpected precursor to the Leopardstown feature, he had reversed placings with his Royal meeting conqueror in Deauville's Prix Gontaut-Biron before losing out by inches at the top table at Foxrock.
This was plain sailing despite the half-length margin to The Aga Khan Studs homebred Zaydann (Dubawi), with Christophe Soumillon looking comfortable from some way out as the 13-10 favourite Phineas (Lope De Vega) and Godolphin's dual Guineas-placed Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) failed to give their running and finished at the back.
“He travelled into the race brilliantly and swung away, although the ground is a bit tacky for him,” George Scott said. “He's a very high class horse and he's on the right trajectory. He got the tactics perfect as well, as we wanted to be ahead of the favourite and try and get him to come past us.”
Pedigree: His granddam, the stakes winner Whazzat (Daylami) is the dam of G2 Mill Reef Stakes and G3 Greenham Stakes winner James Garfield, who was also second in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest before going to stud.
