Big race countdown, w/c: 22 June | 29 June | 6 July | 13 July | 20 July | 27 July

---

Saturday 18 July 2009

Norfolk Stakes winner Radiohead will step up to six furlongs in the Camas Park & Ashtown House Studs Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh a week on Sunday. Trainer Brian Meehan said: "He worked very well this morning, he is in great shape since his Royal Ascot win and it is all systems go for him to run at the Curragh."

Luca Cumani's Melbourne Cup second Bauer will not be bidding to go one better this year after a tendon injury on the gallops. "Bauer has sadly injured a tendon on the gallops and is likely to be out for a year," the trainer's daughter Francesca told www.lucacumani.com.

"That rather dashes our hopes of finally winning the Melbourne Cup this year, although our recent acquisition Basaltico will get the chance to step up to the plate in the Group Three Glorious Stakes at Goodwood and put his credentials on the line in a race Purple Moon also took in before his gallant second at Flemington.

"If Basaltico runs well at Goodwood, he could also go to York for the Ebor as Purple Moon did, but we are still learning about him and we won't really know more until after Goodwood."

---

Friday 17 July 2009

Summer Mile winner Aqlaam will step back up to Group One company in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville next month. The four-year-old has been beaten in the Lockinge Stakes and the Queen Anne Stakes, but showed good form at Ascot last weekend.

Campanologist is baffling Godolphin after his poor run in the Princess of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket last week. Saeed bin Suroor told PA Sport: "We will keep options open for him. After the race at Newmarket he was happy and sound, I couldn't find any problem really with him. I was disappointed with him." said trainer Saeed bin Suroor. The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes remains a possibility.

Aidan O'Brien has a 14-1 shot for the 1000 Guineas in Silver Flash Stakes winner Cabaret. The trainer said of the Galileo filly: "She's a very nice filly and she's progressing nicely too. She's in the Debutante Stakes, so we might go there."

Dermot Weld's Profound Beauty, fresh from her success in the Group Three Curragh Cup at the end of last month, landed her second successive renewal of the Listed Challenge Stakes, beating Yankee Doodle by three-quarters-of-a-length.

Weld said: "She's a class act and she's an absolute joy to train. "She's a very relaxed, self-contained type and she takes everything very well. They went a very nice gallop and it was a true-run race.

"The long-term target is the Melbourne Cup, but we will have a look at Yorkshire Oakes and the Irish St Leger - they are both possibilities."

---

Thursday 16 July 2009

Hampton Court Stakes winner Glass Harmonium will run in the Prix Eugene Adam at Maisons-Laffitte on 26 July.

Peter Reynolds, racing manager to owner Ballymacoll Stud, told PA Sport: "I think he's likely to go for a race in France, probably the Prix Eugene Adam which is the day after the King George. He's not in the Leger and I would imagine that would almost certainly be out of his distance range at the moment.

"He might well be fine at a mile and a half, maybe not just yet, but I can't see him being tried over the Leger trip - it's nice to have something with a bit of speed!"

The Ralph Beckett-trained Puff quickened well from the rear to win the EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes at Lingfield on Wednesday, and could now head to the Jaguar Cars Lowther Stakes at York next month.

Another to winhis maiden at the Surrey track was Almuktahem, a half-brother to Maraahel.

Dermot Weld is set to run Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Casual Conquest in the Group Three Meld Stakes at Leopardstown on Thursday week. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is the ultimate target.

Beach Bunny was beaten in a photograph in the Group One Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh last month. Trainer Kevin Prendergast plans to run the High Chaparral filly in the Group One Nassau Stakes at Goodwood next month.

The James Eustace-trained War Artist, off the tracks ince taking htird in the July Cup last year, could run in the Group Three Shadwell Stakes at Newbury on Saturday if the ground does not turn soft.

Rae Guest's Serious Attitude, winner of the Summer Stakes at York last week on her return to sprinting, has the Group One Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville as her next target, with the Haydock Sprint Cup also in mind.

Geordieland looks likely to run in the Breeders' Cup Marathon in November, and Jamie Osbrone plans to run the grey in the Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup at York next month as a prep.

---

Wednesday 15 July 2009

The improving Cavalryman was an impressive winner of the Group One Grand Prix de Paris on Tuesday evening, and the Halling colt is as short as 8-1 to emulate Rail Link in going on to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October. Fabre said: "We will think about the Prix Niel and the Arc but I need to talk it over with Sheikh Mohammed first."

Connections have decided that Eclipse Stakes winner Sea The Stars will not step back up to a mile and a half in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday week.

Trainer John Oxx's wife Caitriona said: "The first decision made is that he's not going for the King George.

"John will have to have further discussions with the client before making any more decisions."

Oxx revealed at the weekend that Sea The Stars will have three more runs this season, and the Juddmonte International Stakes over a mile and a quarter at York next month looks the likely next port of call.

Youmzain could wear headgear in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes after working well in a visor on Tuesday. Mick Channon told www.mickchannon.tv: "He's in great fettle and the visor appeared to have a positive effect. I'm looking forward to running him in the King George."

The Prix Robert Papain looks to be off Coventry Stakes winner Canford Cliff's agenda. Trainer Richard Hannon said on Tuesday: He is doing great and is in really good order. We've got races like the Middle Park, the race in Deauville (Prix Morny) and all those valuable sales races to look at.

"We won't do too much more with him this season, and we will only have a couple more runs."

---

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Richard Hannon has a strong hand in Saturday's Super Sprint at Newbury, headed by National Stakes winner Monsieur Chevalier. Hannon told richardhannonracing.tv: "He came back [from the Norfolk Stakes] with a couple of bruised ribs, having been bounced around when the American horse cannoned into him, but he quickly recovered and has been going well at home.

"He lost all impetus at Ascot and Hughesy sensibly looked after him, and, though he will eventually step up to six furlongs, he has won four over the minimum trip and they always go very fast in this race, which will suit him ideally."

Of his other possible runners, Hannon added: "Palisades Park won well at Windsor, but he did not enjoy either the firm ground or the ups and downs in the dip when disappointing at Chepstow next time.

"Desert Auction was beaten less than a length in a hot nursery at Ascot last week and, though six furlongs probably suits him better, he deserves to take his chance. Chocolate Cookie ran green early on at Salisbury but got the hang of things at the end and was staying on strongly in third and has a handy weight, as has Reach For The Sky, who surprised us when winning first time out at Goodwood and will be picking them up at the end if they go a helter skelter pace."

The Ralph Beckett-trained Tropical Treat won the EBF sportingbet.com Maiden Stakes at Windsor on Monday in some style, needing only to be pushed out by Seb Sanders to win by a length and a half. The filly is likely now to head for the Lowther Stakes at York.

Henry Cecil's Midday, well beaten behind Sariska on unsuitable ground in the Irish Oaks, is likely to swerve the Yorkshire Oaks in favour of the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.

Queen's Vase winner Holberg is likely to be out for the rest of the season after sustaining a leg injury at Darley's pre-training yard, where he was en route to joining Godolphin from Mark Johnston's stable. The colt has been scratched from the Great Voltigeur and the St Leger.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Harbinger missed the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot with a pulled muscle, but is on course to run in the Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

Harry Herbert of owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing told PA Sport: "Touch-wood, he's in very good form. He worked on Saturday, and went very well, and also worked the Wednesday before that. He is hopefully on course to run in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood.

"He did have a bit of time off, having pulled a muscle in his quarters, but that has cleared up. He's a horse that really has four-year-old written all over him and anything he did this year is a bonus as he is a late-maturing type."

Eve Johnson-Houghton could run The Cheka, a high class juvenile who has been out of action for over 10 months, in the Shadwell "Nunnery Stud" Conditions Stakes at Newbury on Friday. The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is the ultimate target.

---

Monday 13 July 2009

Sariska is as short as 6-1 for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a race for which she would have to be supplemented, after her sensational victory in the Group One Irish Oaks yesterday. Trainer Michael Bell said after the race: "I think now we will go for the Yorkshire Oaks and then sit down and have a serious think about her autumn campaign.

"Obviously she would have to be supplemented for the Arc but you want to take on the best. There is the Prix de l'Opera but that might not be the right race now. She is such a good filly it would be a shame not to have a dart at the Arc and meeting that French filly [Stacelita] - that would be a race. Then there is the Breeders' Cup Turf as another later option."

The Tommy Stack-trained Walk On Bye won the Group Three Anglesey Stakes and looks set for a trip to Deauville. Fozzy Stack said: "Her main target is the Goffs Million Sprinters race and she'll have one more run in between. The Phoenix Stakes in two weeks may come too soon but she's in the Lowther and there is the Prix Morny too.

"The Morny might be the most likely of the three and looking at her pedigree, I don't think she'll be going further than six furlongs."

The Whitney Moore EBF Maiden, won in recent years by Teofilo and New Approach, was won by Aidan O'Brien's Black Quartz, who has been installed as a 25-1 chance for the 2000 Guineas.

Trainer John Oxx has revealed that, all being well, 2000 Guineas, Derby and Eclipse Stakes winner Sea The Stars will have three more runs this season - but the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes over a mile and a half at Ascot next Saturday has not yet been ruled out of the equation.

Oxx told At The Races: "I'll talk to the owner in the next couple of days and then we'll decide where we go next with him, but he's fine - he's fresh and well.

"We'll make the decision based on plans for the rest of the year as we are looking at running him three more times.

"That would be six races in six months which is a fair old schedule for a horse running at Group One level every time.

"We have to decide whether to give him another quick race after running a very fast time in the Eclipse, whether you'd run him again three weeks later bearing in mind you have the plan to run him three more times - that is what we have to consider.

"We'll make a decision in the next few days.

"The whole point about missing the King George is so we can take our foot off the pedal with him with regards to his work and prolong his well-being to the end of the year.

"There is no point putting all our eggs in the Arc basket as in the last 16 years only four have been run on good ground.

"At a risk of sounding like Aidan O'Brien all the options are open to him because he has won Group Ones over a mile, 10 furlongs and a mile and a half."

John Ryan is delighted with the way Silver Grecian has come out of the Superlative Stakes, telling PA Sport: "We are thinking of probably one last race before the end of the season. There a few obvious races to choose from for a horse of that calibre, because now we've got to this stage we have to aim him at certain races.

"We'll wait and see, we know where we want to go next year, we've just got to plan our way to there. In an ideal world he'll be at the 2000 Guineas. It would be nice to go for the Dewhurst, but we won't make any decisions for a month.

"He's bred through the stallion to be a Guineas horse and he's shown he's got various attributes, he should get the mile OK, he's got a bit of speed as well and a turn of foot.

"What he's done so far is OK. The bigger picture for me is to have a stronger, mature horse for next year. I'm not in a hurry and I'm not being pressured by owners either, which is always a lovely position to be in."