Dual Group One winner Mostahdaf will retire to the stallion ranks at Shadwell’s Beech House Stud after his final career start in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf on Saturday.
The Frankel colt is trained by John and Thady Gosden for owner-breeder Shadwell, the racing operation of Sheikha Hissa.
His five-year-old campaign has been a great success with victories in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Juddmonte International at York, performances that see him lining up at Santa Anita on a mark of 128 with nearly £2.5million in prize-money earnt so far.
Beech House Stud in Newmarket is newly refurbished and will become the home of all Shadwell’s UK-based stallions, meaning Mostahdaf will stand alongside Baaeed, Tasleet and Mohaather.
Angus Gold, Shadwell’s racing manager, said: “Mostahdaf has been a top-class horse for the last three seasons, from showing his speed when winning five of his six races as a three-year-old between seven furlongs and a mile; he then displayed his clear versatility and ability over further.
“Since winning the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia by seven lengths earlier this year, he has come from behind to beat the best 10-furlong horses in Europe at Royal Ascot, and then made all in the Juddmonte International. At York he highlighted both his speed and class by running six of the last eight furlongs under 12 seconds.
“Mostahdaf never missed a day’s training and was a thorough professional throughout his career; his enthusiasm for his work, together with his outstanding physique and speed, should make him a very attractive prospect for breeders.”
John Gosden added: “Mostahdaf has always been a pleasure to train. Sound and always positive and generous in his work. His action is superb and fluent with a high cruising speed and electric acceleration. A horse who has been very consistent throughout his career.”
In other stallion news, Juddmonte have announced the Ralph Beckett-trained Irish Derby winner Westover has been sold and will stand at Yushun Stallion Station in Hokkaido, Japan for the 2024 season.
He will be syndicated, and a fee is yet to be determined.
Royal Ascot winner Bradsell has been scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
In a huge blow to connections the King’s Stand Stakes hero will not be taking his place in the field.
He had been seen in action on the Santa Anita track on Wednesday but overnight trainer Archie Watson informed Breeders’ Cup officials Bradsell would not be running.
In the absence of usual partner Hollie Doyle, who is suspended, he was due to be ridden by Luke Morris but unfortunately for those concerned Bradsell will be absent when the field lines up on Saturday.
European interest in the race now rests with Nunthorpe winner Live In The Dream and Aidan O’Brien’s Aesop’s Fables.
Jamaica College remains on course to defend their ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup title, as they joined Mona High in the quarterfinal round following victories in their respective second-leg Round of 16 fixtures at Ashenheim Stadium on Wednesday.
The Old Hope Road-based boys, who held a 3-0 lead over Eltham High at the end of the first leg, again made light work of the opponents in a 3-1 scoreline for a 6-1 aggregate win.
Jamaica College got their goals from Amarlie King (36th), Jayd Johnson (37th) and Jabarie Howell (61st), while Jevaughn Grant (54th) got Eltham’s consolation.
Earlier in the curtain-raiser of the double-header, Mona High hammered Jonathan Grant 6-1 on the day for a 10-1 aggregate scoreline, as they too enjoy good form heading into the quarterfinal.
In the feature contest, Jamaica College were always favoured to make good on their first leg advantage, and they could have opened the scoring in the fifth minute had Johnson got a better touch on Howell’s weighted cross into the area.
They did however make amends six minutes past the half-hour mark in a delightful combination play. This, as Dylan John’s weighted cross was played down by Howell for King to fire home his seventh goal of the season from deep inside the 18-yard box.
Before Eltham could catch their collective breaths, they found themselves two-goals down when Johnson got on the end of, and finished off a rebound after Jamoy Dennis’s initial effort from a distance was kept out by goalkeeper Joshua Aitcheson.
With the score unchanged at the break, the “Dark Blues” came out slow on the resumption and that allowed Grant pulled one back for Eltham as Raul Renton in goal for Jamaica College was hesitant in coming to collect the ball.
But the St Catherine-based team’s joy was short-lived as Howell’s well-struck right-footer from a distance burst through the grasp of Aitcheson and restored Jamaica College’s two-goal cushion which lasted to the final whistle.
Winning coach Davion Ferguson expressed pleasure with his team’s effort despite conceding a goal.
“I think we are somewhat disappointed in conceding that goal, we set ourselves a record and so we never wanted to give up that goal. Nevertheless, I think they played well, credit must be given to Eltham I think came here with a very good game plan, but our boys were patient and they eventually found ways to score goals so credit to them,” Ferguson said in his post-game interview.
Eltham’s assistant coach Glenville Holmes believes his youthful bunch gave as much as was expected.
“The truth is Eltham has nothing to be ashamed of. We played the defending champions which was always going to be a tough fixture, but I think the guys did their best and I am super proud of them. They are a very young bunch, they are under 15 years old, and I think in time, they will represent Eltham very well,” Holmes reasoned.
Wednesday's results
Mona 6, Jonathan Grant 1 (10-1 aggregate)
Kingston College 4, Campion College 1 (7-3 aggregate)
Jamaica College 3, Eltham 1 (6-1 aggregate)
St George’s College 3, St Jago 0 (5-0 aggregate)
St Catherine 3, Wolmer’s Boys 1 (4-1 aggregate)
Haile Selassie 1, Tivoli High 1 (1-1 aggregate)
Hydel 3, Excelsior 1 (3-1 aggregate)
STATHS 7, Kingston Technical 0 (11-0 aggregate)
Ackeem Auguste and Nyeem Young bowled West Indies Academy to an emphatic 92-run victory over the Guyana Harpy Eagles in the CG United Insurance Super50 Cup at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground in St. Augustine, Trinidad on Wednesday.
Needing 264 for victory after the West Indies Academy had posted 263 all out from their 50 overs, Guyana were dismissed for 171 in 35.1 overs as their batters offered little resistance to the bowling of Auguste, known for his batting, but who took 4-48 and Young who chipped in with 3-18.
The only real resistance came from Kevin Sinclair, who scored a hard-fought 46 and late order 32 from Veerasammy Permaul.
The Academy owed their match-winning total to Matthew Forde, known more for his bowling, and Teddy Bishop who posted scores of 52 and 48, respectively.
Young was also productive with the bat with a solid 42 while Joshua Bishop got 37 and Kevin Wickham 32 against the bowling of Sinclair, Permaul, Gudakesh Motie and Shamar Joseph who each took two wickets for the Harpy Eagles.
Gerri Colombe will have to wait an extra week to start out on the Cheltenham Gold Cup trail after Down Royal’s two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday was postponed by seven days to now take place on November 10 and November 11.
Gordon Elliott’s talented stayer is the second-favourite for Gold Cup glory following a fine novice chase campaign last term and was due to step into open company in the feature Ladbrokes Champion Chase, where rivals could have included established stars Conflated, Envoi Allen and Minella Indo.
However, with Down Royal currently unraceable, the decision has been made to shift the whole meeting back in the calendar with fresh entries for the meeting set to close on Monday and Tuesday.
Down Royal clerk Tracey O’Meara said: “We have just taken another look at the track and consulted with the River Agencies within the locality. The situation here is that we’ve been informed the River Lagan will continue to rise over the next 48 hours which will not enable the standing water on the course to subside.
“We were hoping for a more positive outcome when we started work on the track this morning to remove the water, but the situation with the River Lagan leaves us with no option but to make the difficult decision to cancel both Friday and Saturday as the track will simply not be ready in time.
“We were giving the meeting every chance but have made the decision at the earliest possible opportunity with the industry and public in mind. We are pleased to say that everyone is in a position to reschedule the fixtures for Friday 10 and Saturday 11 of November and the forecast into next week looks to be more favourable. Fresh entries will close on Monday for Friday and Tuesday for Saturday.”
Champion Stakes winner King Of Steel could be back in America next year for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Roger Varian has indicated.
There was a decision to be had this time around after the giant grey won on Champions Day at Ascot, with owner Kia Joorabchian admitting he was tempted by an ambitious bid for the dirt showpiece.
Discretion got the better part of valour on this occasion with only 14 days separating the meetings at Ascot and Santa Anita, and King Of Steel will contest the Breeders’ Cup Turf over 12 furlongs instead, meaning he will once more clash with his Derby conqueror Auguste Rodin.
“He looks to be taking everything in his stride. He has a positive demeanour of a horse that can go again. The natural instinct was not to come, but the vital signs are good,” said Varian.
“We left the decision to come as long as we could and he looked so good at home he was ticking plenty of boxes to make me think we should travel.
“It’s the type of race we are interested in, the Turf was always the priority. He found a way to win at Ascot, but I’m sure he didn’t enjoy the conditions.
“We could think about the Classic next season as he will stay in training.”
Greenfinch could be another exciting daughter of Justify having opened her account at Dundalk on Wednesday.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Greenfinch built on her Punchestown debut when second at the Curragh last month and her class came to the fore as she made it third-time lucky in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
Sent off the 5-2 joint-favourite for the seven-furlong event, the youngster tracked the early pace in the hands of Seamie Heffernan before making a stylish move to the front rounding the turn for home.
She then knuckled down gamely in the straight and showed a great attitude to edge out Jessica Harrington’s Cameo Performance by a neck in the closing stages.
Connections were delighted to see the half-sister of both July Cup winner U S Navy Flag and multiple Group One scorer Roly Poly get on the scoresheet and are now predicting a bright future.
Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “She’s a gorgeous filly and she has the pedigree to go with it.
“She had the two runs before on soft ground which wasn’t her ideal surface, but the experience stood to her.
“She was still a little bit green throughout the run, but Seamus felt her class got her through in the end.
“She is a filly to look forward to next year, he thinks she will definitely develop up into a Group filly at somewhere between a mile and a mile and a quarter.
“She will develop physically and mentally over the winter. She’s one to look forward to.
“It is good to get the win next to her and the three runs will be a massive plus to her next year.”
A significant offspring of Justify for Ballydoyle next year is unbeaten 2000 Guineas favourite City Of Troy, and Armstrong added: “The Justifys are extremely exciting – they have all got a great mind, a great action and they are 100 per cent genuine.
“They have big, long strides and, once they get their ground and trip, they really come into a different league.
“Luckily, we have got a few nice ones and it is an exciting bunch of two-year-olds to look forward to for next year.”
Sean Kirrane will forever be grateful for the loyalty shown by Adam West and the De’Lemos family as he prepares to make his Breeders’ Cup bow aboard Nunthorpe hero Live In The Dream.
The horse has proved appropriately named for the 23-year-old Irishman, who tasted Group One glory in his very first ride at the top level aboard the West-trained four-year-old on the Knavesmire.
That blistering all-the-way success secured Live In The Dream’s ticket to Santa Anita and Kirrane, who has partnered the gelding in 11 of his 19 career starts, is eager to point out it would have been easy for connections to plump for one of the weighing room’s star names for their once-in-a-lifetime tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
He said: “They would have had plenty of phone calls to ride this horse, even on the smaller days when he ran in the Temple Stakes and the race after that and the Nunthorpe. This particular day I’m sure they will have had plenty of phone calls, but their loyalty to me has been outstanding and I can’t thank them enough.
“Adam, Steve and Jolene have stuck by me and they have had me for plenty of days in the sun before the Nunthorpe and for them to give me my first ride in a Group One was amazing. I was so glad to reward them on the day for putting their faith in me.”
The 23-year-old Irishman is based in Yorkshire and a regular on the northern circuit, but has a flying visit to Epsom to thank for his long-lasting relationship with West and an association that has thrived from the very beginning.
“It’s probably an unusual match to have a northern-based jockey match-up with an Epsom and truly southern-based trainer and Adam was a completely chance contact,” continued Kirrane.
“I was claiming and riding for David O’Meara at the time and he had me down south two days in a row, he had me at Epsom one day, then Goodwood the next. I was staying over in Epsom and just thought ‘how can I use up the following morning’, so gave Adam a call to see if I could go ride out.
“He said ‘yes, pop in for a couple of lots’ and the first horse he put me on was a filly called Sky Blue Thinking. I’ll never forget her as she won three on the bounce and got me and Adam off to a flyer.
“We’ve had a really good strike-rate and great association ever since and now here we are.”
Their journey together came to a crescendo at York in the summer when Live In The Dream blazed a trail to give both trainer and jockey a first Group One triumph.
Connections always had the utmost belief that their sprinting star could one day climb to the top of the speedster’s ladder, but Live In The Dream’s underdog story has propelled a young rider fresh out of his claim and a trainer searching to make his name in the game firmly into the spotlight.
“He’s achieved things this year that none of us thought we might ever achieve,” continued Kirrane.
“We thought he had a lot of potential for maybe next year, but the fact he has achieved so much this year has been excellent and we owe the horse a lot.
“I don’t know how far I’ll get in my career but he’s a horse I will never forget. He’s given me a massive boost by winning the Nunthorpe so soon after losing my claim and it’s something a jockey in my position sort of never dreams.
“I have this horse and I knew he was capable of a lot, but it was so special to get a big winner on the board and then to have the opportunity to come here. I suppose we’ve already won this year regardless of what happens on Saturday, but to just be here with the horse while he is in such great form is excellent.”
He continued: “This is what we do Wolverhampton on a Monday and Catterick on Tuesday for. We do it to get the opportunities on the big days and the weekends. This is definitely one of those big days and whatever happens on Saturday, we all owe the horse an awful lot. For me it is not just a massive eye-opener but a brilliant experience.”
Since success in the Nunthorpe, West has left no stone unturned in his quest for Breeders’ Cup glory and that included sending both Live In The Dream and Kirrane to Keeneland to tune-up for their Santa Anita assignment in the Woodford Stakes.
Live In The Dream would eventually fade to fourth in the five-and-a-half-furlong contest but having shown up well, his rider is confident that first taste of American soil will have played a key role in preparing for his main objective.
“Keeneland was a nice race to start off his campaign in the States in,” said Kirrane.
“Adam picked that race out and being five and a half furlongs, ultimately that did stretch him really. There was quite a strong headwind on the day and he was really pressed for the lead the whole way round which wasn’t ideal and doing quite a bit early on just caught him out late in the day in the last half-furlong.
“He showed us everything we wanted to see on that day and it was really important to get him here and find a race on the grass for him really, which is exactly what Adam did. It really sets us up nicely for Saturday.
“Adam is a spectacular judge of what he has and what hand he has to play. It was the same when we went to Deauville, he knew he might need the run and that was exactly what happened – he was a fading fourth that day on very soft ground.
“He came out the next day and won the Nunthorpe and Adam was absolutely spot on in getting him right. He was spot on in predicting how he would run at Keeneland and hopefully he will be spot on about how he will run at Santa Anita.”
Kirrane has already had a taste of the Santa Anita turf when putting Live In The Dream through his paces ahead of this weekend’s big race.
The Dublin native is hoping to extend his stay in California beyond the Breeders’ Cup and is keen to make the most of his time in America, rather than jet back for the start of the all-weather season in the UK.
“I took Live In The Dream out for a canter and he just did a swinger from the three marker and he felt great,” he added.
“The turf was riding great – they sectioned off the outer half of the turf track for us to canter on – and he went round the bend lovely and it is all systems go.
“There are a couple of trainers I’ve been in contact with because I’m planning a little stint out here up until Christmas.
“I think at this time of year, the prize-money on the all-weather is extremely poor and you find yourself riding horses that have come off the grass and have had too much racing.
“Then you are getting all-weather horses returning who need the run and it is just a good opportunity for me to come out here, ride work off the clock again and tune up that aspect of my riding.”
Al Dancer is unlikely to defend his Boylesports Grand Sefton title at Aintree later this month, with Sam Thomas instead eyeing up a shot at the Trustatrader Peterborough Chase.
Having outbattled Gesskille to claim the Grand Sefton last season, he again showed his liking for the Merseyside venue when a staying-on third off a career-high mark in the Old Roan Chase – a race in which all the fences up the home straight were omitted.
The in-form 10-year-old, who kicked off his season with a commanding win at Chepstow, is as short as 7-1 in places to go back-to-back in the season’s first race over the National fences on November 11.
However, his handler believes the contest may come to soon for the thriving grey and is keen to wait an extra month for Grade Two action at Huntingdon on December 10.
“I was absolutely delighted with him and he put in another very solid run in what was a very competitive race I thought,” said Thomas.
“I don’t actually know if it helped or hindered him having the fences taken out, but it was just lovely to see him staying on again and run a really nice race off a career-high mark. We were absolutely thrilled.
“I think realistically the Grand Sefton will come a bit too soon. The reasoning behind going for the Old Roan was we felt he was in the form of his life and it is a very prestigious Grade Two race. We took our chance there and I would say it is fairly unlikely we will go to Aintree again now.
“Potentially the Peterborough maybe, going the other way round, will suit him. He does jump out a bit to his right and lugs a bit right so that would certainly help him. I think that might be on the calendar, providing he’s in good shape to go there.”
Thomas has made a blistering start to the winter with his string and another of his Chepstow scorers, Stolen Silver, is set to bypass another crack at Cheltenham’s Paddy Power Gold Cup in favour of remaining at three miles and a shot at Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup on December 2.
“We chucked him in the Paddy Power in case it was going to go absolutely bottomless there, but realistically the plan is to go to the Coral Gold Cup,” added Thomas.
“I think he certainly enjoyed himself over that trip and has a bit more to offer maybe. It certainly opens a few more doors for us and the fact he was a lot more settled in his race gives us a few more options really.
“You are dictated to what trip you can run a horse over by how they sort of conduct themselves in a race, but now he’s settling I think we have to step him up.”
Fugitif is on course to reappear in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on November 18.
The Richard Hobson-trained eight-year-old improved markedly last season, beginning the campaign rated 131 and ending it with a mark of 153.
Having finished second at Cheltenham both on Trials Day and at the Festival in March, Hobson has no concerns over the course or distance, and is just hoping Fugitif gets his favoured soft ground.
“We’re all on course for the Paddy Power,” said Hobson. “We know he likes the course and distance and if he gets his ground he could be very dangerous.
“He wasn’t right at the end of the season when he ran at Aintree so we can safely put a line through that run, but prior to that he’d been very progressive.
“He’s 17:2hh so with another summer on his back you can only imagine how much he has strengthened up.
“He does need a cut in the ground, you saw last year at Chepstow when he won it was very soft that day and he loved it, he never came off the bridle.
“I think the middle distance at Cheltenham is right up his street myself, but I did put him in the King George because if he wins the Paddy Power it’s a flat three miles and on his pedigree who should get it. It’s only an early entry, though.”
Algiers will miss the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile due to a minor foot issue.
The Dubai World Cup runner-up was one of the leading fancies for his selected race, and was second favourite behind last year’s winner Cody’s Wish.
However, it emerged overnight that Algiers had been scratched and a post on trainers Simon and Ed Crisford’s Gainsborough Thoroughbreds social media account confirmed the news.
It read: “Unfortunately Algiers won’t be able to run in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He is going to have to miss a few days training due to a minor foot issue. He will now be prepared for a winter in Dubai.”
The three-year-old Practical Move, another leading fancy for the race, died of a suspected heart attack on Tuesday when returning from exercise on the Santa Anita track.
David Menuisier can head into the winter dreaming of big-race glory in 2024 thanks to the recent exploits of some of his star two-year-olds.
By his own admission the Frenchman has endured a tough campaign, with winners hard to find throughout the height of the Flat season.
However, some of the younger members of Menuisier’s Coombelands string, such as Sunway and Devil’s Point, have come to the fore at the backend of the campaign as the handler finishes the 2023 turf season on a real high.
Menuisier said: “It’s great and we’ve had a bit of a tough time with the older horses, especially the three-year-olds throughout the season, so it’s nice that the two-year-olds have kind of saved the year for us and especially in such a fashion.
“We knew we had a nice bunch but it’s hard to predict, even six weeks ago, that they are as good as they actually are.”
After Sunway provided Menuisier with just his fourth Group One triumph when landing the Criterium International, the handler returned to his homeland to plunder more big-race glory just five days later when crack two-year-old fillies War Chimes and Tamfana won the Prix Isonomy and Prix Miesque respectively.
A day later Devil’s Point capped a fine week for the trainer when finishing a brave second to Ancient Wisdom in Doncaster’s Futurity Stakes, a performance which thrilled Menuisier.
“In all honesty the French race worked out really well – the Thomas Bryon that he ran in as a prep,” explained Menuisier.
“That race wasn’t really run to suit and the ground was not quite as soft as it should be for him to show his true potential, so we felt we would find a bit more improvement in the Futurity and he did.
“It was very satisfactory and he was just beaten by a better horse on the day. There is not much more you can say, it was absolutely fantastic.”
Menuisier is yet to taste Classic success but he appears to have plenty of ammunition tucked away at his West Sussex base for 2024 and can now savour the prospect of aiming his high-class youngsters at some of racing’s biggest races when they return to the track next season.
“We’ve had a tough season so I think it is important until Christmas to stay on a bit of a cloud and then from January onwards we can start working out plans for all of them,” he said.
“It is hard to tell how much more improvement they are going to find but War Chimes looks like a lovely middle-distance stayer and Tamfana could be literally anything. She has won over seven furlongs and she won her maiden over a mile. She’s got speed and should stay a bit and is very exciting.
“Obviously the two colts, Sunway and Devil’s Point, are ones for the Classics as well and we have some other horses that we won with and put away like Goodwood Odyssey and Ashariba and a few more that have run only once or not at all that will come to hand next season.
“It is exciting and we don’t want to get too excited too soon, but it is time to reflect and enjoy now and hopefully things go according to plan and we can get excited again next spring. I’m looking forward to it.”
Cavalier Football Club will contest the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup final after they held Harbour View to a goalless stalemate in their second leg semi-final clash at Sabina Park on Tuesday.
With the result, Cavalier win the series 5-0 on aggregate to advance to the final where they will face either Suriname's Robinhood or Dominican Republic's Moca FC. They have also officially qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Harbour View will look to claim a 2024 Champions Cup berth in the third-place Match.
Needing five unanswered goals to pull level in the series, Harbour View came out the much more aggressive and Jahshaun Anglin almost steered one in at the far post in the 14th, but his effort was kept out by Vino Barclett in goal for Cavalier.
Cavalier started to find space going forward and tournament top scorer Shaniel Thomas almost found his ninth goal in the 39th. However, he was denied by Harbour View's custodian Anthony Bennett.
Harbour View kept their foot on the gas in search of a goal and Shaquiel Bradford looked set to pull a goal back, but missed the target from inside the area after the preceding shot was blocked.
A defensive mishap by Harbour View in the 79th, almost gifted Jalmaro Calvin the breakthrough, but Ajeanie Talbott was on hand to avert the danger.
It would prove to be the final chance of the match, but it mattered less to Cavalier, who did much if the hardwork in the opening leg.
Cecil Aldana scored a brace to power Cuba to a 3-0 victory over Guadeloupe in their Concacaf Women's Gold Cup Qualifying Group B, League C fixture at the Estadio Antonio Maceo in Santiago on Tuesday.
With this, their third win in as many games, Cuba controls the group on maximum nine points, while Guadeloupe is still without a point after three matches.
Cuba enjoyed another strong start and quickly broke the deadlock in the ninth minute through Aldana, who headed in a loose ball that bounced to her liking.
But just like in their previous meeting on Friday, the scoreline remained tight thanks to the exceptional goalkeeping of Guadeloupe’s Anais Hatchi, who made a plethora of stellar saves.
Yet there was nothing Hatchi could do to prevent Eunises Nunez from doubling Cuba's advantage in the 37th with a left-footed finish after Guadeloupe's defence failed to clear their lines.
Aldana then grabbed her second with a right-footed shot in first half stoppage time to put Cuba 3-0 up at the break.
A handball in the Guadeloupe area handed Cuba a 69th-minute penalty, but Hatchi again made a terrific save, as she denied her opposite number Alianne Matamoro.
From there, Cuba tried but failed to add to their tally, as Guadeloupe were defiant not to lose by a wider margin.
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