The 5-year-old daughter of Curlin will not be able to defend her title in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).View the full article

Hear from trainer Brad Cox on Idiomatic's retirement from racing and what she meant to his career.View the full article

Here, JAN BRUEGHEL is 5/1 favourite. BUCKAROO 6/1. VAUBAN and ONESMOOTHOPERATOR both 8/1.

We've got the final declarations through for Sunday's racing. Starting in France and the final significant Flat meeting of the season at Saint Cloud where the ground is Heavy. Three Group 1 races and in the 2000m Criterium de Saint Cloud for the juveniles, just four run and all are from either Britain or Ireland. Aidan O'Brien runs BALLET SLIPPERS but she was no match for DESERT FLOWER in the Fillies' Mile at Newmarket last time. Joseph runs TENNESSEE STUD who was runner up in the Beresford last time to HOTAZHELL who is my each way pick for the Futurity at Doncaster tomorrow. The two English raiders are HARVEY who is in French ownership and has run all his races in France but he was beaten nearly ten lengths in a Group 3 last time so has a lot to find while Charlie Johnston sends over Zetland runner up GREEN STORM who showed 2000m held no fears at Newmarket last time. 2000m on heavy ground is a long way for juveniles and I'm hoping TENNESSEE STUD will just hold off GREEN STORM but it's going to be a real slog. Six go in the Criterium International for the juvenile colts and fillies over 1609m. Only MARAMOA CHARLIE runs for the locals but he has won both his last two outings (the most recent a Group 3) by eight lengths so could be anything at this level. Aidan O'Brien runs TWAIN who made an eyecatching debut at Leopardstown last Sunday winning by six lengths. He's by Wootton Bassett out of Wading who won the 2011 Rockfel but didn't race at three. That makes him a half to some nice types including Just Wonderful who was third in the 2019 Matron but also ran very well in defeat on the firm American turf. How TWAIN will go on French autumn ground is anyone's guess. APPLES AND BANANAS runs for Joseph O'Brien and won an incredibly valuable sales race last time and I'm more interested in MATAURI BAY who I backed each way in the Solario at Sandown last time - he ran second to save my bacon and eggs and whether he can run up to this level I don't know. He would be my tentative choice against MARAMOA CHARLIE but I wouldn't be surprised if TWAIN looks a bit special. Eight go in the Royal Oak over 3000m. TRUESHAN ran a blinder in the Cadran behind KYPRIOS and should confirm form with DOUBLE MAJOR who was fifth that day. However, SEVENNA'S KNIGHT is a serious stayer and ran a blinder when fifth in the Arc - in a race where few came from off the pace he stayed on really well and if reproducing that level of form will take a lot of beating. AL QAREEM is in excellent form having landed a Group 3 at Ascot last time but he was nine lengths behind KYPRIOS in the Goodwood Cup and that doesn't look good enough.  Selections for Saint-Cloud on Sunday: Criterium de Saint-Cloud: TENNESSEE STUS Criterium International: MATAURI BAY Prix Royal Oak: SEVENNA'S KNIGHT Elsewhere, it's the first meeting of the new season at Aintree on Sunday and the feature is the Grade 2 Old Roan Chase over 4000m. STAGE STAR is one of two for Paul Nicholls and has had wind surgery since finidhing fifth in the Ryanair at Cheltenham. That would probably be good enough for this - he was seven lengths in front of AHOY SENOR that day and for all the latter has strong course form, it's usually over 5000m. 

All got a bit congested on the home turn and by the time SHARP N SMART got out, the first two had flown. SERPENTINE is a former English Derby winner and it's good to see him still running respectably even as a 7-y-o. OKITA SOUSHI was mid division in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups last year but is clearly peaking at the right time. He was 34 in the list before this but presumably will move up the running order and should get a run after this. He raced off marks in the mid-100s when trained by Joseph O'Brien last year and won a warm handicap at the Royal Ascot meeting in June 2023. Up here, JAN BRUEGHEL is 4/1 favourite for the Melbourne Cup with Caulfield Cup runner up BUCKAROO (another ex-Joseph O'Brien runner) in at 6s and VAUBAN at 7s.

Having won more than 400 group/grade 1 races worldwide, few important races have eluded Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien. Yet the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) is one of them. City of Troy might be the horse to give him that elusive victory.View the full article

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The connections of Far Bridge are hoping to put to rest a couple of assumptions about their horse and the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T).View the full article

MOONEY VALLEY R1     3,9 MOONEY VALLEY R3     7,8   BB MOONEY VALLEY R4    4,9    BB MOONEY VALLEY R8    4,11 MOONEY VALLEY R9    2,7 RANDWICK R2    11,15 RANDWICK R3    7,17 RANDWICK R5    1,4 RANDWICK R6     2,10 RANDWICK R7     1,10 RANDWICK R8     1,5 RANDWICK R9    5,7 Thanks John and Scooby

Well even though overall it was a relatively poor field, Sharp n Smart was the outsider of the nine runners so to finish in third place after running second-last for most of the distance wasn't a bad run l guess.....

Not our Kevin Stott I suspect but an Australian jockey. The UK Kevin Stott hasn't had the best of things recently - just one ride in the last fortnight at Southwell last Wednesday. He's ridden 29 winners this season but has been making more headlines off the track as a result of splitting up with his partner Megan Nicholls. Megan was his Agent so booked his rides and is the daughter of jumps trainer Paul Nicholls - she is also establishing himself as a tv pundit for Racing UK and for ITV Racing. I saw her working alongside Nick Luck at Sandown and Lydia Hislop at Goodwood and I wouldn't be surprised if she is being lined up to become a lead presenter in a few years - possibly taking over from the beloved Francesca Cumani on ITV especially in the winter when Francesca doesn't appear and poor old Ed Chamberlin looks a bit lost dealing with the likes of Ruby Walsh and the wonderful Sir Anthony McCoy.

R1. Moonee Valley R1      1, 10     BEST BET R2. Moonee Valley R3       4, 7 R3. Moonee Valley R4       8, 9 R4. Moonee Valley R8       5, 7 R5. Moonee Valley R9       2, 8  R6. Randwick R2               2, 4      BEST BET R7. Randwick R3                4, 7 R8. Randwick R5               1, 2 R9. Randwick R6               3, 9 R10. Randwick R7            1, 2  R11. Randwick R8            1, 14 R12. Randwick R9            5, 12 Thanks John and Scooby On the road in the morning so will try and get to scratchings at some point ...

Not got time to go through the Moonee Valley Gold Cup contenders - SERPENTINE was an English Derby winner once as you all know and JUST TIME was a decent handicapper (just below Listed class) in 2022. Overnight (for me) we have the Cox Plate and DOCKLANDS is the sole European representative. You could argue he has a huge chance on his Queen Anne second which is very strong form but he was midfield in the Juddmonte at York which, to be fair, was one of the two or three strongest races run in the UK this season. Yes, he was no match for CITY OF TROY or CALANDAGAN but he was only three lengths behind BLUESTOCKING who went on to win the Arc de Triomphe. Would any of the others in the Cox Plate field have done as well? Obviously, I've no clue how well he has travelled or prepared and he's 16/1 over here running off an official UK rating of 115.  If he brings his best form to the table he'd have a serious chance but it's a big ask - my idea of the winner is the Japanese raider PROGNOSIS who is no LYS GRACIEUX but has still mixed it with the likes of EQUINOX and ROMANTIC WARRIOR who are world class animals. True, PROGNOSIS has to come back from a poor run last time in Sapporo but we know the Japanese horses can be laid out for specific races. 

Back from my off-grid break in rural Derbyshire - very relaxing part of the world, full of mills and mines and quite near three racecourses, Uttoxeter, Southwell and Nottingham, none of them Grade 1 venues but all have decent racing throughout the year.  A full review of Champions Day at Ascot to follow but we have quite a busy weekend up here as we begin the journey from summer to winter and jumps racing returns. Today sees the opening two day Cheltenham fixture which takes place on Good ground - the feature is the Grade 2 Novices Hurdle over 3250m. A clash between two or three who have been making hay through the summer - GALE MAHLER comes over from Ireland and has won six on the bounce since May including, last time, a Galway Bumper by ten lengths. He's looked much too good for the British summer jumpers from the smaller stables but now meets some interesting contenders from the bigger stables. Paul NIcholls saddles BRAVE KNIGHT who was rated min the mid 80s when handicapping on the flat but has taken well to hurdles winning his three races. He wasn't convincing at Newton Abbot last time but that is a really sharp track and I think he'll much prefer the galloping expanse of Prestbury Park - the Abbot, as it is known, for those unfamiliar, is basically Taupo with hurdles and fences. Dan Skelton, who was once assistant to Nicholls and of course finished in front of his former employer when runner up in the trainers' championship behind Willie Mullins last season, saddles VALGRAND who has won his two hurdle races, last time over 3950m at Market Rasen (or Raspberry as it is called). VALGRAND was second in the Bumper at this meeting last year so the course should be fine but I just wonder if he could do with a bit further. Olly Murphy is a rising star in the jumps training ranks and has started the new campaign strongly - he runs IMAGINARIUM who he has recently got from Lucinda Russell in Scotland. IMAGINARIUM raced off marks in the low 90s in Irish flat handicaps and won on hurdles debut at Perth. He may lack the jumping experience of some of the others but has potential as does hurdling debutant DANCING IN PARIS who ran over 2400m on the flat and in decent company (Class 2 handicaps at Ascot and York running off marks around 90). An informative race I hope - my selection is BRAVE KNIGHT but I'll not play financially. Tomorrow sees Cheltenham, Doncaster and Newbury all complete their two day fixtures. Cheltenham's card tomorrow is competitive while Newbury, where the ground is Heavy, stages its final day of Flat action with a couple of Group 3 events so the main focus shifts to Town Moor which sees the final British Group 1 of the season - the William Hill Futurity - over the straight 1609m for the juveniles. The ground is Soft but it rarely gets that deep at Doncaster and it's more likely to be tacky, dead ground. Eight go to post and it's an interesting heat. Current favourite is Royal Lodge winner WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE who saw off ROYAL PLAYRIGHT, the latter given an enterprising ride by Jamie Spancer but now ridden by Oisin Murphy, the champion jockey. Can the latter make up a length and a quarter from Newmarket? It's hard to see why though the bigger question is which of the two has taken the Newmarket race better and we won't know that until the paddock. Aidan O'Brien relies on DELACROIX who won a Group 3 over the same course as the Royal Lodge at Newmarket a fortnight ago. Again, it's a quick turnround but you obviously have to respect anything and everything Aidan sends over and he's not had a lot of racing and of course Aidan's record in the Futurity and the horses with which he was won the race also speak volumes. The Gosdens have had, by their high standards, a quiet spell and the unbeaten DETAIN comes here from two wins on the Polytrack at Kempton and could be anything.  Aidan's runner has a big chance but of the Irish contenders I prefer Beresford winner HOTAZHELL from the Jessie Harrington yard. Previously, HOTAZHELL had chased home HENRI MATISSE in the Irish Futurity (over 1400m) so it's solid Group 2 form and at 7/1 is an each way play.  Charlie Appleby runs ANNO DOMINI who won two races in midsummer on very much quicker ground but the sire, New Bay, went on slow ground but it's a leap of faith if you fancy this one. Without seeing them in the paddock it's hard to make the call so I'll suggest an each way play on HOTAZHELL if all eight stand. Sunday sees an excellent card at Saint-Cloud featuring three Group 1 races headlined by the Royal Oak over 3000m which is generally referred to as the French St Leger. The ground is Heavy so it'll be a real slog in the sutumn mud - the final declarations are out this morning and I'll post some thoughts on these later.

Interesting that SNS has to carry 4kg more than the horse that beat him in the VRC Derby.

The fastest one always wins ?

Francesco Guardi is way overdue.Won this race before.

Thoughts on the steer…..

I think it's "Wait For Ages". 

Charlie Brown