Akeed Mofeed Sold to Hong Kong

Far East Movement - Akeed Mofeed will continue his Racing career in Hong Kong.

Leading three-year-old Akeed Mofeed has been sold to race in the Far East by owner-breeder Jaber Abdullah; the Irish Derby fourth has been bought by a patron of trainer Richard Gibson according to At The Races and will now do his racing in Hong Kong.

Akeed Mofeed was at one time a lot of people’s (including me) idea of a Classic contender. Trained by John Oxx, he impressed when winning by five lengths at Leopardstown last September but was then undone by unsuitable ground when second to Aidan O’Brien’s David Livingston Gp2 Beresford Stakes at The Curragh.

A number of small injuries delayed his Classic campaign by a few months before he finally returned to the track in the Irish Derby where he looked in need of a run as he trailed in behind Camelot.

Earlier this month he looked back to somewhere near his best though when he scooted home by five lengths in a Cork Listed race, that’s probably the last we’ll see of him on these shores though.

The ATR website quotes Abdullah’s Racing Manager Bruce Raymond as saying "We've sold him to race in Hong Kong. He's been bought by trainer Richard Gibson for one of his owners… It was a good offer and Jaber has the mare… Akeed Mofeed was home bred, he's got a lot of horses and this is the time to sell…I think he'll be a very good horse in Hong Kong at a mile and a mile and a quarter. He's got a lot of speed and fast ground will suit him out there."

It’s a shame we won’t get to see Akeed Mofeed achieve his true potential domestically but hopefully he’ll live up to what he looked like achieving at two in pastures new.

Breeder’s Cup Classic 2012 Odds

Game On - Breeder's Cup Classic prices are out and Pacific Classic 1-2 Dullahan and Game On Dude are both prominent in the market.

William Hill have become the first bookie to price up the 2012 Breeder’s Cup Classic this afternoon; and they deserve praise for doing so.

The race has lost some of it’s strength this year with so many of this year’s top US three-year-olds already in retirement and the world’s greatest horse Frankel snubbing it; but while The Breeder’s Cup may have lost some of its appeal in some quarters on these shores, especially with the introduction of Champion’s Day, it remains one of the highlights of the season for me and this year’s renewal looks like being a cracking, and open, race.

My fancy for the race has been Game On Dude for quite some time and that hasn’t wavered in spite of his ½ length loss to Dullahan in last weekend’s Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Last year’s second must have a great chance of gaining compensation for his narrow defeat twelve months ago with the Breeder’s Cup now switched back to his backyard of Santa Anita.

Hills obviously share those sentiments as they have put him in as the 7/1 favourite, with Triple Crown chasing Camelot in just behind at 8/1 – will Ballydoyle risk their star across the Atlantic once the Triple Crown bid is put to bed? You’d have to think they’d fancy their chances in an open year but with or without the added interest of a UK or Irish runner the Breeder’s Cup Classic looks like being another great race.

Breeder’s Cup Classic 2012 – Selected Odds (William Hill):

Game On Dude 7/1

Camelot 8/1

Fort Larned 8/1

Ron The Greek 8/1

Dullahan 10/1

Wise Dan 10/1

Mucho Macho Man 12/1

Alpha 16/1

Imperial Monarch 16/1

Richards Kid 20/1

Flat Out 25/1

To Honor And Serve 25/1

St. Leger Confirmations – Camelot Still on Course for Triple Crown

Lot of History - Camelot remains on course to make history in the St. Leger

Camelot’s historic Triple Crown remains on course as he tops the list of sixteen remaining entries for the St Leger at Doncaster in two and a half weeks following today’s confirmation stage.

The unbeaten Aidan O'Brien colt is bidding to become the first horse since Nijinsky in 1970 to complete the Triple Crown following his victories in the 2000 Guineas and the Derby.

The odds on ante-post favourite heads a particularly strong team still in the race from Ballydoyle, with six of the remaining horses coming from the O’Brien yard, they are: Grand Prix de Paris winner Imperial Monarch, Chamonix, David Livingston, Father Of Science and Offer.

I personally think they’d be mad to run Imperial Monarch as he is better than being a back-up to Camelot and has another big race win in him elsewhere before the season is through, but any one or more of the remainder could be sacrificed as pacemaker(s) for Camelot.

Travers Dead-Heat

Too Close to Call - Alpha and Golden Ticket dead-heated in the Travers

Alpha failed to step up to the plate and establish himself as the leading American three-year-old still in training last night in the $1 million Travers Stakes, in spite of technically winning the race.

The reason being that 33/1 outsider Golden Ticket managed to hang on in the straight to force the G1 contest’s first ever official dead heat.

With Triple Crown race winners I’ll Have Another and Union Rags now in the breeding sheds as well the highly thought of Bodemeister and last year’s champion Hansen there is a huge gap in the three-year-old ranks across the Atlantic now and this was supposed to be Alpha’s time to shine.

Having landed the Jim Dandy at the same track at the end of last month Alpha was supposed to confirm he was the last leading three-year-old standing in the Travers; and although he showed heart to reel in his shock co-winner Golden Ticket having looked like he’d left it too late, it was still disappointing he was unable to win the race in more dominant and definitive style.

A 50/50 share of the $800,000 winner’s prize money will surely feel like a win for both sets of connections and it probably was a fair result in the end, although a yard or so further 2/1 favourite Alpha would have won.

Tradition dictates that a canoe is painted in the colours of the Travers winners silks and floated in the pond in the middle of the track, for the first time two canoes will be there but we are still without one truly stand-out three-year-old in America.

Ortensia Wins the Nunthorpe

Aussie Rules - Ortensia won the Nunthorpe for Australia

Australian mare Ortensia finally landed a big Group 1 sprint in the UK earlier when she flew home to win the Nunthorpe on day three of York’s Ebor Festival under William Buick.

Ortensia had been in Britain since her impressive win in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan at the end of March to contest all the big summer sprint prizes.

She first headed to Royal Ascot for the King’s Stand as many people’s idea of the winner only to lose the race before the off by getting worked up in the preliminaries. It was the July Cup next, where she ran well but was undone by the bog-like ground that day and finished fourth.

Ortensia bounced back to form last time out though winning the Group 2 King George Stakes at Glorious Goodwood with an impressive display, and in spite of much doom and gloom from her trainer Paul Messara about the ground for today’s race she has now gone one better than Goodwood by landing a Group 1 prize in the UK.

Sent off the joint 7/2 favourite with Bated Breath – who once again didn’t get his ground – Ortensia looked like she had a mountain to climb some ten lengths off a blistering pace at the half way point.

Buick remained cool as ever though and pushed her along and the mare responded in fantastic style to sprout wings and get home by a neck from Spirit Quartz (14/1) and Frankie Dettori.

Yorkshire-trained Hamish McGonagall (14/1) was third and outsider Humidor (50/1) nabbed fourth.

Of the other fancied runners Bated Breath was sixth, Sole Power seventh and the previously unbeaten Pearl Secret was a perhaps disappointing ninth of the nineteen runners; you could pretty much have thrown a blanket over everything from fifth down to twelfth though.

Frankel Arc Run - Pros and Cons

Internationally Known - After his Juddmonte demolition job could Frankel go for the Arc?

On the back of his effortless victory in the Juddmonte International talk has swirled of a potential extra date on the Frankel retirement tour – a tilt at the Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe at Longchamp on 7th October.

In the wake of his destruction of the Juddmonte field Frankel wasn’t trending on twitter but the word Arc was, just showing how desperate people are to see the world’s greatest racehorse take on the cream of Europe, and the world’s middle distance horses.

If Frankel were to run – he’s currently put in for the race at ridiculously short prices – it would be a drastic departure from a very strategic plan that was laid out for his four-year-old campaign right from the start of the season.

Some would argue that would be a great move as it would show people that Frankel can win at any distance at any time but Sir Henry Cecil is a master of his craft and surely any deviation from what was obviously a well-thought out battle plan for 2012 would not be taken lightly.

I have compiled a list of 5 pros and 5 cons for and against a Frankel run in this year’s Arc, and strong arguments can be made on both sides...

Juddmonte International - Frankel Wins

Moves Like Frankel - Frankel took his winning run to 13 with victory in the Juddmonte International

Earlier this afternoon Frankel took his winning streak to a very lucky 13 out of 13 as he took the step up to 1m2f in his impressive stride to land the race sponsored by his owners the Juddmonte International on the first day of York's Ebor Festival.

For many the outcome was never in doubt but a few had cast doubt over whether he would stay the extra distance or whether he would fall foul of Balydoyle's most sustained attempt yet to get him beat.

There were a number of pacemaking angles in the race and the Ballydoyle two Windsor Palace and Robin Hood went to the front early with Frankel's pacemaker Bullet Train in behind. Frankel's main challengers Farhh and St. Nicholas Abbey sat a couple of lengths behind them with Frankel held up near the back.

On the turn Frankel tracked St. Nicholas Abbey and soon strode clear though with the chasing pack following in vain, eventually running clear by seven lengths to return the red-hot 1/10 favourite, with Farhh (10/1) in second and St. Nic (5/1) in third.

If reports are to be believed this was Frankel's penultimate race, with only the Champion Stakes on Champion's Day left for the world's greatest racehorse before retirement at the end of the season.

If that is the case then although his campaign has been a bit safer than some would have liked, he owes us nothing as he has gained mainstream media coverage for Racing that the Racing For Change lot could only have dreamed of.

He truly is the greatest flat horse we will probably see in this lifetime and it's been a privilege to be able to enjoy him.

Earlier on the card old stalwart Tax Free landed a deserved win in the opening 5f handicap before Dundonnell carried the Frankel colours to victory in the Acomb. William Buick then nicked the Great Voltigeur with a brilliant ride to steer rank outsider Thought Worthy to victory to further muddy the waters in the battle for minor honours behind Camelot in the St. Leger. 

This day belonged to one horse though and his name is Frankel.   

Bodemeister Retired

Bode Farewell - Dual US classic placed Bodemeister has been retired

Kentucky Derby and Preakness second Bodemeister has been retired to stud it has been announced today.

The Bob Baffert-trained colt has an injury to his left shoulder thought to be “peripheral nerve damage which caused atrophy of the infraspinatus muscle” according to Dr. Larry Bramlage from Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.

Bodemeister has begun treatment and a full recovery is expected, but not before the end of the season, so the decision has been made to retire him to stud as an exciting stallion prospect.

The Arkansas Derby winner was narrowly beaten at the wire by I’ll Have Another in the first two American classics of the season, and like his conqueror in those two epic races it appears that duel has now got the better of him.

The same trainer-jockey-owner combo have the quite auspicious record of filling second place in all three American classics this season as Paynter too was narrowly pipped by the now also retired Union Rags in the Belmont later in the year.

It’s a great shame that the three top three-year-old colts from 2012 are already in early-retirement, but all three should prove popular commodities in the breeding sheds; Bodemeister in particular will be especially sought after given his incredible speed.

It may only have been a short career but Bodemeister was partly responsible for two of the most exciting classic races in recent memory and retires with over $1.3 million in prize money to his name.

Snow Fairy - Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe - Ante-Post Focus

Snow Joke - Snow Fairy looks a good bet for this year's Arc

With Camelot a relatively strong favourite for the race and thus taking quite a large chunk out of the market but with enough reasonable doubt to suggest he’s by no means a definite starter, there is certainly value to be had in the betting for this year’s Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe at present.

Obviously the Longchamp showpiece would be an obvious target for Aidan O’Brien’s all-conquering three-year-old but if he was to win the Leger would Ballydoyle risk defeat in such a competitive race when they have several other arrows to fire in October the 7th race?

O’Brien and Coolmore have never been afraid of running their best horses in the Arc but in a sport that is putting more and more of an unnecessary emphasis on undefeated streaks I can’t help but feel Camelot’s participation in this year’s Arc is less nailed on than people may think, and given that he’s currently 3/1 ante-post favourite for the race that means there is massive value to be found in the ante-post market for the race as things stand.

And my idea of the best bet at the current prices?

On the strength of last weekend’s hugely impressive comeback performance, step forward last year’s third in the race SNOW FAIRY.

Ebor Festival - Day One Declarations

Frankel My Dear - Frankel will face eight in the Juddmonte

The declarations have been confirmed for day one of York’s Ebor Festival on Wednesday and the three Group races on the card look to be small but select fields.

In the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at 2.30pm five will go to post, Aidan O’Brien’s Alfonso De Sousa, American Impact, Dundonnell for the Roger Charlton team, Ebn Arab and Steeler for Mark Johnston.

The Group 2 Great Voltigeur – viewed by many as the predominant St. Leger trial will see six very talented three-year-olds go to post; they are: Royal Ascot winner Thomas Chippendale and Frankel’s brother Noble Mission – both for Sir Henry Cecil, Thought Worthy for John Gosden and William Buick, Derby second Main Sequence (currently favourite for the race) and Encke and the supplemented Energizer for the Godolphin team.

The day’s feature the Juddmonte International will see eight horses taking on the all-conquering Frankel as he tackles 1m2f for the first time. They include Frankel’s pacemaker Bullet Train and stable mate Twice Over (last year’s winner), Planteur – who will want rain, Sri Putra, Farhh – who Frankel destroyed over a mile in the Sussex Stakes and three from Ballydoyle, headed by St. Nicholas Abbey who is capable of giving Frankel his sternest test to date if on song. O’Brien also runs Windsor Palace and Robin Hood who are both no doubt in there to try and make things as difficult for Frankel as possible by challenging Bullet Train for pace-making duties.

Wednesday’s card is completed by three ultra-competitive handicaps, Roger Charlton holding a particularly strong hand in the opener with Rex Imperator and Zero Money, Triumph Hurdle winner Countrywide Flame could be an interesting contender in the staying handicap that follows the Juddmonte off a very lenient flat mark and in the lucky last Sir Michael Stoute’s Sir John Hawkwood looks to hold a great chance and could go off favourite.

You can read my ante-post preview of the Ebor Festival from last week here

Ebor Festival Preview - The Big Punt

The Big Punt Podcast is back and bigger than ever! You can now download the latest installment which focuses on next week's Ebor Festival from York.

All the big races are covered from an ante-post perspective:- The Juddmonte International featuring the mighty Frankel, St. Leger trial the Great Voltigeur, the Nunthorpe and the week's feature the Ebor.

There is also further ante-post analysis of the market for the season's final classic the St. Leger, as well as some season long bets for the new football season.

Download The Big Punt - Ebor Festival Preview HERE

Hayley Turner Wins Beverly D Stakes on I’m A Dreamer

Dream Performance - I'm A Dreamer and Hayley Turner winning the Beverly D last night

Hayley Turner became the first female jockey to land the G1 $750,000 Beverly D Stakes last night as she partnered David Simcock’s I’m A Dreamer to victory in the sister race to the Arlington Million.

Turner made history last season by landing not one but two Group 1 races over the summer and she’s at it again this year, proving herself to be one of the top jockeys in the world and boosting her international reputation in the process; given how important she is to the sport off the track that can only be a good thing.

Turner had I’m A Dreamer in mid-field for most of the 1m1½f race before sending her to the front on the home turn, I’m A Dreamer battled on well to hold of the late thrust of Marketing Mix to record the historic win. Joviality, another British raider, was third for William Buick and John Gosden.

Later on the Chicago card a strong European raiding party were wired by a domestic horse as Little Mike made all to take home the feature race. Luca Cumani’s Afsare was second while Colombian for Buick and Gosden again dead-heated for third.

Earlier on the card Jakkalberry won the inaugural running of the American St. Leger for Marco Botti with Colm O’Donoghue on board and French raider Bayrir took the Secretariat Stakes under Christophe Lemaire.

Last night also saw a little bit of history made as Lingfield’s feature – reduced to a match after a non-runner – ended in a dead-heat between Godolphin’s Snowboarder (Frankie Dettori) and Mick Channon’s Ayaar (Martin Harley), surely the first time a match has produced a dead-heat.

All this after another top Saturday of domestic action, which included Melbourne Cup favourite Mount Athos cementing himself at the head of that market with a runaway win in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury.

Poor jockey judgement from the likes of Ryan Moore led to a huge upset in the Hungerford Stakes on the same card as Clive Cox’s 25/1 outsider Lethal Force was given too much rope at the front and hung on to win by a neck from the fast-finishing Strong Suit under Moore. Strong Suit at least looked close to being back to his best but it was a result that never should’ve been allowed to happen.

Up at Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse Ripon meanwhile, Pepper Lane notched back to back wins in the Great St. Wilfrid holding off the veteran Tax Free to win at 20/1.

Trade Commissioner Out To Land Sovereign Stakes

Trading Up - Can Trade Commissioner register a first Group success?

John Gosden’s progressive Trade Commissioner, who had been ante-post favourite for the Betfred Mile at Glorious Goodwood before being withdrawn when he failed to eat up in the build-up to the race looks to gain compensation when he bids to land the Group 3 Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury this afternoon.

Unraced at two and three, the Montjeu gelding has been impressive this season, landing a couple of big handicaps, the 1m Sovereign will be his first attempt at Group class however, but Gosden looks to have found him an ideal opportunity to get off the mark in this loftier company.

Providing he’s back to full strength now after missing Goodwood, Trade Commissioner, with William Buick on board once again, should take all the beating in Salisbury’s feature later on.

With Bronterre and Mac Love out his task has been made easier, however Andrew Balding’s Group-placed Tullius could be a danger.

Trade Commissioner is currently best-priced 2/1 with several firms to run out victorious in the race which is off at 3.55.

York Ebor Festival Preview

Next week is York’s Ebor Festival and some truly great Racing is in prospect.

Headlined by the richest flat handicap in Europe the Ebor, the four day meeting has an extra element of intrigue this year as it will be home to the mighty Frankel’s first attempt at a distance greater than a mile as he bids to win his thirteenth straight race in the Juddmonte International on the opening day of the festival.

In addition to the Juddmonte and the Ebor there is also the Great Voltigeur which should offer up a few last minute clues to whether there is anything truly capable of defeating Camelot in the St. Leger next month and the Nunthorpe, one of only a handful of sprints which will pits horses of all ages against each other.

With just over a week to go until York kicks off its most anticipated meeting of the year, the markets have started to take shape for all the aforementioned races and ate-post punters may be able to find a bit of value out there.

Dawn Approach Vs. Mars?

Juvenile Showdown - Dawn Approach could take on Mars in less than two weeks

Two of the most exciting two-year-olds in training could square off against each other at the Curragh on 25th August, in what would be a battle of the top two in the betting for both next year’s 2000 Guineas and next year’s Derby.

Jim Bolger’s unbeaten Dawn Approach is currently heading the market for the 2013 2000 Guineas, whilst Aidan O’Brien’s Mars was ante-post favourite for the Derby with several bookies even before his first race; he duly justified those sentiments when he bolted up at Dundalk last month however.

Dawn Approach missed Sunday’s Phoenix Stakes due to the ground and Bolger has highlighted the Galileo European Breeders Fund Futurity Stakes in just under two weeks as the Coventry winner’s likely new next target in what would be his first run since being bought by Godolphin.

Dawn Approach’s sire New Approach won the race in 2007 and the seven furlong trip should be right up Dawn Approach’s street. Aidan O’Brien also has a good record in the race however, having won it on multiple occasions and Mars could not have been more impressive on his debut.

Mars’ participation is probably more up in the air than Dawn Approach’s but according to At The Races O’Brien has indicated that Mars may run, which would serve up a mouth-watering clash between two of the most talked about two-year-olds on both sides of the Irish Sea.

August bank holiday weekend is already looking like being a fantastic Racing weekend as always because in addition to this potential clash of the star juveniles on Saturday 25th we will also have the Ebor at York.

2013 Classic Ante-Post Prices:

2000 Guineas:

Dawn Approach 10/1

Mars 16/1

The Derby:

Mars 10/1

Dawn Approach 20/1

Pricewise - St. Leger

Main Sequence and Shantaram tussling in the Lingfield Derby Trial

Influential Racing Post tipster Tom ‘Pricewise’ Segal has given his value bet for the St. Leger in today’s edition of the paper.

And with Camelot such a strong favourite (best priced 1-2 at the moment) to complete the Triple Crown and win the final classic of the season, there’s plenty of value to be had in the race.

Segal has gone for John Gosden’s Bahrain Trophy-winning Shantaram, one of several potential Gosden runners in the race.

Gosden is mob-handed for the St. Leger at present, with Great Heavens, Thought Worthy and Michelangelo also prominent in the market and with the in-form trainer having such a great record in the race it’d be foolish to write this off as ‘the Camelot show’ just yet.

The Gosden-Buick combo took the Leger in 2010 with Arctic Cosmos and then in 2011 again with Masked Marvel, and although Buick is not certain to even partner Shantaram in the race, Segal’s selection has sent the bookies running for cover with the horse coming in today from 14s this morning to as short as 8s now; if you do want to get on you can, at the time of writing, still get 10s with both Ladbrokes and Boylesports.

Shantaram has form lines with Camelot in that he was a close second to Main Sequence in the Lingfield Derby Trial before that horse went on to place behind Camelot in the Derby itself and although on that form Shantaram would have a great deal to find to worry the Aidan O’Brien superstar, you would think at least one Gosden horse is a lock for a place so even at now single figure odds Shantaram could still be great value.

St. Leger Selected Best Odds:

Camelot 1-2

Great Heavens 8-1

Shantaram 10-1

Main Sequence 12-1

Imperial Monarch 12-1

Thomas Chippendale 14-1

Encke 14-1

Michelangelo 16-1

Noble Mission 16-1

Hartani 16-1

Thought Worthy 20-1

Estimate 20-1

Moonlight Cloud, Akeed Mofeed - Sunday Round-up

Exciting stars Akeed Mofeed (left) & Moonlight Cloud (right) were both victorious on Sunday

Moonlight Cloud unleashed a devastating turn of foot to land the Gp1 Prix Maurice De Gheest at Deauville yesterday afternoon for the second year in a row.

This win proved her narrow second to Black Caviar in the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot was no fluke and confirmed her as Europe’s top sprinter.

Jockey Thierry Jarnet had the four-year-old settled at the tail of the field having broke well and at the two furlong pole produced her to score with ease at odds of 7-10, leaving the rest of the field looking like they were running in slow motion in behind.

Wizz Kid was second, whilst British raider The Cheka remained a picture of consistency taking third for Eve Johnson Houghton after being bumped up by the stewards from fourth following interference from American Devil.

With Deacon Blues out for the season, let’s hope trainer Freddy Head and owner George Strawbridge take the decision to once again aim Moonlight Cloud at the British Champions Sprint Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot in October in which she was fifth last year, as we need a top class sprinter to wow us on the biggest day of the flat season.

Elsewhere on another Sunday of top action, Akeed Mofeed got his season back on track with an easy win at Cork in the listed Platinum Stakes for trainer John Oxx.

Secretariat - Racing Legends

In what will hopefully be the first of a regular series it’s time to take a look at a Racing Legend and where better to start than with Big Red himself Secretariat.

A legend in American racing Secretariat won the coveted US Triple Crown back in 1973 and in doing so turned in some of the most unbelievable performances ever seen on a race course.

Secretariat was foaled in 1970 out of Somethingroyal, he was sired by Bold Ruler who himself has also won the second leg of the Triple Crown The Preakness back in 1957.

Owned by Penny Chenery, who also had a hand in his breeding, Secretariat followed hot on the heels of Riva Ridge, who one year earlier had won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes for the same breeder/owner operation. Like his predecessor, Secretariat was also trained by Lucien Laurin, a multiple-classic winning trainer.

Secretariat was a lovely looking horse – a bright-red chestnut colt, with three white socks and a star with a narrow blaze.

Hawkeyethenoo Wins the Stewards' Cup

Swoop like a Hawk - Hawkeyethenoo won the Stewards' Cup

Jim Goldie’s admirable sprinter Hawkeyethenoo earned a well-deserved big race win earlier this afternoon, landing the Steward’s Cup at Glorious Goodwood by a nose from Imperial Guest.

Hawkeyethenoo was sent off the 9/1 third choice of the punters and carried 9st9 to victory in the annual cavalry charge travelling strongly throughout the race and leading home the far side group after the twenty-seven runners split in to three groups across the track. Lui Rei was third, with the favourite Waffle fourth and Alben Star back in fifth.

Goldie’s six-year-old has been running well this year and seemingly going from strength to strength. He ran a blinder to finish fifth in his first Group 1 the July Cup last month, only beaten a nose by proven Group performer Ortensia who easily landed a Group 2 at Goodwood on Friday.

He’d also been unlucky in two big handicaps over the last couple of months, first in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot when third after being hampered when making his run and then just two weeks ago in the International Stakes again at Ascot when seventh after getting stuck behind a wall of horses before running on strongly.

Today though Graham Lee, landing another big flat prize since switching from jumps, managed to keep Hawkeyethenoo out of trouble and got a dream run up the rail securing victory in a photo finish.

Lee told Channel 4 Racing after the race that he was “overwhelmed” and said he was “delighted” for the horse. Trainer Jim Goldie rightly told Channel 4 that his “terrific horse” had been “unlucky” this year and suggested that it would be Haydock next for Hawkeyethenoo in the Betfred Sprint Cup.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of this horse and it was great to see him finally land another big prize having been running so well all season; this win will now surely see him handicapped to the hilt though, so expect to see the Scottish flying machine in more Group level races as the season heads in to its latter stages.

Trade Commissioner Out of Betfred Mile

Out of Commission - Trade Commissioner will miss the Betfred Mile

Long time ante-post favourite Trade Commissioner has been declared a non-runner for tomorrow’s £100,000 Betfred Mile at Glorious Goodwood.

John Gosden's four-year-old has been steadily progressing this season having failed to race at either two or three. The gelding had been well supported for the race following wins at Salisbury and Sandown in the Coral Challenge on Eclipse day.

Gosden has decided to withdraw him from the race though after the horse failed to eat up it was announced this morning.

Trade Commissioner’s place in the valuable race will now go to David Simcock’s Vainglory who, in a somewhat ironic twist, was actually runner-up behind Trade Commissioner at Sandown.

This is a big blow for ante-post punters as the son of Montjeu was well clear of the rest of the field in the betting and given the form the Gosden and Buick team have been in, he must have held a great chance of making it a three-timer.

The new favourite for the race is Excellent Guest who is best priced 10/1, ahead of Captain Bertie and Mark Johnston’s Fulbright both at 11s.

Frankel Wins Sussex Stakes

Le Freak, C'est Chic

The world’s greatest race horse Frankel took his unbeaten run to twelve earlier this afternoon when he landed the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood for a second time, becoming the only horse to ever win the race twice in its history.

Sent off the 1/20 favourite, Frankel once again turned a race in to nothing more than procession to easily score by six lengths under an ultra-confident Tom Queally from Godolphin’s Farhh in second. Richard Fahey’s Gabrial was third while Frankel’s pace-making half brother Bullet Train was last of the four runners.

With 12 wins under his belt at a mile or less Frankel will now be stepped up to 1m2f for his last two races before retirement to stud. His next port of call will be the Juddmonte International at York before reportedly rounding out his career on Champion’s Day at Ascot in the Champion Stakes.