Racing News Headlines

Valeria Messalina completed a big-race double for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley at Cork, in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Brownstown Stakes. Foley sat in just behind the pace in the Group Three feature which closed the card, then pounced to lead inside the final furlong and win by half a length from a packing finish just behind.

Nobel Prize prevailed by the narrowest margin to provide Aidan O’Brien with his third successive victory in the Woodford Reserve Ballysax Stakes. The re-scheduled Group Three, switched from Leopardstown to Dundalk’s new Polytrack surface and run three months later than usual, served up a thrilling finish as the front-running winner held a four-length lead three furlongs out yet was just a nose in front of Indicative Vote at the line.

Khaloosy is set to step up to Pattern-race class after demolishing his opposition in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot. The Roger Varian-trained colt blew away his 21 rivals when landing the ultra-competitive one-mile handicap by four and a half lengths.

The Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood is the next objective for Muker following his return to winning ways at York. A narrow winner on his racecourse debut at Newcastle, the Mehmas colt came close to providing fledgling trainer Phillip Makin with a first Royal Ascot winner last month when a close-up third in the Windsor Castle Stakes.

Pinatubo got back on the winning trail with a stylish victory in the Qatar Prix Jean Prat at Deauville. Charlie Appleby’s stable star was crowned last season’s champion two-year-old after an unbeaten six-race campaign – and was unsurprisingly all the rage for last month’s 2000 Guineas.

Earthlight maintained his unbeaten record with an impressive return to action in the Qatar Prix Kistena at Deauville. Andre Fabre’s colt was one of the star juveniles in Europe last season – winning each of his five starts, including Group One triumphs in the Prix Morny over this course and distance and the Middle Park at Newmarket.