Monday’s racing round-up includes the news of the retirement of Nicky Henderson’s Cheltenham Festival winner Marie’s Rock…
The Nicky Henderson -trained nine-year-old Marie's Rock has been retired by owners Middleham Park Racing. Marie's Rock enjoyed her finest hour on the track when winning the Grade 1 Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2022 before following up in the Irish equivalent at the Punchestown Festival. After finishing a narrow runner-up in Listed company on the flat at Bath recently, she will now head to the Doncaster sales as a broodmare prospect.
John and Thady Gosden's colt Nebras, a half-brother to Nashwa, has been supplemented to the William Hill Futurity Trophy at Doncaster on Saturday after connections stumped the £17,500 cost. He created a big impression when making a successful debut on the Rowley Mile earlier this month and could join his unbeaten stablemate Detain alongside the likes of James Owen's Royal Lodge winner Wimbledon Hawkeye and Futurity Stakes victor Hotazhell. Aidan O'Brien has left in six at the five-day stage including recent Newmarket winner Delacroix.
Tuscan Hills ran out an easy winner of the Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Silver Tankard Stakes at Pontefract on Monday. The AMO racing-owned two-year-old looks like a smart prospect for next season after readily brushing aside Ralph Beckett's market leader Calla Lagoon to score by almost five lengths to give his trainer Raphael Freire a second win at this level.
Dylan Cunha is in no rush to make a plan for his stable star Prague after the four-year-old was disappointing in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The son of Galileo was supplemented at the cost of £70,000 by connections following his impressive victory in the Group 2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket, but after racing away from the rest of the field under Danny Tudhope, Prague weakened quickly, managing to only beat one rival home at Ascot last weekend.
Roger Varian revealed that his stable star Charyn has come out of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot well and looks on course for a crack at the Championship Mile in Japan next month. Varian hailed Charyn's 'remarkable constitution' on Saturday and after seemingly taking Saturday's exertions in his stride, the striking grey son of Dark Angel now looks set for an International swansong before being retired to stud in France.
