Latest news with #MapOfStars
Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Times
Royal Ascot tips: Map Of Stars and 33-1 shot can strike for France
M ap Of Stars has been beaten just twice in his seven starts, having valid excuses on each occasion, and the French raider can take the featured Prince Of Wales's Stakes (4.20) at Royal Ascot on Wednesday. Trained by Francis Graffard, Map Of Stars has been brought along steadily and is still improving. He was far too good for the useful Horizon Dore in group two company at Longchamp in April and looked a little unlucky not to follow up in the group one Prix Ganay at the same track last time, having found his path blocked as the sprint for home began. In the circumstances, he did well to get within a neck of the top-class Sosie. A strongly-run race looks likely here, with Certain Lad a confirmed front-runner and Aidan O'Brien's Continuous seemingly in the field to act as a pacemaker for stablemate Los Angeles. That will suit Map Of Stars, who has the ability to quicken off a fast pace, and he can take a fascinating contest. Los Angeles won last year's Irish Derby but, while coped with this shorter trip when proving a half-length too good for Anmaat at the Curragh last month, he is ideally suited by further.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
No negatives for Los Angeles in Prince of Wales's Stakes
Already a Group One winner this season, when he had the reopposing Anmaat behind him in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, he looks to have a rock-solid chance. 'He's just as happy over 10 or 12 furlongs, that's what we've always thought with him. He's only run over 10 this year and he's been happy,' said O'Brien. A special performance from Los Angeles, who found another gear to reign Anmaat back in, handing Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore the Tattersalls Gold Cup 👏@Tattersalls_ie — The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) May 25, 2025 'In the first half of the season this race was always the plan and he seems in good form since the last day, everything has gone well up to now. 'He's run on all types of ground, it all comes alike to him 'He's very happy to have competition for the lead, there'll be pace on, everybody knows that. He needs a strong run mile and a quarter, we all know that, and he loves a battle.' Owen Burrows' Anmaat is now seven but last year's Champion Stakes winner proved at the Curragh he is still as good as ever. Connections would not want the ground to be too fast, however. 'We will be keeping an eye on the ground. We've declared with a view to running but if the lads came in and said it was riding very quick, we'd have to talk about it,' said Angus Gold, of owners Shadwell. Anmaat was something of a surprise winner of the Champion Stakes (Nigel French/PA) 'He is our star of the year and we have to do the right thing, we need him for the end of the year as well as now but he's second favourite for one of the biggest races at Royal Ascot, so we want to run while he's in good form. I very much hope we'll be there. 'I don't want to be seen to be making a fuss, I'm a great believer in fast-ground horses being able to have their ground, it's just he's had his issues and we don't want to do anything to jeopardise him – but we're hoping to run.' Reflecting on his previous issues, Gold said: 'He's a testament to a lot of people and the horse himself. What he had two years ago would have finished a lot of horses, so the fact that not only was he able but also willing to come back from it is a huge credit to him. He's been a star for us.' John and Thady Gosden's Ombusdman lost his unbeaten record in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes to Almaqam but enhanced his reputation and goes up in class again. 'He got a little bit tired in the ground and the winner is a very smart horse who was getting 3lb from our horse and got the run of the race,' said John Gosden of the Godolphin runner. 'Our horse had to come from off the pace, but Ryan (Moore) was very pleased with him. We had the question of whether we go to the Wolferton or the Prince of Wales's, but the owner was pretty keen on this race. 'You are basically looking at the Tattersalls Gold Cup form for a guide to the race and then there's a nice French horse (Map Of Stars), so we'll see how we get on.' The aforementioned French horse is Wathnan Racing's Map Of Stars, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and only beaten a neck by the high-class Sosie last time out. 'He's a colt we've held in high regard the whole way along and both times he has been beaten it has probably been through no fault of his own,' said Wathnan's Richard Brown. 'He will probably go on the ground and James (Doyle) said when he won the Prix d'Harcourt, it was pretty quick that day and he showed a good turn of foot so that's what we hope we'll see again. 'The Sosie form from the Ganay looks red hot and he has since come out and won the Prix d'Ispahan and is one of the favourites for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. It's high level form, but he will need to improve again to win a Prince of Wales's.'
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Los Angeles and Anmaat to cross swords again in Prince of Wales's Stakes
The three classy older horses all met in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last month and there was not much between them. It was hoped another clash would light up day two at Royal Ascot, but the quick conditions have ruled out John Joseph Murphy's White Birch. A stellar field of 9 declared for a thrilling renewal of the Prince of Wales's Stakes on Wednesday, including ANMAAT, LOS ANGELES, and MAP OF STARS:🏇Anmaat🏇Certain Lad🏇Continuous 🇮🇪🏇Facteur Cheval 🇫🇷🏇Los Angeles 🇮🇪🏇Map Of Stars 🇫🇷🏇Ombudsman🏇Royal Champion🏇See… — Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 16, 2025 George Murphy, assistant to his father, said: 'It looks like it's going to be a dry week, so we've decided to give it a swerve. 'We were looking forward to it, but it looks like it's going to be a proper quick ground and we've got put him first.' On the next plan of attack with the top-class grey, he added: 'The Eclipse at Sandown will probably be more than likely. 'He's in super form, we're really happy with him.' See The Fire dominated her rivals in the Middleton Stakes at York (Mike Egerton/PA) Andrew Balding's filly See The Fire adds a new layer of interest to the Prince of Wales's Stakes after being supplemented on the back of a runaway success in York's Middleton Stakes. John and Thady Gosden's Ombudsman has only lost once in his career and steps into Group One company for the first time while Francis-Henri Graffard's Map Of Stars was only beaten a neck by the high-class Sosie in the Prix Ganay. Certain Lad, Continuous, Facteur Cheval and Royal Champion complete a field of nine. A field of 25 have been declared for the opening Queen Mary, headed by Karl Burke's Zelaina after her impressive Nottingham debut. Burke is looking for a third win in four years in the Group Two having won with Dramatised in 2022 and Leovanni last year for the same Wathnan ownership as Zelaina. Karl Burke has a fine record in the Queen Mary (Mike Egerton/PA) Lennilu adds American interest for trainer Patrick Biancone while Spicy Marg will have her followers based on her impressive debut success at Newmarket. Burke also holds leading claims in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes with Fallen Angel, winner of the Irish 1000 Guineas last season. She is among eight fillies that also includes Roger Varian's Elmalka, successful in the Newmarket equivalent last year. Cinderella's Dream, Crimson Advocate and Paddy Twomey's One Look also run. A total of 11 go to post for the Queen's Vase, won by this year's Gold Cup favourite Illinois last year. Shackleton heads for the Queen's Vase (Niall Carson/PA) Aidan O'Brien runs two, Scandinavia and Shackleton, while Twomey's unbeaten Carmers has also been declared. One of the leading ante-post fancies, Ralph Beckett's Amiloc, does not run but he also has the option of the King Edward VII later in the week. Graffard's Asmarani will attempt to become the first French-trained winner of the race since Andre Fabre's Infrasonic in 1993. A maximum field has been declared for the Royal Hunt Cup with the list headed by Charlie Appleby's Arabian Light. Rainbows Edge, trained by the Gosdens and owned by the King and Queen, tops the weights in the Kensington Palace Stakes while 24 will line up in the Windsor Castle.
Rhyl Journal
4 days ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Los Angeles and Anmaat to cross swords again in Prince of Wales's Stakes
The three classy older horses all met in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last month and there was not much between them. It was hoped another clash would light up day two at Royal Ascot, but the quick conditions have ruled out John Joseph Murphy's White Birch. A stellar field of 9 declared for a thrilling renewal of the Prince of Wales's Stakes on Wednesday, including ANMAAT, LOS ANGELES, and MAP OF STARS:🏇Anmaat🏇Certain Lad🏇Continuous 🇮🇪🏇Facteur Cheval 🇫🇷🏇Los Angeles 🇮🇪🏇Map Of Stars 🇫🇷🏇Ombudsman🏇Royal Champion🏇See… — Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 16, 2025 George Murphy, assistant to his father, said: 'It looks like it's going to be a dry week, so we've decided to give it a swerve. 'We were looking forward to it, but it looks like it's going to be a proper quick ground and we've got put him first.' On the next plan of attack with the top-class grey, he added: 'The Eclipse at Sandown will probably be more than likely. 'He's in super form, we're really happy with him.' Andrew Balding's filly See The Fire adds a new layer of interest to the Prince of Wales's Stakes after being supplemented on the back of a runaway success in York's Middleton Stakes. John and Thady Gosden's Ombudsman has only lost once in his career and steps into Group One company for the first time while Francis-Henri Graffard's Map Of Stars was only beaten a neck by the high-class Sosie in the Prix Ganay. Certain Lad, Continuous, Facteur Cheval and Royal Champion complete a field of nine. A field of 25 have been declared for the opening Queen Mary, headed by Karl Burke's Zelaina after her impressive Nottingham debut. Burke is looking for a third win in four years in the Group Two having won with Dramatised in 2022 and Leovanni last year for the same Wathnan ownership as Zelaina. Lennilu adds American interest for trainer Patrick Biancone while Spicy Marg will have her followers based on her impressive debut success at Newmarket. Burke also holds leading claims in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes with Fallen Angel, winner of the Irish 1000 Guineas last season. She is among eight fillies that also includes Roger Varian's Elmalka, successful in the Newmarket equivalent last year. Cinderella's Dream, Crimson Advocate and Paddy Twomey's One Look also run. A total of 11 go to post for the Queen's Vase, won by this year's Gold Cup favourite Illinois last year. Aidan O'Brien runs two, Scandinavia and Shackleton, while Twomey's unbeaten Carmers has also been declared. One of the leading ante-post fancies, Ralph Beckett's Amiloc, does not run but he also has the option of the King Edward VII later in the week. Graffard's Asmarani will attempt to become the first French-trained winner of the race since Andre Fabre's Infrasonic in 1993. A maximum field has been declared for the Royal Hunt Cup with the list headed by Charlie Appleby's Arabian Light. Rainbows Edge, trained by the Gosdens and owned by the King and Queen, tops the weights in the Kensington Palace Stakes while 24 will line up in the Windsor Castle.
South Wales Guardian
5 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Los Angeles and Anmaat to cross swords again in Prince of Wales's Stakes
The three classy older horses all met in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last month and there was not much between them. It was hoped another clash would light up day two at Royal Ascot, but the quick conditions have ruled out John Joseph Murphy's White Birch. A stellar field of 9 declared for a thrilling renewal of the Prince of Wales's Stakes on Wednesday, including ANMAAT, LOS ANGELES, and MAP OF STARS:🏇Anmaat🏇Certain Lad🏇Continuous 🇮🇪🏇Facteur Cheval 🇫🇷🏇Los Angeles 🇮🇪🏇Map Of Stars 🇫🇷🏇Ombudsman🏇Royal Champion🏇See… — Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 16, 2025 George Murphy, assistant to his father, said: 'It looks like it's going to be a dry week, so we've decided to give it a swerve. 'We were looking forward to it, but it looks like it's going to be a proper quick ground and we've got put him first.' On the next plan of attack with the top-class grey, he added: 'The Eclipse at Sandown will probably be more than likely. 'He's in super form, we're really happy with him.' Andrew Balding's filly See The Fire adds a new layer of interest to the Prince of Wales's Stakes after being supplemented on the back of a runaway success in York's Middleton Stakes. John and Thady Gosden's Ombudsman has only lost once in his career and steps into Group One company for the first time while Francis-Henri Graffard's Map Of Stars was only beaten a neck by the high-class Sosie in the Prix Ganay. Certain Lad, Continuous, Facteur Cheval and Royal Champion complete a field of nine. A field of 25 have been declared for the opening Queen Mary, headed by Karl Burke's Zelaina after her impressive Nottingham debut. Burke is looking for a third win in four years in the Group Two having won with Dramatised in 2022 and Leovanni last year for the same Wathnan ownership as Zelaina. Lennilu adds American interest for trainer Patrick Biancone while Spicy Marg will have her followers based on her impressive debut success at Newmarket. Burke also holds leading claims in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes with Fallen Angel, winner of the Irish 1000 Guineas last season. She is among eight fillies that also includes Roger Varian's Elmalka, successful in the Newmarket equivalent last year. Cinderella's Dream, Crimson Advocate and Paddy Twomey's One Look also run. A total of 11 go to post for the Queen's Vase, won by this year's Gold Cup favourite Illinois last year. Aidan O'Brien runs two, Scandinavia and Shackleton, while Twomey's unbeaten Carmers has also been declared. One of the leading ante-post fancies, Ralph Beckett's Amiloc, does not run but he also has the option of the King Edward VII later in the week. Graffard's Asmarani will attempt to become the first French-trained winner of the race since Andre Fabre's Infrasonic in 1993. A maximum field has been declared for the Royal Hunt Cup with the list headed by Charlie Appleby's Arabian Light. Rainbows Edge, trained by the Gosdens and owned by the King and Queen, tops the weights in the Kensington Palace Stakes while 24 will line up in the Windsor Castle.
