Bond backing Maranoa Charlie to go the distance at Deauville
Now with son Charlie now at the helm, the Bond Thoroughbreds operation has a growing broodmare band at Yapham Mill Stud near Pocklington and have added a touch of quality to the ranks by swooping for Christopher Head's crack French-trained three-year-old Maranoa Charlie, who is blessed with both a glowing pedigree and impressive on-track CV.
Monsieur Bond is one of the most famous names to represent the Yorkshire-based team (John Giles/PA)
'The reason we bought him was his form, but to have a colt with the speed in the pedigree from Tiggy Wiggy and by Wootton Bassett was so exciting to add to the ranks with what Bond Thoroughbreds is trying to achieve in racing,' said Charlie Bond.
'Wootton Bassett is flying at the minute and he looks to have great stallion potential for a long way down the line. We have a big broodmare band now, so we do need to be looking towards the future as well.
'We saw his last win and the time of the race compared to the other racing that day and he won a bit cosily carrying a penalty. The previous owners were fantastic to deal with and will be joining us on Sunday at Deauville.'
Maranoa Charlie was subject to plenty of hype as a two-year-old when effortlessly winning his first three starts before seeing his momentum checked when upped to Group One level at Saint-Cloud in the final outing of his juvenile campaign.
Maranoa Charlie leads them all the way in the Prix Paul de Moussac! 🇫🇷
The high-class Lazzat took the Group Three contest last year, what next for @CHeadRacing's talented colt? pic.twitter.com/LWrJAGYuaI
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 8, 2025
However, he has left that minor blip in the past since returning this season, winning two Group Three contests to tee-up a return to the highest level at Deauville – which in turn could lead to a raiding mission to York for the upgraded Sky Bet City of York Stakes on August 23.
'The main race for him will probably be the City of York which Christopher identified and it is our home track, which I think will really suit him,' added Bond.
'Obviously we will see how he gets on stepping back into to Group One company on Sunday, Christopher is looking forward to running him and we'll get to see what level he is at.
Cosmic Year is a possible opponent of Maranoa Charlie (David Davies/PA)
'It's the best of the best in the Jean Prat and we're straight in there in a really hot race.
'But his stature, when you look at the videos we've been sent of him, has been impressive and we're really looking forward to seeing him in person.
'I'm also really looking forward to seeing him as a four-year-old. He's a great looking horse now, but the potential improvement at four looks to be there.'
Maranoa Charlie is one of eight standing their ground for the Deauville feature, with Harry Charlton's Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up Cosmic Year and Charlie Appleby's dual Group One-winning two-year-old Shadow Of Light providing further British interest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Tennis power couple 'break up' after both players crash out at Wimbledon
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have reportedly decided to break, with the pair calling time on their relationship after they were both knocked out of Wimbledon Tennis stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have reportedly broken up after they both crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round. The couple went public with their relationship in 2023, before Badosa announced in May last year that they "amicably" decided to part ways. Less than a month later, they rekindled their relationship but reports from Spain are now claiming the couple have called it quits for a second time. The news comes after both Tsitsipas and Badosa were knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round on Monday. Tsitsipas retired with a back injury after going two sets down against French qualifier Valentin Royer, while Badosa was beaten 6-2 3-6 6-4 by British number two Katie Boulter. According to Spanish magazine Hola, Tsitsipas and Badosa broke up due to the demands of their tennis careers, with injury problems playing a role. The magazine quotes a source close to the pair as saying: "The breakup just happened. They both lost in the first round in London and everything has come together for them. [They] were going through a rough patch professionally, with injuries, and that affected their relationship. "They're not well, of course. It's normal for any couple that breaks up. They had started the year very well, and their dream has been shattered. It's a healthy breakup and there were no third parties or family influences, as is starting to be said. "[They] have struggled to make their relationship work, but ultimately it hasn't worked out. Ghosts from the past have returned, marked by the injuries they have both suffered. [The split is] between adults who loved each other very much, and it was a mature decision." Speaking after his first round exit, Tsitsipas admitted that his injury struggles had made him "miserable" as he has been "battling a war of feeling healthy and feeling comfortable going to the extremes". Tsitsipas said: "I'm battling many wars these days. It's really painful to see myself in a situation like this. One thing that I absolutely hate doing is retiring or stopping a match, but I've never pictured myself being in a situation like this multiple times since the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin a couple of years back. "Since that time, I've been very fragile with my body, and I've been battling a war of feeling healthy and feeling comfortable going to the extremes, which has been a difficult battle. So I really don't know. I mean, I feel completely - I feel like I'm left without answers. "I don't know. I've tried everything. I've done an incredible job with my fitness. I've done an incredible job with my physiotherapy, so I've maximised on everything that I possibly can do. Right now I'm just absolutely left with no answers. I don't know what to do. If I don't feel good with myself and my body, then I can't really show anything. "It's probably the most difficult situation that I've ever been faced with, because it's an ongoing issue that doesn't seem to be disappearing or fading off as much. Myself, as a person, I have a limit at some point, so I'll definitely have to have my final answer on whether I want to do stuff or not in the next couple of months. "This is going to be hard, but if I see it going in that trajectory, there is no point in competing. If I'm not healthy, and I've talked about health so many times, if health is not there, then your whole tennis life becomes miserable."
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Pogacar chases quadruple, Thomas bids farewell – 5 Tour de France talking points
The Tour de France will roll out of Lille on Saturday morning as 176 riders set out on the 3,320-kilometre road to Paris. Here the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of the 112th edition. Familiar fight for yellow? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tadej Pogačar (@tadejpogacar) Defending champion Tadej Pogacar is the overwhelming favourite to wear yellow in Paris and move level with Chris Froome on four career titles. And why not? The 26-year-old was outstanding last season, completing the Triple Crown of the Giro, Tour and world title, and has continued to pile up the wins this term. But two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard is ready to resume his now familiar rivalry with the Slovenian confident he is much closer to the form that saw him win in 2022 and 2023 than he was last year, when a devastating crash at the Tour of the Basque Country almost ruled him out of the Tour entirely. With Remco Evenepoel continuing to step forward and Primoz Roglic also racing after the early end of his Giro hopes, there are others who cannot be ignored. An open sprint field The Philipsen-van der Poel train is back on the #TDF2025 💚 Le train @JasperPhilipsen – @mathieuvdpoel est de retour sur le #TDF2025 🚄 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2025 Predicting the sprint stages looks a difficult task this year. Tim Merlier arrives with the most wins, 10, of any of the quick men, but only one Tour victory to his name in his only previous appearance back in 2021. Difficult terrain means there are few pure sprints, something that might seem to favour Jasper Philipsen, who won three stages last year to take his Tour career tally to nine, but his Soudal Quick-Step team have split priorities as Evenepoel eyes yellow. Tour debutant Jonathan Milan could profit from the more difficult finishes, but the parcours also suits Biniam Girmay, winner of three stages last year. Farewell Geraint Geraint Thomas will start cycling's biggest race for the 14th and final time before retirement. His overall victory in 2018 was arguably the finest moment of a career that began with Olympic glory on the track, but his relationship with the Tour is a deeper story. Many fans fondly remember how he rode 20 stages of the 2013 race with a broken pelvis, determined to help Froome to victory at great personal cost. After the retirement of Mark Cavendish last year, the fact Froome has likely ridden his last Tour and the impending retirements of both Thomas and Lizzie Deignan, it feels like the end of an era for British cycling. Paris awaits After last year's Olympics forced the Tour to swerve the French capital for the first time in race history, the now traditional finish on the Champs-Elysees will return in 2025. Before then a race that takes place entirely within the borders of France will challenge the riders with more than 50,000m of elevation, but also an unusually tricky opening week in the north of the country before the Pyrenees and Alps serve up their usual punishment. Brits in the race Tour de France- here we come 😁 — Lewis Askey (@LewisAskey) June 30, 2025 Eleven Brits are due to start the race, including freshly-minted Giro champion Simon Yates, riding in support in Vingegaard, and twin brother Adam, supporting Pogacar. While Thomas waves goodbye, younger riders like Fred Wright, Oscar Onley and Lewis Askey will seek their breakaway opportunities. Jake Stewart lines up for his second Tour, while Sean Flynn and Joe Blackmore make their debuts. Connor Swift and new British champion Sam Watson, another debutant, join Thomas in the Ineos Grenadiers squad.
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Wimbledon briefing: Day three recap and order of play for day of the Jacks
Emma Raducanu headlined a brilliant day for British tennis at Wimbledon that also saw wins for Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie plus an impressive Centre Court debut from Oliver Tarvet. And Thursday promises more memorable moments for the Britons as Dan Evans enjoys a dream meeting with Novak Djokovic on Centre Court while Britain's two Jacks – fourth seed Draper and debutant Pinnington Jones – have eyes on the third round. Here, the PA news agency looks back at Wednesday's action and previews day four of the Championships. Raducanu sets up Sabalenka clash Emma Raducanu set up a blockbuster clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka by easing past 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 6-3. The British number one said: 'You want to play the best. You are going to have to play them at some point if you want to win one of these tournaments. 'Of course, Aryna is number one in the world. I know it's going to be a massive challenge. I'm going to have to play some really good tennis.' Her victory came after British number threes Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie both impressively reached the third round. Tarvet gets Alcaraz's seal of approval Oliver Tarvet said he lived the 'most special day of my life' in his straight-sets defeat to Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court. The British qualifier, ranked 733 in the world, broke the two-time Wimbledon champion's serve twice in an encouraging showing. And he certainly impressed his opponent, who said on court 'I just love his game', before adding in his press conference: 'If he keeps working hard, if he keeps practising hard and playing in a professional level, I think he can go far.' Brit watch View this post on Instagram A post shared by @jackdraper Jack Draper faces a tricky second-round clash with former runner-up Marin Cilic. The Croatian reached the final back in 2017, three years after winning the US Open, and has struggled with a knee problem in recent seasons, but he is now fit again and won the warm-up event in Nottingham. Draper said: 'Unbelievable career, amazing player. Anyone who wins a Challenger on the grass before coming here, they're feeling good on the grass. So it's going to be a really tough challenge. I'm ready for that.' Dan Evans takes on seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the opening match on Centre Court, Jack Pinnington Jones faces Italian 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli, while fellow wild card Arthur Fery will complete his match against Luciano Darderi after bad light suspended play with the Italian two sets up. Match of the day Dan Evans kicks off the action on Centre Court in some style – with a second career meeting with Novak Djokovic. Evans, 35, won that previous meeting – on the clay at the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters – so is putting an unbeaten record on the line against the 38-year-old seven-time Wimbledon champion. 'I think when they do the stats, it has to be over, like, three matches to have a 100 per cent record,' Evans said. 'So we'll say I have a decent record! 'This is his best surface. It's going to be a tough match. But when I play the top guys, I don't change much about myself. It's not about them, it's about me. We're both competing for the same goal.' Order of play Centre Court (from 1.30pm) Dan Evans v Novak Djokovic (6) Iga Swiatek (8) v Caty McNally Jannik Sinner (1) v Aleksandar Vukic Court One (from 1pm) Mirra Andreeva (7) v Lucia Bronzetti Elena Rybakina (11) v Maria Sakkari Jack Draper (4) v Marin Cilic Weather Sunny changing to cloudy in the afternoon, with a maximum temperature of 26C, according to the Met Office.
