Latest news with #Plate
Deccan Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- Deccan Herald
South Zone selection shocker for Karnataka
Bengaluru: Ranji Trophy performers and future potentials were dealt a raw deal as quota demands appear to have prevailed while picking the South Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy in Puducherry on Saturday. .Karnataka pacer V Koushik, who claimed 23 wickets last Ranji Trophy season, and batter R Smaran, who hammered 516 runs in just seven games, received a royal snub by the South Zone selectors. While Smaran was put in as a stand-bye, Koushik wasn't included among them. .Snehal Kauthankar, the 29-year-old Goa batter, has been included in the 16-member squad. His 949 runs last Ranji season may justify his selection but when when consider that those runs came in the Plate group, including his unbeaten 202 against Nadu's 19-year-old batter Andre Siddarth, who amassed 600-plus runs in eight games, has also been kept as one of the six by virtue of being in the final of the Ranji Trophy, have managed to squeeze in four players but Basil NP's selection beggars belief. The 28-year-old pacer claimed 16 wickets in five games in the season gone by. Edhen Apple Tom's inclusion among stand-byes is equally surprising. The medium pacer, who has played three first-class matches over three years, appeared only in the final of Ranji Trophy last season and claimed four unclear if Koushik's decision to represent Goa from next season left him with no supporters in the selection meeting. .Hyderabad batter Tialk Varma didn't play a single Ranji Trophy match last season, and managed 148 runs, including a 111 n.o., in four Duleep Trophy innings last year. While his form in County championship for Hampshire, for whom he has scored 315 in five innings, should be good enough to pick him, handing him captaincy ahead of Sai Kishore, who took Tamil Nadu to semifinals, is a bit batter Devdutt Padikkal and pacer Vyshak Vijaykumar made the cut from Karnataka ranks in the 16-member squad. .Tanmay Agarwal, with 934 runs including four hundreds, for Hyderabad. .The competition will return to a Zonal format this time around with the BCCI deciding to scrap the India A, B, C and D format. .The quarterfinals of the tournament will see North Zone clash East Zone while Central Zone face North East Zone. South and West Zones have received direct entries to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the first and second quarterfinals, respectively. .South Zone squad: Tilak Varma (c), Mohammed Azharuddeen (vc), Tanmay Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Kale, Salman Nizar, Narayan Jagadeesan, T Vijay , R Sai Kishore, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vyshak Vijaykumar, MD Nidheesh, Ricky Bhui, Basil NP, Gurjapneet Singh, Snehal Mohit Redkar, R Smaran, Ankit Sharma, Edhen Apple Tom, Andre Siddarth, Shaikh Rasheed.
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sport
- Sunday World
Nurburgring and Masoun leading the charge for Joseph O'Brien
DOUBLE TARGET | Galway and Goodwood are on the agenda this week And now seven years after he won the Irish Derby with Latrobe, Joseph has charge of the likely favourite for next Wednesday's Tote Galway Plate in Nurburgring, who skipped home seven lengths clear in the Guinness Galway Hurdle last year. Back in the heady days when Dermot Weld was the undoubted King of Ballybrit, Ansar completed that great double in 2001 and 2004, and that great crowd favourite came back to win the Plate again in 2005. Yet whatever happens in that great carnival on the Western seaboard this week, Joseph's mind won't stray too far from the day job, as he also has serious business to attend to at Glorious Goodwood. Indeed hat-trick seeking Masoun catches the eye among the entries for the first race of the week at the famed West Sussex venue, the Coral Chesterfield Cup Handicap on Tuesday. He was being teed up for a handicap at Royal Ascot but didn't make the cut, instead he won the Ladies Derby at The Curragh under Elizabeth Gale. But Joseph's best chance at Goodwood comes much later in the week, with Goodie Two Shoes in the Lillie Langtry on Saturday. Perhaps his background in the jumping game taught Joseph the benefit of patience, but there is little doubt that this JP McManus owned six-year-old is really in full flower now, her Stanerra Stakes win at Fairyhouse being a career best. She'll need to progress again but there's every chance she will, and the faster the ground the better. Joseph and J P also have a leading fancy for the opening day big feature at Galway tomorrow evening, the Connacht Hotel Qualified Riders, in Comfort Zone, where a real threat is Toll Stone who represents the lethal Galway combination of Emmet Mullins and owner Annette Mee. He won at the festival last year in his first flat handicap. That was on the Friday night and he was hammered in from 3/1 to 11/10 jolly when trying to defy a 7 lbs penalty for a quick follow-up the following day but he never landed a blow. Horses often win twice during the week at Ballybrit but very rarely on successive days. Toll Stone finished a close second to Comfort Zone in a hot handicap at Naas last November and he won't be too far away tomorrow either, particularly with John Gleeson doing the steering. But there is one entry in tomorrow's big race that really stands out. For so many of us backing Dermot Weld bankers on the flat with the late Pat Smullen on board, it used to comfortably cover the week's expenses back in the day. And should young 7 lbs claimer and son of the great man Paddy Smullen bring Falcon Eight home in front for Weld tomorrow, the cheers will lift the roof off the Killanin Stand. Trainer Joseph O'Brien at Ballybrit Racecourse in Galway. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile Any value in Nurburgring's price for the Plate is well gone at this stage, and Thecompanysergeant, Jesse Evans and two Gordon Elliott runners, Zanahiyr and Down Memory Lane, have also attracted plenty of ante-post interest. A local winner of the Plate would be a bit special and the Paul Gilligan trained Buddy One has serious prospects. A winner on the flat at nearby Ballinrobe last Monday, the eight-year-old has a serious CV, including a win at a Cheltenham November meeting and a fourth to Teahupoo in last year's Stayers Hurdle. He was second to Strong Leader in the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree and was third to Croke Park and Better Days Ahead in the Racing Post Long Distance Chase at Leopardstown last Christmas. The Athenry runner is also well proven at Ballybrit, having won over hurdles, and he made a winning start over fences over this course and distance last October. He is generally 25/1 at present but strong local support on the day could see him start a lot shorter on Wednesday but, whatever the odds, only his best will do. Another interesting 25/1 shot is the Willie Mullins-trained Arctic Fly, who has blown hot and cold, both at this track and elsewhere. She has won two of her last four races, including Tipp last time out, but was pulled up in the other two. She is good enough to win if in the mood and things go her way. Whether the contours of Galway suit stablemate Spanish Harlem is open to question. He could be more interesting in the Kerry or Munster Nationals later in the year if getting decent ground. Previous Galway Festival form is a good guide, and a few quid on Gordon Elliott's Royal Eagle in the Latin Quarter Beginners Chase on Tuesday might pay for a few pints in Quay Street afterwards, though stablemate King Of Kingsfield would bring a touch of class if lining up also. Betting is a serious business this week, and, for all the closing time yards of plots and schemes hatched and horses being 'teed up' to win at Galway for exiles returning on holidays, I have found down the years that at Ballybrit – just like everywhere else – eye-catching recent form is the best short cut to the winners' enclosure. Here is a list of horses worth serious consideration – Blues Emperor (J Murtagh); Tribal Nation (J O'Brien); Davy Crockett, La Note Verte and Vicar Street (W Mullins); Slieve Binnian (D Marnane); Sign From Above (P Fahey); Facethepuckout (M O'Callaghan); Highbury See See, Faoladh (A Slattery); Sounds Like A Plan (A Oliver); Heiselectric (N Meade); Bal Kauto (D Queally); Cornmarket (J Cullen); Moonovercloon (M Smith); Kenisa Sport (G Elliott); Spanish Temptress (R O'Brien); Sunny South West (E Power); Chally Chute (Ross O'Sullivan; Mo Ghille Mar (J Harrington); Dunkerque (G Cromwell); Drumgill (J Ryan); Roderick (P Sweeney) and Far From Dandy (S Thorne).
Winnipeg Free Press
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trainer Mark Casse chasing record-tying fifth Woodbine Oaks victory.
TORONTO – It's a path that's twice taken Mark Casse to the King's Plate winner's circle. Five of the 12-horses in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on Sunday will be Casse trainees. The Hall of Fame trainer will be vying for a record-tying fifth Oaks victory. And twice, the Oaks has provided Casse with the winner of the $1-million King's Plate, the crown jewel of thoroughbred racing in this country and opening event of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. This year's event is slated for Woodbine Racetrack on Aug. 16. In 2014, Lexie Lou completed the Oaks-Plate double, earning Casse, 64, of Indianapolis, his first title. Four years later, Wonder Gadot crossed the finish line first following a second-place finish in the Oaks. Casse's last Plate victory came in '23 with Paramount Prince, which finished ahead of Oaks champion Elysian Field, another Casse-conditioned horse. It's already been an eventful week for Casse, who's been named Canada's top trainer an unprecedented 16 times. He earned his 4,000th career victory Thursday at Colonial Downs Racetrack in Virginia. The Oaks is the opening event of the Canadian Triple Tiara for Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies. The 1 1/8-mile race on Woodbine's synthetic track is also a key prep for the 1 1/4-mile Plate, which is also run on synthetic. Also on Sunday's card is the $150,000 Plate Trial, a 1 1/8-mile race for three-year-olds that goes on the same surface. Having the two races on the same day provides insight as to how the two race winners compare heading into the King's Plate. Casse's five horses in the Oaks: Ella It Is, No Time, Shifty, War Signal, and Winterberry. 'Shifty is probably the most talented (of the group),' Casse said. 'She has her quirks. 'If she can settle and get into a good rhythm, she will be tough. She's very talented.' Shifty has finished in the money four times over seven career starts (two wins, twice third) and amassed $152,037 in earnings. She won her three-year-old debut May 11 before finishing third in the seven-furlong Fury Stakes on June 7. No Time has two wins and a third-place finish from seven starts. She heads into the Oaks off a fourth-place effort in the Grade 3 $150,000 Selene Stakes at Woodbine on June 28. 'I think No Time is a sleeper,' said Casse. 'I think she has a very good pedigree — both her and Shifty have very nice pedigrees. 'She is not easy to ride. She is another one that if she is happy, she is going to be tough.' Ella It Is has two wins and two second-place finishes over eight starts. She'll make a fifth career stakes appearance Sunday. 'She has shown she can run well,' said Casse. 'She has to step up her game now. 'This will be a test for her. She is really only one of my fillies in this race who can settle.' War Signal will make her seventh start Sunday, having amassed two wins and a third-place finish. She was sixth versus the boys in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes on June 28, just two lengths behind winner Mansetti. 'She ran well in the Marine … I thought she hung in there,' Casse said. 'She is another one who likes to be up close to the lead.' Winterberry has three wins from six starts. 'She is coming into the Oaks better than ever,' Casse said. 'I'm still not 100 per cent sure she can get the mile and an eighth, but she is very talented. 'Every rider is going to do their own thing. I'm not giving any instructions. I think the break is going to be very important, and how each rider can get their horse to settle going into the first turn.' Casse will also have a horse in the Plate Trial. The 10-horse field includes Regal Guest, who'll be ridden by Patrick Husbands. Husbands has the distinction of having ridden the last Canadian Triple Crown winner, that being Wando in 2003. Also in running in the race will be Scorching, who was second to Mansetti in the Marine. The dark bay colt was making his three-year-old debut following a layoff since Oct. 6. 'I was surprised by the performance,' said trainer John Charalambous. 'He ran according to the way we wanted him to race — not the result, but how he sat off the pace.' Other starters included Notorious Gangster (Queenston Stakes winner and last year's Coronation Futurity Stakes victor); Dewolf ('24 Bull Page Stakes winner), Unbridled Weather ('24 Frost King Stakes winner) and Regal Guest (second in '25 Queenston Stakes). This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025.
Glasgow Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Mickey Bowen eager to continue family love affair with big Market Rasen prize
Peter Bowen, the now-retired patriarch of the famous Welsh family, won it eight times as a trainer from 1997-2022. His two jockey sons are also on the list, with current champion Sean riding More Buck's to glory in 2008 while his younger brother James was on Francky Du Berlais for back-to-back successes in 2021 and 2022. Now training in his own right, Mickey runs both Courtland and Statuario to continue the family tradition. However, due to Sean's job with Olly Murphy and James' link with Nicky Henderson, Shane Fenelon and Adam Wedge ride his respectively. 'I was only two years old when dad first won the race with Stately Home back in 1997 and my first real memory of the race was when Ballycassidy won it in 2003 when I was about seven or eight,' Bowen said. 'To win the Perth Gold Cup with Statuario last month was great, but winning this would be an even better day. The preparation for both horses has gone well so we will give it a good go. 'Pressure is for tyres and we have not put any extra pressure on ourselves for the race, but we will be trying our very best to win it.' Regarding Statuario he said: 'He seems as good as ever. He was only beaten five lengths in the race last year off 135 and this year he is 5lb lower so the handicapper has been a bit more lenient on him. 'He is a very good horse and off a mark of 130 he would have a right chance with conditions looking right for him. 'Although he is coming back down in distance you have got to really stay the trip in the Summer Plate as they go some gallop from start to finish and that will suit him well. 'Courtland had a bit of a leg injury, but it was nothing too serious and we have been gearing him towards the Summer Plate. 'He is in brilliant form and he ran well at Cartmel the last day. He probably didn't like the soft ground up there, however he stayed on well and he will come on for that. 'He finished second in the race two years ago and he has since been dropped a pound following his last run. 'Shane takes another 5lb off his back, which is a help, so I'd be very hopeful of him giving a good account of himself.' Murphy and Sean Bowen team up with last year's winner, Sure Touch. 'He loves a bit of summer ground, he's back to Market Rasen and a big handicap. We'll need a bit of luck in-running, but if he gets that, I can't see why he wouldn't run well,' Murphy said. 'I just thought I'd target a big race with him. He's a horse that goes well fresh, we won a bumper first time out, obviously he won a Plate after a long break as well. 'So we're just going there with the same kind of plan as last year.' Harry Cobden has been booked by Gavin Cromwell for Ballysax Hank, while James Bowen is on Bhaloo for Henderson.
North Wales Chronicle
18-07-2025
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Mickey Bowen eager to continue family love affair with big Market Rasen prize
Peter Bowen, the now-retired patriarch of the famous Welsh family, won it eight times as a trainer from 1997-2022. His two jockey sons are also on the list, with current champion Sean riding More Buck's to glory in 2008 while his younger brother James was on Francky Du Berlais for back-to-back successes in 2021 and 2022. Now training in his own right, Mickey runs both Courtland and Statuario to continue the family tradition. However, due to Sean's job with Olly Murphy and James' link with Nicky Henderson, Shane Fenelon and Adam Wedge ride his respectively. 'I was only two years old when dad first won the race with Stately Home back in 1997 and my first real memory of the race was when Ballycassidy won it in 2003 when I was about seven or eight,' Bowen said. 'To win the Perth Gold Cup with Statuario last month was great, but winning this would be an even better day. The preparation for both horses has gone well so we will give it a good go. 'Pressure is for tyres and we have not put any extra pressure on ourselves for the race, but we will be trying our very best to win it.' Regarding Statuario he said: 'He seems as good as ever. He was only beaten five lengths in the race last year off 135 and this year he is 5lb lower so the handicapper has been a bit more lenient on him. 'He is a very good horse and off a mark of 130 he would have a right chance with conditions looking right for him. 'Although he is coming back down in distance you have got to really stay the trip in the Summer Plate as they go some gallop from start to finish and that will suit him well. 'Courtland had a bit of a leg injury, but it was nothing too serious and we have been gearing him towards the Summer Plate. 'He is in brilliant form and he ran well at Cartmel the last day. He probably didn't like the soft ground up there, however he stayed on well and he will come on for that. 'He finished second in the race two years ago and he has since been dropped a pound following his last run. 'Shane takes another 5lb off his back, which is a help, so I'd be very hopeful of him giving a good account of himself.' Murphy and Sean Bowen team up with last year's winner, Sure Touch. 'He loves a bit of summer ground, he's back to Market Rasen and a big handicap. We'll need a bit of luck in-running, but if he gets that, I can't see why he wouldn't run well,' Murphy said. 'I just thought I'd target a big race with him. He's a horse that goes well fresh, we won a bumper first time out, obviously he won a Plate after a long break as well. 'So we're just going there with the same kind of plan as last year.' Harry Cobden has been booked by Gavin Cromwell for Ballysax Hank, while James Bowen is on Bhaloo for Henderson.
