Lightning 4th-place Starspangledbanner will continue his racing career in Ireland after only two runs in Melbourne this autumn. Trainer Leon Corstens says the sale of the Choisir colt to Coolmore means that Starspangledbanner's Australian racing program will finish with the $1 million Newmarket Handicap at Flemington on Mar 6 before he goes to Ballydoyle stables in Ireland to be prepared by Aidan O'Brien. Lightning winner Nicconi is also set for a UK campaign.He's excited...Import Our Aqaleem ha
Lightning 4th-place Starspangledbanner will continue his racing career in Ireland after only two runs in Melbourne this autumn. Trainer Leon Corstens says the sale of the Choisir colt to Coolmore means that Starspangledbanner's Australian racing program will finish with the $1 million Newmarket Handicap at Flemington on Mar 6 before he goes to Ballydoyle stables in Ireland to be prepared by Aidan O'Brien. Lightning winner Nicconi is also set for a UK campaign.
He's excited...Import Our Aqaleem has trainer David Hayes all aquiver...The Epsom Derby 3rd placer may have won just an ordinary city mile race at Flemington but it was so convincing a performance that it put a real big smile on the DH countenance. He says: 'That's one of the biggest wins you'll ever see. He's just invited himself into anything...His three-year-old form was as good as anything the Sheikh [Hamdan] has sent me. I'm really excited.' It's no wonder...Our Aqaleem ran 3rd in the Epsom Derby in 2007 but later fractured his pelvis twice. He went into Saturday's race without having raced for two and a half years!
Although most punters ignored Our Aqaleem, buyers of my book Knockout Horses were right onto him! The formula used in the book clearly selected the stayer as a likely longshot winner.