Our weekly digest of recent international racing news
Shergar Cup: four jockeys hit with whip bans
GB: There was an unhappy aftermath to the Shergar Cup when four overseas riders who participated in the annual jockeys’ competition were handed a total of 32 days in suspensions for misuse of the whip at Ascot on Saturday [August 9].
Hugh Bowman, forever associated with the legendary Winx, won the Silver Saddle as the meeting’s most successful rider. However, he was banned for 12 days for a variety of misdemeanours on Shergar Cup Challenge runner-up La Pulga.
Italian champion Dario di Tocco and Hong Kong-based Karis Teetan were both hit with eight-day bans, while Indian rider Suraj Narredu, whose celebrations after scoring on Fireblade lit up Ascot, misses four days for breaching whip rules in another race. More here
Sword Dancer renamed in honor of Christophe Clement
USA: The Sword Dancer Stakes, won last weekend by Godolphin’s El Cordobes, has been renamed in honor of the late Christophe Clement, who won the G1 event a record five times.
Beginning in 2026, the $750,000 event will be known as the Christophe Clement Turf. The veteran trainer, who secured his fifth Sword Dancer win last year with Far Bridge, died in May aged 59 following a battle with metastatic uveal melanoma, a rare cancer of the eye. More here
French Derby winner Camille Pissarro retired after injury
Ireland: Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner Camille Pissarro has been retired owing to an injury sustained on his most recent outing in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park.
“Camille Pissarro pulled a shoe at Sandown and was quite sore afterwards,” explained trainer Aidan O’Brien, in a statement issued on Wednesday [August 13]. “We had him x-rayed, and a fissure fracture was found in his fetlock. The decision was then made to retire him.”
A son of Wootton Bassett, Camille Pissarro was a dual G1 winner in France, having also landed the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc weekend as a two-year-old. More here
Thorpedo Anna to race on after Hill ’n’ Dale buy half-share
USA: A half-share in Thorpedo Anna, the reigning Horse of the Year, has been sold to John Sikura’s Hill ’n’ Dale Farm – with plans for the star filly to continue to race in 2026.
The 50% share in question was previously owned by Brookdale Racing, whose Nader A’Ali is the brother-in-law of Phoenix Thoroughbreds’ founder Amer Abdulaziz, who was sentenced last month to 15 months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Former NFL player Marshawn Lynch is also part of the revised ownership group for Thorpedo Anna, likely to run next in the G1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga on August 23. More here
Cox Plate set for Flemington in 2026
Australia: Local reports suggest Flemington is set to host next year’s Cox Plate when Moonee Valley, traditional home of Australia’s weight-for-age championship, is closed for redevelopment. The A$6m ($3.9m) contest will return to the Valley for the 2027 renewal after a one-year stay at the Melbourne Cup venue. More here
Racing NSW has announced that the A$10m ($6.5m) Golden Eagle will be run at Randwick in 2025 after a move from Rosehill Gardens. More here
• Japanese G1 winner Panja Tower set for Golden Eagle More here
New Dubai base for Rebel Racing
UAE: Rebel Racing, the Classic-winning training operation founded by owner Phil Cunningham, will open its own barn in the International Stables in Dubai this winter, with trainer Richard Spencer heading the team.
“This is a hugely exciting challenge,” said Cunningham. “We’ll still have the heart of the team in Newmarket, but the opportunity in Dubai is huge. Quite frankly, it beats racing around the all-weather in January – the prize-money and experience over there speak for themselves.”
Elsewhere in racing …
Japan: Yutaka Take is first JRA jockey to reach 4,600 wins More here
GB: Juddmonte International latest – Godolphin pacemaker for Ombudsman More here
GB: Diego Velazquez set for National Stud after Sangster sale More here
Ireland: Death of Ballydoyle stalwart, former champion jockey Tommy Murphy, aged 88 More here
Ireland: Irish Derby runner-up Serious Contender heads Hong Kong recruits More here
France: Docklands supplemented for Deauville clash More here
USA: Six-win Saturday for Juan Hernandez at Del Mar More here
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