Sophie Doyle enjoyed the best moment of her career to date when she partnered the Larry Jones-trained Street Band to victory in the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes (1m½f) at Parx (Philadelphia Park) on Saturday.
A beautifully timed challenge saw Doyle guide Street Band past hot favourite Guarana and Jose Ortiz in the stretch, securing a comfortable success in the $1,000,000 dirt contest.
The Cotillion Stakes was a ‘win and you’re in’ race for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (1m1f) at Santa Anita in November.
Doyle, the sister of top UK jockey James Doyle, now rides permanently in the States and is based in Chicago, having established herself as one of the leading riders at Arlington Park.
Solution ready to answer
Cologne stages Sunday’s Group 1 contest, the Preis von Europa (1m4f), which has attracted three runners from Britain among the ten-strong field.
The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Best Solution already has two German top-level triumphs to his name, taking the Preis von Berlin and Grosser Preis von Baden last year, and enjoyed a pipe-opener on the all-weather earlier this month, running seventh in the Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton.
Aspetar, trained by Roger Charlton, won the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly in June while Communique, representing Middleham handler Mark Johnston, finished tailed off behind Godolphin’s Ghaiyyath in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden on September 1, having previously finished a good second to French King in Group 1 company at Hoppegarten.
Deutsches Derby victor Laccario spearheads the home defence. He will be bidding to emulate his sire, Scalo, who captured the prize in 2010.
Bro Park’s big afternoon
Sweden’s newest racecourse, Bro Park, puts on a good card on Sunday, the highlight of which is the Group 3 Stockholm Cup International (1m4f), worth £88,500 to the winner.
Two British-trained runners – Crowned Eagle (Marco Botti) and Amazing Red (Ed Dunlop) – will be hoping to follow in the hoof prints of Thundering Blue, winner of the race 12 months ago for the David Menuisier stable.
However they could all have their work cut out against Square De Luynes, representing Norwegian maestro Niels Petersen, who feels the Manduro gelding could be the best horse he has ever trained. Robert Havlin travels over for the ride on the four-year-old, last seen taking a Group 3 contest at Ovrevoll in August by nine lengths.
The domestic programme features a Flat fixture at Hamilton in Scotland and an afternoon of jumps action at Plumpton.
