Some may think that the withdrawal of the English and Irish Derby winners from the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes damages the event. However, the truth is that the possible line up includes six Group One winners, who are certain to offer a more than enjoyable race.

Due to their managers’ decision, Authorized and Soldier of Fortune were excluded from the competition, but two Classic winners entered it. Although Aidan O’Brien decided to go for the St Leger with Soldier of Fortune, he still is competing with Dylan Thomas, winner of the 2006 Irish Derby, 2005 St Leger champion Scorpion and Yellowstone.

Last week, an impressive crowd of more than 42,500 people went to the 48th John Smith’s Cup Day at the Knavesmire. Such a record-breaking multitude meant that attendants had to leave their cars even two miles away from the racetrack.

According to York racecourse officials, the cause of the problem was illegally parked coaches. “The coach park was flooded by heavy rain on Friday night, which had not been forecast,” a spokeswoman said. “As a result, some of the coaches parked on Bishopthorpe Road and a small number were parked illegally, blocking access to the traffic.”

After his fourth place in the Budweiser Irish Derby, Boscobel will continue racing over middle distances, as announced by Mark Johnston. The colt has made important improvements this year since beating Lucarno in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Supplementing him for the Curragh Classic cost $150,000, money well spent since Boscobel run a good race in spite of losing to Aidan O’Brien’s trio: Soldier of Fortune, Alexander of Hales and Eagle Mountain.

Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, winner of the French and English Derbies, will not be able to ride Boscobel at the Irish Derby. Dettori will miss his opportunity to add a new Derby victory to his successful career due to a two-day ban imposed on him at Sundown on June 15.

The jockey tried to defer the whip ban by applying to the Horseracing Regulatory Authority but his team missed the deadline. Pursuant to HRA regulations, when a jockey receives a ban of four days or less, he can apply to defer it provided he is booked to ride in a Group 1 race abroad.

For the second year in a row, favorite Yeats won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, in the 200th edition of the classic competition. The market leader, under Mick Kinane, soon put distance between himself and the other runners, with a stylish performance.

“We are absolutely delighted. He was a lot heavier today than he has ever been, but he has been much pacer in his work and in his races than he has ever been,” trainer O’Brien said. “Mick did the right thing on him and rode him with a lot of confidence.”

Trainer Aidan O’Brien has informed that things go as planned for the much-anticipated return of the winner of the 2000 Guineas and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in 2006, George Washington. The colt is expected to come back to the tracks for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 19th.

The son of Danehill was retired to stud by the end of 2006, to start his career as a thoroughbred stud. However, high hopes for his future offspring were let down when he was diagnosed with fertility problems and plans had to be changed. Coolmore decided to retire Holy Roman Emperor and send George Washington back to O’Brien.

Trainer Tim Pitt has decided to temporarily close his stable and suspend all racecourse activities among strong concerns over the health of his horses. Pitt has not had a winner since January 5th and will not have any runners at least for the next three weeks, in view of the previous disappointing results.

"We have been conspicuous by our absence and we won't have any runners for the next three weeks," trainer Pitt explained. "Our horses have returned some dirty scopes and indifferent blood results so I don't want to run them again until we dot all the Is and cross the Ts."

Trainer Kevin Prendergast has announced that Miss Beatrix will have a break until autumn, after finishing unplaced in the Stan James 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. “She's going to have a rest. She came out of Newmarket not so good,” Prendergast explained.

The winner of last year’s Moyglare Stud Stakes finished behind Finsceal Beo at Newmarket on her first trip outside Ireland. “She just didn't travel very well and it was the first time she had been away from home. Maybe that was it,” Prendergast said when asked about Miss Beatrix’s performance.

A new edition of the Kentucky Derby, considered by some as the summit of horseracing, will take place next Saturday. As it happens every year, thousands of visitors are expected to attend the event, which this year has a very interesting and competitive field.

Many of the contestants have been working out for the Derby during the whole week, but few did so at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Todd Pletcher took four of his five Derby horses to practice, one of them on the dirt track and the three on the artificial surface at Keenland. Cowtown Cat, the fifth one, went for a jog at Keenland.

For the 199th time, Newmarket will run the 2,000 Guineas next Saturday. The race is the first leg of the British Triple Crown and has taken place every year since Wizard won the first edition in 1809. It was founded by Sir Charles Bunbury, the Jockey Club’s director.

This year’s 2,000 Guineas looks like a battle between the favorite for the Epsom Derby, Teofilo, son of Galileo- winner of the Epsom and Irish derbies- and sprinter Dutch Art. Pure miler US Ranger, a colt who won the Maisons-Laffitte’s listed Prix Djebel, is likely to join them in the competition.