Aidan O’Brien equalled American trainer Bobby Frankel’s record of 25 Group 1 winners in a season after Hydrangea landed the British Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
The bay filly by Galileo, tackling the 2,400-metre distance for the first time, was an impressive winner under Ryan Moore. The jockey had to bring her widest on the final bend and she stayed on strongly to win by two lengths from Bateel, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard in France for the Abu Dhabi owners Al Asayl Stables.
O’Brien missed out on equalling the record earlier in the day when Johannes Vermeer was caught up in traffic before eventually finishing third behind Boom Time in the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne.
The Irishman began the British Champions Day meeting by taking the Group 2 Long Distance Cup with Order Of St George. He sent out Caravaggio to finish third in the Group 1 Sprint in the next race before Hydrangea’s victory.
O’Brien was his usual modest self when asked what it mean to equal Frankel's 14-year-old record.
“It's incredible for everyone, everyone puts in a lot of hard work day in, day out,” he told reporters.
“We're a small link in a big chain and I'm delighted for everyone - it's a magic, special day. The chain is so long and we're so glad to be a little link in it.”
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Moore was full of praise for winning filly Hydrangea.
“This year's been remarkable,” he said. “This filly has been on the go all year and has been getting better and better. I'm delighted for her and delighted for Aidan.”
O’Brien can move out on his own as the trainer with most Group 1 wins in a single season in the coming week with entries in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on Saturday and two Group 1 prizes in France on Sunday.
Librisa Breeze had earlier won the Champions Sprint to give jockey Robert Winston and trainer Dean Ivory the biggest wins of their careers.
Godolphin’s Harry Angel, bidding for a third successive Group 1 prize, could finish only fourth behind Librisa Breeze, Tasleet in the silks of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, and Caravaggio.
The son of Dark Angel appeared a little worked up before being loaded and then reared at the start. His trainer Clive Cox said the soft underfoot conditions were to be blame for his charge's disappointment run.
“He still showed his usual zip and class when he went to the front but this was more testing ground than Haydock,” Cox said.
“This was a different day on different ground and we came to the end of our run there visibly.”
Frankie Dettori scooped up the two remaining Group 1 prizes – the Queen Elizabeth II and the Champions Stakes – on the John Gosden-trained pair Persuasive and Cracksman respectively.
Persuasive denied Godolphin’s Ribchester by a length while Cracksman ran an impressive seven-length winner over Poet’s World in the silks of Dubai businessman Saeed Suhail and the O’Brien-trained Highland Reel.
“She's such a tough filly and it's a fantastic way for her to end her racing career,” Gosden said of Persuasive, a four-year-old daughter of Dark Angel.
“She had to be switched inside and out but she just kept finding. She really likes this cut in the ground.”
On Cracksman, he added: “He is very talented; Frankie rode him beautifully and positively.”
Scores:
Day 4
England 290 & 346
Sri Lanka 336 & 226-7 (target 301)
Sri Lanka require another 75 runs with three wickets remaining
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
THE SPECS
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Torque: 900Nm
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Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
EA Sports FC 24
Napoleon
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Arabian Gulf League fixtures:
Friday:
- Emirates v Hatta, 5.15pm
- Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 5.25pm
- Al Ain v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, 8.15pm
Saturday:
- Dibba v Ajman, 5.15pm
- Sharjah v Al Wasl, 5.20pm
- Al Jazira v Al Nasr, 8.15pm
