Horse racing: Godolphin target Group 1 wins in four countries

Dubai: Godolphin target Group 1 victories at four major race meetings across the globe on Saturday with a trio of gallopers led by Queen Anne Stakes runner-up Terebellum being lining up at the stables headquarters in Newmarket for the Sun Chariot Stakes.

The John Gosden-trained four-year-old daughter of Sea The Stars, who will be ridden by James Doyle, will be joined in the mile contest by Half Light (William Buick), who is trained in France by Henri-Alex Pantall and Final Song, who races out of the stable of Godolphin’s most successful trainer, Saeed Bin Surour.

The Emirati trainer told the Godolphin website: “Final Song ran very well in the 1000 Guineas earlier this season and we wanted to give her another chance in a G1 race over the course and distance. She has been working well at home and is in good form.”

Commenting on the chances of Half Light, a daughter of star stallion Shamardal who has won her first three starts this year,

Meanwhile, over at Randwick Racecourse in Australia, the Epsom Handicap at Randwick is the target of highly regarded Colette en route to a shot at the Golden Eagle.

Colette (Rachel King) will be joined at Randwick by Avilius (Hugh Bowman) who runs in the Group 2 Hill Stakes, Deprive (Rachel King) in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes, and the two-year-olds Athelric (Nash Rawiller) and Retrieval (Josh Parr) who make their debuts in the Group 3 Breeders’ Plate and Tinge (Kerrin McEvoy) who has her introduction to racing in the G3 Gimcrack Stakes.

Longchamp racecourse in France hosts a major meeting on Saturday, day one of Arc weekend, where emerging stayer Sublimis steps up in class and trip for the Group 1 Prix du Cadran.

The son of Shamardal debuts over two-and-a-half miles after a staying on third in the G3 Prix Gladiateur over just shy of two miles at Longchamp on September 6.

Sublimis, who is trained by Andre Fabre will be ridden by Mickael Barzalona.

Fabre and Barzalona also team up on the same card with three-year-old colts Ziegfeld and Nemean Lion, who both make their Group-race debuts.

Tough and consistent three-year-old Pixelate aims for back-to-back Graded victories on his Grade 1 debut in the Belmont Derby over a mile-and-a-quarter on turf at in the US.

Jose Lezcano, who partnered Pixelate to victory in Aqueduct’s Central Park Stakes on his final two-year-old start, returns to take the ride.