Coolmore principals Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor will seek their third success in Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby when they send forth the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Title Role in the 1 1/8-mile Mellon Turf test, at Saratoga Race Course.
A clash of quality turf sophomore fillies from each side of the Atlantic is set for Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Belmont Oaks over 1 1/8 miles of Saratoga Race Course’s inner turf course. A race won in four of its past eight editions by European invaders, this year’s renewal is topped by a visiting pair from connections with proven stateside records at the top level taking on an ascendant home team.
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G1 Belmont Derby
Co-owned by Will Stroud, Title Role exits a smart victory in the Group 2 German 2000 Guineas on May 25. The son of Too Darn Hot out of Grade 3-winning Graham Motion trainee Valiant Girl looks to add to Coolmore’s honor roll that includes 2016 winner Deauville, owned in partnership with Mrs. Fitriani Hay, as well as 2021’s Bolshoi Ballet, owned with Georg von Opel’s Westerberg.
Earlier this season and previous to his success in Cologne, the four-time winner landed Meydan’s Listed Jumeirah 2000 Guineas [Dubai’s top race for turf 3-year-olds] – defeating Godolphin’s highly regarded subsequent Group 1 St James’s Palace-placed Talk of New York – and Jumeirah Guineas Trial over the same one-mile distance. His two losses this season, a 2 1/2-length fifth in Newbury’s Group 3 Greenham and half-length third in Meydan’s Jumeirah Stakes, were both over a lesser trip [seven furlongs], so connections naturally look forward to a move in the other direction.
“He’s always shown to be quite a decent horse and then when he came to Dubai, he did super-well,” Ed Crisford said. “He won those races and improved throughout the whole winter. When we brought him back to the UK, he shipped over and won the German guineas well, a race that was always the plan, as Aidan [O’Brien] had enough horses going toward the English and Irish Guineas [for the same owners].
Purchased for $694,673 at Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale in April 2025, he immediately hinted at what was to come one month later with a nose runner-up effort to Humidity in a Newbury six-furlong maiden – a race that also included Words of Truth and Morris Dancer, subsequent Group 2 and Listed stakes winners, respectively. Nearly five months later, he resurfaced with a one-sided win in a seven-furlong Kempton maiden in October before heading to Dubai to kick off his campaign in January. The rest has been a steady and satisfying ascent that now leads him stateside. Currently with an official rating of 109, Title Role, who will leave post 9, will be ridden for the first time by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, winner of this race in 2024 with Trikari, and when it was known as the Jamaica Handicap with Finality [2002], Vergennes [1998] and Pennine Ridge [1994].
Godolphin’s aforementioned Pacific Avenue, also rated 109, renews his rivalry with Title Role, having split him and Talk of New York when running second in the Jumeirah 2000 Guineas in late February. Since then, the Charlie Appleby pupil has upped his game nicely, finishing second to well-regarded and undefeated Protection Act in a Goodwood conditions [allowance] before running a career-best when a four-length third to Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf champ Gstaad in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas on May 23. The homebred son of star sire Dubawi and Group 1 Cheveley Park winner Lumiere was assigned a 111 Racing Post Rating [RPR], which was three points higher than Title Role’s 108 in Germany.
Despite ample North American success in top-level races [31 Grade 1 wins; seven in New York], the Belmont Derby has proven elusive for Appleby. Godolphin’s premier conditioner has lost twice with favorites when second with Nations Pride [2022] and third with Legend of Time [2024], and was fifth with the betting public’s third choice, Silver Knott [2023]. They will have a chance to make amends when William Buick rides from post 6.
G1 Belmont Oaks
Chief among the friendly infiltrators is Godolphin homebred Abashiri, a lightly raced daughter of Frankel trained by Charlie Appleby. A sister to 2024 Grade 1 New York beaten favorite English Rose out of Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Sobetsu, Abashiri broke her maiden impressively on debut at Kempton last November over one mile on synthetic, besting subsequent Listed stakes winner Venetia.
Regarded highly enough to resurface in the classic Group 1 1000 Guineas in just her second run and go off at 8-1, she checked in fifth of 19 runners, four lengths astern victorious True Love and one length to the good of champion Precise, who has won two Group 1 races since. One of those races was the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas on May 24, in which Abashiri finished a game third at 6-1 third-choice odds. All of her previous runs have been at one mile.
Precise, considered virtually unanimously to be Europe’s top 3-year-old filly, would go on to win Royal Ascot’s Group 1 Coronation Stakes over True Love, with English 1000 Guineas sixth Touleen splitting the pair. Furthermore, the aforementioned 1000 Guineas at Newmarket has proven a key race, with 11th-place Venetian Sun and eighth-place Spicy Marg going one-two in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup against the boys at Royal Ascot earlier this month.
Medallion Racing, Agave Racing Stable and Trommer’s Kensington Lane ran admirably in the same Irish 1000 Guineas, finishing fifth beaten 5 3/4 lengths for trainer Donnacha O’Brien.
A daughter of Starspangledbanner, sire of 2021 Grade 1 Saratoga Derby winner State Of Rest and 2025 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf champ Gstaad among his stateside honor roll, the well-bred filly is out of Almost Always, an unraced daughter of the great Galileo and Ramruma, winner of the Group 1 Oaks, Group 1 Irish Oaks and Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks. Well-seasoned with nine starts, Kensington Lane’s best run prior to the Irish 1000 Guineas was a victory in the Group 3 Athasi Stakes at the same one-mile Curragh trip. Rated 103, she will hope to emulate Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf-winning stablemate Balantina, also co-owned by Medallion Racing, by scoring big on her stateside debut. Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, winner aboard Minorette in 2014, rides from post 3.
