A busy Monday across the hemispheres, with the first European contenders for the Melbourne spring settling in at Werribee and Queensland sprinter Rothfire calling time on his career. In Britain, Nicky Henderson has plotted a continental trip for Constitution Hill, while Keeneland's Fall Stars weekend headlines the American broadcast schedule.
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Nicky Henderson has confirmed Constitution Hill will be aimed at the Group 2 Gran Premio del Jockey Club at San Siro on 25 October, worth €506,000 over 1m4f. The nine-year-old was not entered for Saturday's Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot because of the expected quick ground, with Henderson hopeful of softer conditions in Italy. The 2023 Champion Hurdle winner was beaten in the Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton, ending his unbeaten Flat run. Henderson said the trip would not be a farewell and that the horse is expected to race on next year as a ten-year-old.
Pedigrees: Constitution Hill, Eydon
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Juddmonte's Najidi Storm, who holds the record as Britain's shortest-priced loser after being beaten at 1-33 at Goodwood this month, was again turned over at odds-on, going down at 10-11 at Wolverhampton. The Harry Charlton-trained three-year-old tried to make all under Colin Keane but was run down by Wootz, ridden by Ray Dawson, who won by three-quarters of a length. Keane and Charlton did land a course winner on the card when Quintana, a Dubawi filly out of Group 1 winner Quadrilateral, took the 7f fillies' novice for Juddmonte.
Pedigrees: Najidi Storm, Wootz, Quintana, Quadrilateral, Gavriel
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Keeneland opens its month-long autumn meet on Friday 2 October with Fall Stars weekend, which includes eight Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" qualifiers ahead of the 30-31 October championships at the same track. NBC, NBCSN and Peacock will carry coverage across all three days, with FS1 also broadcasting international racing from Longchamp on Sunday 4 October. The weekend has been bolstered by the postponement of the previous weekend's meeting at the new Belmont Park due to weather.
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Queensland favourite Rothfire, known as the Thriller From Chinchilla, has run his last race. Trainer Robert Heathcote described the horse's career as "an incredible journey".
Pedigrees: Rothfire
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The first wave of internationals for the 2026 Spring Racing Carnival has landed in Melbourne, with Wine Dark Sea, Enfjaar, Starford, Point Of Law, Omni Man, Kizlyar and Small Fry now in post-arrival quarantine at the Werribee International Horse Centre. Wine Dark Sea, a four-year-old son of Ulysses trained by Harry Charlton for Australian Bloodstock, won three of four starts in Europe including the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury, and is aimed at the Melbourne Cup. Enfjaar, trained by Roger Varian, earned a ballot-free exemption into the Caulfield Cup with his Group 3 Glorious Stakes win at Goodwood. Joseph O'Brien supplies four of the shipment, headed by Group 3 Alleged Stakes winner Starford, while Point Of Law, bred by King Charles III and formerly with John and Thady Gosden, will join Ciaron Maher.
Pedigrees: Wine Dark Sea, Enfjaar, Starford, Point Of Law, Omni Man, Kizlyar, Small Fry, Tabletalk, Opportunity, Al Aasy, Beset
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Gai Waterhouse says Sir Delius is "spot on" to defend his Group 1 Turnbull Stakes title at Flemington on Saturday, despite a lighter lead-up than last year. The six-year-old entire, trained with Adrian Bott for Sir Owen Glenn, comes in second-up after finishing fourth in the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes over 1600m, and galloped on the course proper at Flemington on Tuesday. Waterhouse said she had shortened and sharpened his work and that his muscle tone had improved markedly since his first-up run. A trip to Japan or Hong Kong is possible later, with that call resting with Bott and the owner. Sportsbet had him at $2.80 favourite in pre-acceptances markets.
Pedigrees: Sir Delius
