
Lady Iman makes light work of Molecomb task
The daughter of Starman had dazzled in her opening three outings but lost her unbeaten record to Aidan O'Brien's Beautify at the Curragh in the Airlie Stud Stakes.
Reverting to five furlongs for her first taste of action on British soil, she was sent off the 11-8 favourite and Ryan Moore kept things simple, travelling smoothly in the slipstream of the early leaders before taking over in the final furlong where she was not for catching.
Tim Easterby's consistent Argentine Tango gave chase in vain for an honourable second, with Kevin Ryan's early pacesetter Dickensian in third.
Lyons said: 'Sweet this, because I love the filly. I ran her over six and my jockey kept telling me she should be going five.
'But as Ryan just said if she gets a low draw at Del Mar she wins, but then he also said we should head for the Nunthorpe. If that's what he says and it's what the owners want to do then we will.
'I got such a buzz out of Del Mar last year that I'd like to be going back with something special and if I'm allowed that's where I'll go with her.'
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Wales Online
13 minutes ago
- Wales Online
What the 2029 Lions team could look like as Louis Rees-Zammit joins Jac Morgan
What the 2029 Lions team could look like as Louis Rees-Zammit joins Jac Morgan With the 2025 series now done and dusted, attention is already turning to the tour of New Zealand in four years time Morgan and Rees-Zammit could both feature for the Lions in 2029 (Image: Adam Pretty - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images) The 2025 British & Irish Lions tour is done and dusted, with Andy Farrell's squad heading home from Australia as series winners. It wasn't always easy, with only a last-gasp Hugo Keenan try in the second Test separating them from a series defeat in the end, but Farrell's men still managed to win all but one of their games Down Under, becoming the first triumphant touring side since 2013. However, while the action has only just come to an end, focus is already switching to the next tour in four years' time. The scheduled 2029 tour will see the Lions head back to New Zealand, where they tied the series with the All Blacks on their last visit back in 2017. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Just days after the third and final Test of this year's tour in Brisbane, there is already debate over who will be involved next time around. Head coach Farrell has received backing to lead the squad again in 2029, but what about the players? Many of this year's tourists will be out of contention by the time the next tour comes around, while there is also likely to be some currently-unknown talents who will put themselves in the mix over the next four years. That said, we've had a go at predicting what the Lions team may look like come 2029, with Jac Morgan no longer the only Welsh player involved. Article continues below Of course, four years is a very long time in rugby, so this could well end up being completely wrong. However, on the off-chance that I could look like a genius, let's take a look into the crystal ball. Back three: Two past tourists and one debutant in this pacey back-three, with Kinghorn making it on to successive tours and Rees-Zammit making a return to a Lions squad eight years on from being a bolter for the 2021 tour of South Africa. Scotland star Kinghorn is a class act who added dynamism to the Lions attack Down Under, proving a threat with his pace, aerial ability and impressive boot. While he will be 32 by the time the next tour rolls around, the versatile Toulouse back has improved with age and if he can continue to follow that trajectory, he will be hard to shift from the starting side. Rees-Zammit's inclusion here may well raise a few eyebrows given his 18-month break from rugby to try to crack the NFL. But the Welshman has now announced his return and there are very few players in world rugby that can match him for athletic ability and star factor. Four years - by which time he'll be 28 - is more than enough time for him to work his way into contention for a Lions starting spot. Last year, it looked as though Cardiff-born Feyi-Waboso was destined to make it into Andy Farrell's squad for this summer's tour, but a lengthy layoff with a shoulder injury scuppered his chances. However, if he can stay injury-free, his outstanding pace and power should make him another potential starter. There are plenty of honourable mentions to be made here, however, with the likes of Mack Hansen, Freddie Steward and Henry Arundell among the names that will also be pushing to be involved. From a Welsh perspective, Blair Murray and Tom Rogers could well be in a position to challenge for a place four years down the line too. Centres: Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu While has played most of his rugby to date on the wing, Freeman admits that a more permanent transition to centre "is on the cards" for England and he will have likely become assured in the position at Test level by 2029. With impressive athleticism and a powerful carry, he is a formidable attacking option on his day and should be at his peak when the tour of New Zealand comes around. There may well be a few more question marks over Tuipulotu's involvement, but the Scotland star - who will be 32 in 2029 - is an explosive carrier with strong footwork and distribution skills and, at the moment at least, is the best option that the Lions have going into the next tour. Of course, though, four years is an awful long time in rugby and some new stars may well force their way into the conversation before the next tour. In Wales, it is hoped that the highly-rated 20-year-old Macs Page will light up the international stage in the coming years, while Mason Grady will also be entering his peak if he can stay injury-free. England's Ollie Lawrence is also very unlucky not to get the nod here, while Scotland's Tom Jordan and Ireland's Jamie Osborne are also contenders. Meanwhile, Osborne's experienced international team-mate Garry Ringrose could well be picked for successive tours at the age of 34. Half-backs: Fin Smith, Ben White Northampton Saints star Smith went straight into the Lions starting XV for the warm-up against Argentina and he is the leading contender to take the No.10 jersey on the next tour. The Englishman has already proven himself to be an assured, reliable match-winner and this tour will have been invaluable to his development. Scotland scrum-half Ben White should also be at the top of his game by the time 2029 comes around, with the likes of Jamison Gibson-Park and Tomos Williams set to be either retired or reaching the tail-end of their careers. Marcus Smith, Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley are all likely to be in the picture at fly-half, with the former - the more experienced of the Smiths - potentially aggrieved to not be starting. Meanwhile, England duo Alex Mitchell and Jack van Poortvliet are also set to be scrum-half candidates. Front row: Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Dan Sheehan, Will Stuart Into the forwards, and there is a degree of familiarity with Sheehan and Stuart both making the cut. Ireland hooker Sheehan was a real contender for the player of the tour this summer, and is currently one of the best in the world, combining the power of a forward with a pace of a back and scoring a bucketload of tries at the same time. He could even be a candidate for captain in four years' time. Stuart, meanwhile, had a quieter tour than the Irishman but got better as the summer went on. The Bath tighthead is now the cornerstone of England's scrum and, at 33, will be a highly-experienced Test veteran by the time of the New Zealand tour. At the other end of the front row, Opoku-Fordjour is set to be one of the youngest members of the next Lions tour, having already got a flavour for it at the age of 20 after being called in to train with Farrell's squad this summer. While he currently has a solitary cap for England, the Sale man has massive potential and is a powerful scrummager who can play at both loosehead and tighthead. Honourable mentions for the props go to 2025 tourists Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter, as well as the likes of Fin Baxter, Zander Fagerson and Afolabi Fasogbon. Wales star Dewi Lake is also expected to provide competition at hooker, while Theo Dan will also be in the mix. Second row: Maro Itoje, Joe McCarthy Not much change here as the lock combination for the opening Test against the Wallabies returns to the engine room four years later. Itoje led Farrell's men admirably Down Under and while, at 34, he will be reaching the tail end of his career by the time the New Zealand tour comes around, there are few better operators in world rugby and he will be an experienced, dependable presence at the heart of the pack. His absence in the second half of the final Test against the Wallabies was very noticeable. McCarthy, meanwhile, was one of the form players this summer, before a plantar fasciitis issue robbed him of further involvement in the second and third Tests. Boasting immense physicality, he will be 28 and at the peak of his powers in New Zealand, which should make him one of the first names on the teamsheet. However, England's Ollie Chessum will also fancy his chances of making successive tours, while Wales star Dafydd Jenkins has also been tipped to push for a Lions place in four years' time. By that time, highly-rated English teenager Junior Kpoku could also be an option. Back row: Henry Pollock, Jac Morgan, Caelan Doris (capt) Another familiar feel to the back row, with Pollock and Morgan both making the cut for a second tour. While he may have been the bolter for this year's tour, Pollock would be 24 in New Zealand and, if he can keep his remarkable trajectory going, could well be one of the best back row players in the world by that time. Morgan, meanwhile, did Wales proud this summer as the nation's only representative for much of the tour following Tomos Williams' early departure. While, hopefully, the Ospreys man will not be so outnumbered in four years' time, he will likely still be the standout Welsh talent at the Lions coach's disposal and should take the starting jersey that he missed out on during this year's Test series. Finally, while it will come four years later than he would have hoped, Doris should become a Test Lion, having missed this summer's tour due to a cruel injury blow just days before Farrell named his squad. The Irish talisman was the favourite to be named captain for the tour Down Under before that setback, but will be older (31) and wiser in four years' time and should have the honour bestowed on him then. Article continues below As for honourable mentions, Tom Curry was one of the standout performers of the 2025 tour, but whether his body will be able to sustain four more years of high-level rugby remains to be seen. Ben Earl will also be right in the mix for the 2029 tour, while the very highly-rated Morgan Morse could be an outside bet if he breaks on to the international stage with Wales. Potential Lions 2029 XV: 15. Blair Kinghorn; 14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13. Tommy Freeman, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Louis Rees-Zammit; 10. Fin Smith, 9. Ben White; 1. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Will Stuart; 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Joe McCarthy; 6. Henry Pollock, 7. Jac Morgan, 8. Caelan Doris (capt) (7 x England, 3 x Scotland, 3 x Ireland, 2 x Wales)

Leader Live
13 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Nunthorpe challenge still in the mix for Lady Iman
It is often said that one man's misfortune is another man's gain and after bringing the hammer down for £185,000 at the sales before being returned to her breeders following a failed post-sale veterinary examination, few would have blamed the O'Callaghans of Tally-Ho Stud fame for feeling despondent. However, sent into training with Ger Lyons, Lady Iman has proven a standard-bearer in more ways than one, both excelling on the track in the O'Callaghan silks and becoming the perfect advertisement for Tally-Ho's freshman sire Starman in the process. LADY IMAN 😍 Group Three honours in the Molecomb Stakes for the Ger Lyons-trained filly under Ryan Moore 🥇 @Goodwood_Races @HKJC_Racing | @WorldPool — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 30, 2025 After three straight victories Lady Iman and her striking white face met a bump in the road at the Curragh in the Airlie Stud Stakes, but was soon back showcasing the speed that has been a hallmark of her career to date to leave the opposition trailing with a dazzling display in the Molecomb Stakes. 'It was great to see her win again and we're living the dream and we'll see where she takes us,' said Roger O'Callaghan, son of Tony and Anne O'Callaghan. 'She's been awesome since we couldn't sell her. Before Christmas she was showing plenty and looked a bit different. She's always shown loads and her temperament is second to none. She is why Starman looks to be a good stallion, as she has got his speed and his temperament. 'We're all enjoying it and hopefully we're not finished yet.' It was not just the speed shown by Lady Iman on the racecourse the O'Callaghans enjoyed at Goodwood, as unlike their star performer, they were asked to take the foot off their gas when getting to experience horse power of a different kind and invited to try out the South Downs' famous motor circuit. And having enjoyed the hospitality provided during Lady Iman's first raid to Britain, the owners are now left to ponder the next steps of the thriving juvenile's career. With a ticket to the $1million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint ready to be cashed in later in the year courtesy of her Molecomb triumph, the chance to become the first two-year-old Nunthorpe winner since Kingsgate Native in 2007 is getting connections thinking after she was made the general 4-1 favourite for a daring raid on the Knavesmire's sprint feature. 'Personally I would like to go for the Nunthorpe,' continued O'Callaghan. 'She was cantering all over the back of them at the two and I ended up getting there too early' Nunthorpe next for LADY IMAN following her easy win in the G3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood #Starman — Tally-Ho Stud (@HoStud) July 30, 2025 'Dad and myself own the filly together and dad might prefer the filly to stick to her own age group, but if she's fit and well, I would like to take on the elders, you have to live the dream and live for the moment. 'We'll worry about it when the time comes, there's a few weeks yet and we would have to write a bit of a cheque (to supplement), so we'll see. 'The trainer is very keen on the Breeders' Cup and Goodwood was a 'win and you're in'. We'll take it one day at a time, but I would like to go to York next.'


South Wales Guardian
13 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Nunthorpe challenge still in the mix for Lady Iman
It is often said that one man's misfortune is another man's gain and after bringing the hammer down for £185,000 at the sales before being returned to her breeders following a failed post-sale veterinary examination, few would have blamed the O'Callaghans of Tally-Ho Stud fame for feeling despondent. However, sent into training with Ger Lyons, Lady Iman has proven a standard-bearer in more ways than one, both excelling on the track in the O'Callaghan silks and becoming the perfect advertisement for Tally-Ho's freshman sire Starman in the process. LADY IMAN 😍 Group Three honours in the Molecomb Stakes for the Ger Lyons-trained filly under Ryan Moore 🥇 @Goodwood_Races @HKJC_Racing | @WorldPool — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 30, 2025 After three straight victories Lady Iman and her striking white face met a bump in the road at the Curragh in the Airlie Stud Stakes, but was soon back showcasing the speed that has been a hallmark of her career to date to leave the opposition trailing with a dazzling display in the Molecomb Stakes. 'It was great to see her win again and we're living the dream and we'll see where she takes us,' said Roger O'Callaghan, son of Tony and Anne O'Callaghan. 'She's been awesome since we couldn't sell her. Before Christmas she was showing plenty and looked a bit different. She's always shown loads and her temperament is second to none. She is why Starman looks to be a good stallion, as she has got his speed and his temperament. 'We're all enjoying it and hopefully we're not finished yet.' It was not just the speed shown by Lady Iman on the racecourse the O'Callaghans enjoyed at Goodwood, as unlike their star performer, they were asked to take the foot off their gas when getting to experience horse power of a different kind and invited to try out the South Downs' famous motor circuit. And having enjoyed the hospitality provided during Lady Iman's first raid to Britain, the owners are now left to ponder the next steps of the thriving juvenile's career. With a ticket to the $1million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint ready to be cashed in later in the year courtesy of her Molecomb triumph, the chance to become the first two-year-old Nunthorpe winner since Kingsgate Native in 2007 is getting connections thinking after she was made the general 4-1 favourite for a daring raid on the Knavesmire's sprint feature. 'Personally I would like to go for the Nunthorpe,' continued O'Callaghan. 'She was cantering all over the back of them at the two and I ended up getting there too early' Nunthorpe next for LADY IMAN following her easy win in the G3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood #Starman — Tally-Ho Stud (@HoStud) July 30, 2025 'Dad and myself own the filly together and dad might prefer the filly to stick to her own age group, but if she's fit and well, I would like to take on the elders, you have to live the dream and live for the moment. 'We'll worry about it when the time comes, there's a few weeks yet and we would have to write a bit of a cheque (to supplement), so we'll see. 'The trainer is very keen on the Breeders' Cup and Goodwood was a 'win and you're in'. We'll take it one day at a time, but I would like to go to York next.'