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Scottish Sun
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Willie Mullins plotting ‘big surprise' worth £60,000 for King Charles at Royal Ascot with historic runner Reaching High
There could be a right Royal party on day one ROYAL WRIT Willie Mullins plotting 'big surprise' worth £60,000 for King Charles at Royal Ascot with historic runner Reaching High WILLIE MULLINS says it was a 'big surprise' to be given a historic Royal horse to train - and he wants to repay King Charles with Ascot glory. Reaching High, who was bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II, is the first horse to be trained in Ireland by a reigning monarch. 1 King Charles and Queen Camilla will be looking for winners at this year's Royal Ascot - and Willie Mullins might just supply them with one Credit: Simon Jones Jumps legend Mullins is making more and more of a splash in Flat racing these days. And he could break all sorts of new ground should Reaching High really give the King something to smile about on day one of racing's biggest Flat festival. Formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Reaching High was denied a debut win under Mullins at Leopardstown earlier this month. The four-year-old gelding went down in a head-bobber having finished like a train. Mullins has since told the Racing Post that the Ascot Stakes looks like being his next race. The 2m5½f contest is worth just shy of £60,000 to the winner. Mullins knows what it takes to land it having been victorious with Brighton boss Tony Bloom's Stratum in 2021 and 2022. And Ireland have a stranglehold on the race, with Joseph O'Brien claiming it the past two years with Dawn Rising and Uxmal. Mullins, who will look to keep his country's grip on the Class 2 handicap going, said: "It's an honour and a big surprise to be asked (to train a Royal horse). "It's nice to have a horse in that position and it's very exciting. "I'm probably looking at the two-and-a-half-mile race (Ascot Stakes) but we'll look at both staying races on the first day. "When you look at his pedigree, it's all stamina. He seems to stay very well." King Charles actually rode at Cheltenham Festival, where Mullins dominates, but the Royal runners have tended to focus on the Flat. King Charles sends Willie Mullins 'impressive' horse with amazing pedigree in historic deal - as they target Royal Ascot Of them, Gold Cup hero Estimate was by far the best but the King and Queen did have big success in 2023 with Desert Hero. Alsy by Sea The Stars and bred by the late Queen, he was a thrilling 18-1 Royal Ascot winner, reducing the King to tears. He then won the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood before finishing third in the St Leger - the final Classic of the season - at Doncaster. There had been fears King Charles would drastically cut back the multi-million pound Royal racing operation after he inherited it. But Queen Camilla remains a huge supporter of the sport and the couple still have a lot of horses in training with the likes of Nicky Henderson over jumps and William Haggas, Ralph Beckett and John and Thady Gosden on the Flat. FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
The Irish Sun
28-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Willie Mullins plotting ‘big surprise' worth £60,000 for King Charles at Royal Ascot with historic runner Reaching High
WILLIE MULLINS says it was a 'big surprise' to be given a historic Royal horse to train - and he wants to repay King Charles with Ascot glory. Reaching High, who was bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II, is the first horse to be trained in Ireland by a reigning monarch. Advertisement 1 King Charles and Queen Camilla will be looking for winners at this year's Royal Ascot - and Willie Mullins might just supply them with one Credit: Simon Jones Jumps legend And he could break all sorts of new ground should Reaching High really give the King something to smile about on day one of racing's biggest Flat festival. Formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Reaching High was denied a debut win under Mullins at Leopardstown earlier this month. The four-year-old gelding went down in a head-bobber having finished like a train. Advertisement Mullins has since told the The 2m5½f contest is worth just shy of £60,000 to the winner. Mullins knows what it takes to land it having been victorious with Brighton boss Tony Bloom's Stratum in 2021 and 2022. And Ireland have a stranglehold on the race, with Joseph O'Brien claiming it the past two years with Dawn Rising and Uxmal. Advertisement Most read in Horse Racing Mullins, who will look to keep his country's grip on the Class 2 handicap going, said: "It's an honour and a big surprise to be asked (to train a Royal horse). "It's nice to have a horse in that position and it's very exciting. "I'm probably looking at the two-and-a-half-mile race (Ascot Stakes) but we'll look at both staying races on the first day. "When you look at his pedigree, it's all stamina. He seems to stay very well." Advertisement King Charles actually rode at Cheltenham Festival, where Mullins dominates, but the Royal runners have tended to focus on the Flat. King Charles sends Willie Mullins 'impressive' horse with amazing pedigree in historic deal - as they target Royal Ascot Of them, Gold Cup hero Estimate was by far the best but the King and Queen did have big success in 2023 with Desert Hero. Alsy by Sea The Stars and bred by the late Queen, he was a thrilling 18-1 Royal Ascot winner, He then won the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood before finishing third in the St Leger - the final Classic of the season - at Doncaster. Advertisement There had been fears But Queen Camilla remains a huge supporter of the sport and the couple still have a lot of horses in training with the likes of Nicky Henderson over jumps and William Haggas, Ralph Beckett and John and Thady Gosden on the Flat. FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Read more on the Irish Sun Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here. Advertisement
The Herald Scotland
22-04-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Bloom has Royal Ascot plans for Poniros and Lake Forest
A third Champion Chase may have eluded flagship veteran Energumene, but Poniros' unforgettable 100-1 Triumph Hurdle success was one to celebrate at Prestbury Park, while on the Flat, Lake Forest brought home a £2.8million bounty when making a daring raid on Australia's prestigious Golden Eagle in early November. Stratum was a dual Royal Ascot winner for Tony Bloom (David Davies/PA) Both of those victors are central to summer plans where the 55-year-old seeks to add to the Royal Ascot triumphs of High Standing (Wokingham Stakes, 2009) and dual Queen Alexandra Stakes scorer Stratum (2021 and 2021). Bloom's racing manager Sean Graham said: 'Royal Ascot is a meeting Tony loves and enjoys going to. A lot of his Flat horses, if they are good enough, that's the meeting where the trainers are asked if they can get them there if it fits into their plan. 'I think the success is down to patience and Tony and Ian (McAleavy) don't rush. They leave their trainers to train them the way they want to train them and all the horses we've had over the years have always had a break after the sales. 'Penhill, Withhold, Librisa Breeze and Stratum – all of them have had breaks after the sales just to give them a bit of time to wind down. 'Touch wood, the horses have been fit and healthy and especially we've been very lucky with the horses we've had with William Haggas.' William Haggas has become one of Tony Bloom's main Flat trainers (Mike Egerton/PA) It is Somerville Lodge handler Haggas who is plotting Lake Forest's course to the opening race of the Royal meeting – the Queen Anne Stakes. After his big-money haul in the southern hemisphere, the son of No Nay Never will put his credentials at a mile to the test when he targets further riches overseas in Sunday's FWD Champions Mile at Sha Tin. 'The race in Australia was seven and a half furlongs and it definitely put a mile on our radar,' continued Graham. 'The obvious race in the UK was the Lockinge but the ground can often come up soft on that day, so we're heading to Hong Kong. 👏 @WilliamHaggas has done it again! Lake Forest wins the $10 Million Golden Eagle with Cieren Fallon in the saddle!@aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 2, 2024 'We wanted to give the horse a run before the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and the race at Hong Kong fits in perfectly. 'It's a mile round a bend on quick ground and the horse seems in good form, so it's all systems go and hopefully we can then go to Royal Ascot and some of the other group races over a mile over the rest of the season.' The summer showpiece is also on the agenda for Poniros, who after his Triumph Hurdle heroics will head to the Punchestown Festival for their juvenile equivalent before switching attentions to the level, with the Ascot Stakes the focal point of the four-year-old's Flat campaign. 'He goes to Punchestown for their Grade One and if all goes to plan, then it will be Royal Ascot for the two-and-a-half-mile handicap on the Tuesday,' added Graham. Jonjo O'Neill Jr aboard Poniros at Cheltenham (Adam Davy/PA) 'He was certainly bought with dual purpose in mind and it was never going to be a rush with Poniros. We always had it in the back of our mind he would make a decent handicapper during the summer because the prize-money for those races is incredible.' Neither Bloom or Graham were in attendance at Prestbury Park when 100-1 shot Poniros remarkably downed hotpots Lulamba and East India Dock on his first hurdling start in the Gold Cup-day opener. And having already proven 200,000 guineas well spent, connections are dreaming of what more could come with Willie Mullins guiding his career. 100-1 WINNER and on hurdling DEBUT! Poniros has NEVER jumped a single hurdle in public and gets up on the line to win the JCB Triumph Hurdle for Jonjo O'Neill Jnr 😮 — CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) March 14, 2025 Graham added: 'In our wildest dreams we couldn't have seen Poniros winning the Triumph Hurdle first time out and against good horses. Lulamba had the one start over hurdles at Ascot, East India Dock had had three and we were just hoping the horse would gain a little experience. 'Finishing sixth or seventh would have been brilliant but winning it was unbelievable and it was an incredible performance. If he can do that over hurdles when he's not fully tuned up, what is he going to be capable of when he is tuned up. 'It just proves that having horses with Willie Mullins, it doesn't surprise you. If anyone was going to win a Triumph Hurdle first time out, it was Willie Mullins.'
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Hamel Family Wines Redesigned Its Labels, Much To Wisconsin's Sadness
The new label on Hamel Family Wines features a stylized M in the middle, representing their mountain vineyards. JIMMY HAYES for Hamel Family Wines Hamel Family Wines wanted a label that better reflected the ethos of its Sonoma terroir and biodynamic farming practices, but wine lovers in one state mourn the original label's iconic animal image. 'Last year, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our tasting room so we decided to mark the occasion with a new label,' says John Hamel winemaker and son of owners Pamela and George Hamel, Jr. The new label features a stylized 'M' in the middle of Hamel, representing the Mayacamas Mountains, as the estate produces wines from its western hillsides in the Moon Mountain District and Sonoma Valley. This is the new label for Hamel Family Wines. Hamel Family Wines This label started with the 2022 vintage of Estate Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache and the 2020 vintage of Hamel's Bordeaux blends – the Stratum, Isthmus, Nuns Canyon Vineyard and Pamelita wines. 'The new label was a collaborative effort with Mike Hambleton and David Freas from the marketing and design firm Supermoon, and it reflects how our wine growing sensibilities have progressed over the past decade,' Hamel says. 'This label focuses on our high-elevation mountain terroir with the design of the 'M' and how we take a less is more approach with dry-farming and biodynamic and organic practices that are reflected through the minimalism and precision of the design,' Hamel explains. This clearer label represents industry trends. A study on wine labels published by MDPI this year noted that 'It has been found that there is a strong interest in clear and detailed labeling.' 'The wine label is a very powerful tool functioning in two directions: on the one hand, it aims to inform consumers, providing useful information, and, on the other hand, it is a dynamic communicational tool to attract consumers,' this study noted. This is the legacy label for Hamel Family Wines. Hamel Family Wines This previous label, which debuted on the 2010 vintages, featured Hamel Family Wines in cursive and an image of a badger. The badger reflects two things, Hamel says. Badgers are found in their Sonoma vineyards, and Hamel, his father and his grandfather all graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and Bucky badger is not only the school mascot, but Wisconsin is considered the Badger State. 'Wine buyers in Wisconsin got it right away,' Hamel says. 'When I would go into restaurants or meet with distributors, I have about ten minutes to introduce them to our wines, and I would spend five minutes explaining that it was a badger on our label,' Hamel says. 'I would rather explain our winemaking processes than have to explain what a critter on our label is.' But the badger on their legacy label really confused many wine buyers and restaurant owners. 'When I would go into restaurants or meet with distributors, I have about ten minutes to introduce them to our wines, and I would spend five minutes explaining that it was a badger on our label,' Hamel says. 'I would rather explain our winemaking processes than have to explain what a critter on our label is.' 'This would happen in 49 out of 50 states,' Hamel explains. Wisconsin, which is the badger state, not only recognized what the animal on their label was, but some wine buyers are sad to see the label go. 'Only in Wisconsin have I had people ask to have the badger stay on the label,' he says. 'But again, 49 out of 50 states, didn't understand the label.'
