Latest news with #TomMarquand
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Tom Marquand up for the fight as Dubai Honour aims to halt Voyage Bubble's bid for history
The 27-year-old is hoping to break his Group One duck in Hong Kong on the four-time top-level scorer Tom Marquand has huge respect for Triple Crown-seeking Voyage Bubble but thinks Dubai Honour has the right credentials to give the United Kingdom back-to-back wins in Sunday's Group One Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) at Sha Tin. Marquand and Dubai Honour are yet to win a top-level prize back home but the pair come alive when sent abroad, winning three Group Ones in Sydney and another in France. The Pride Of Dubai galloper finished second in December's Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m) and has remained in career-best form since, landing the Group One Tancred Stakes at Rosehill (2,400m) on April 1. Just 11 days later, Dubai Honour ran a mighty race to finish second to superstar mare Via Sistina in the Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2,000m) and after a month's breather back in the UK, he is back on the road. It's a matter of honour! 👏@WilliamHaggas and @TomMarquand do it again with Dubai Honour who pops another Australian G1 on his shelf with a win in the Tancred Stakes!@aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 1, 2025 Marquand reports the galloper to be in rude health as he prepares to emulate Rebel's Romance and win the Champions & Chater Cup for the raiders. 'I haven't been massively involved with him since his last run but Issy Paul is basically world-renowned for looking after him now – she does an amazing job,' said Marquand. 'Physically and mentally he's been doing really well and she's happy with him. That's obviously exactly what I want to be hearing. The travelling never affects him now – he's an older gelding so it doesn't faze him. 'He's got that attitude that makes it that much more straightforward – travelling is not an easy thing to do for the horses so it makes our life a lot easier.' Affectionately known as 'Aussie Tom' for his exploits Down Under, 18-time Group One hero Marquand is yet to bag a big one in Hong Kong, but Dubai Honour is in the form of his life and could be the horse to set the record straight. Voyage Bubble, who bids to become just the second horse to win the Hong Kong Triple Crown, is set to be a huge thorn in his side, though Marquand is looking to Rebel's Romance's performance last year to help with any doubts. 'It's been amazing really, to say he's in the form of his life would probably be fair,' said Marquand. 'The mile-and-a-half trip is definitely more his gig now and there was no disgrace going down to a mare of Via Sistina's calibre last start over a trip that was inadequate for him these days. 'With his racing style and the way he's matured – and the way he can switch off during his races – the mile and a half has just become perfect for him. The champ Via Sistina claims the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes with ease, equalling Winx's record of 7 Group 1's in a season! 🤩 What a mare!@cwallerracing | @mcacajamez | @YulongInvest | @aus_turf_club | @WorldPool — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 12, 2025 'At the top level, you need everything in your favour and no chinks in your armour, and he needs the trip for that to be the case. 'We're hoping that the stamina element could be the difference between winning and losing for us. Rebel's Romance showed last year that it can be and you need those advantages going up against a horse like Voyage Bubble.' The promotional material has billed the race as an epic clash between one of Hong Kong's best and a foreign raider poised to spoil his big moment, with Voyage Bubble on the edge of something historic. And although Marquand has the utmost respect for Voyage Bubble, he has every faith that his partner can do the business come Sunday. CLASS PREVAILS! 🙌 Aiming to become the second horse to win Hong Kong's #TripleCrown after River Verdon in 1993/94, Voyage Bubble captures the second leg - @Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup - with @mcacajamez at Sha Tin... 🏆@WorldPool | #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 23, 2025 'I think he's probably the one to beat. At the trip, he's the one you know that will stay and is proven at it at the highest level,' said Marquand. 'That said, you can't forget a horse like Voyage Bubble – he's a horse who performs at a high level all the time and class can stretch a horse through. It would be very naive to think that the distance alone will get him beat. 'Being involved in these types of races is a lot of fun, I – and Dubai Honour, too – have been lucky to clash against some proper champions. It's not quite as fun when you're not winning them, but it's still an enjoyable thing having a horse that's up for the challenge to take on these types of races. 'Dubai Honour and Voyage Bubble are the talking horses and the ones to beat based on the level of form they bring and the consistency. 'You can never forget a Hong Kong Derby winner like Cap Ferrat but I just think the fact these boys can boast top-level form on multiple occasions is what sets them apart and makes them such an attractive match-up.'
Leader Live
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Big Mojo handed Sandy Lane assignment at Haydock
Trainer Mick Appleby hopes to see his stable star book his place in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot over the same distance. With Tom Marquand not available, William Buick has been booked to take his place. 'We didn't confirm him for the Temple and entered him for the Sandy Lane,' said Appleby. 'At this stage, the Commonwealth Cup is the plan at Ascot, so it made sense to have another run over six. We may as well keep him against the three-year-olds.' Big Mojo won Ascot's Commonwealth Cup Trial on his seasonal reappearance over six furlongs. Others in the Sandy Lane include Richard Fahey's unbeaten Mill Reef winner Powerful Glory, Charlie Appleby's Symbol Of Honour, Charlie Johnston's Dash Dizzy and Adrian Murray's Arizona Blaze among 11 entries. The Temple has 14 confirmations as an early-closing race. They include Ralph Beckett's Breeders' Cup winner Starlust, Karl Burke's Night Raider, Ed Walker's Mgheera and Jim Goldie's rapidly improving American Affair. There are 19 in the Betfred 'Nifty 50' British EBF Hedge of Oak Stakes, with Running Lion looking to bounce back from a lacklustre showing at Newmarket last time out. Diamond Rain, Estrange and Ejaabiyah are among other possibles for the Listed race for fillies and mares.
South Wales Guardian
19-05-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Big Mojo handed Sandy Lane assignment at Haydock
Trainer Mick Appleby hopes to see his stable star book his place in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot over the same distance. With Tom Marquand not available, William Buick has been booked to take his place. 'We didn't confirm him for the Temple and entered him for the Sandy Lane,' said Appleby. 'At this stage, the Commonwealth Cup is the plan at Ascot, so it made sense to have another run over six. We may as well keep him against the three-year-olds.' Big Mojo won Ascot's Commonwealth Cup Trial on his seasonal reappearance over six furlongs. Others in the Sandy Lane include Richard Fahey's unbeaten Mill Reef winner Powerful Glory, Charlie Appleby's Symbol Of Honour, Charlie Johnston's Dash Dizzy and Adrian Murray's Arizona Blaze among 11 entries. The Temple has 14 confirmations as an early-closing race. They include Ralph Beckett's Breeders' Cup winner Starlust, Karl Burke's Night Raider, Ed Walker's Mgheera and Jim Goldie's rapidly improving American Affair. There are 19 in the Betfred 'Nifty 50' British EBF Hedge of Oak Stakes, with Running Lion looking to bounce back from a lacklustre showing at Newmarket last time out. Diamond Rain, Estrange and Ejaabiyah are among other possibles for the Listed race for fillies and mares.
Glasgow Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Big Mojo handed Sandy Lane assignment at Haydock
Trainer Mick Appleby hopes to see his stable star book his place in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot over the same distance. With Tom Marquand not available, William Buick has been booked to take his place. 'We didn't confirm him for the Temple and entered him for the Sandy Lane,' said Appleby. 'At this stage, the Commonwealth Cup is the plan at Ascot, so it made sense to have another run over six. We may as well keep him against the three-year-olds.' Big Mojo won Ascot's Commonwealth Cup Trial on his seasonal reappearance over six furlongs. Others in the Sandy Lane include Richard Fahey's unbeaten Mill Reef winner Powerful Glory, Charlie Appleby's Symbol Of Honour, Charlie Johnston's Dash Dizzy and Adrian Murray's Arizona Blaze among 11 entries. The Temple has 14 confirmations as an early-closing race. They include Ralph Beckett's Breeders' Cup winner Starlust, Karl Burke's Night Raider, Ed Walker's Mgheera and Jim Goldie's rapidly improving American Affair. There are 19 in the Betfred 'Nifty 50' British EBF Hedge of Oak Stakes, with Running Lion looking to bounce back from a lacklustre showing at Newmarket last time out. Diamond Rain, Estrange and Ejaabiyah are among other possibles for the Listed race for fillies and mares.
Telegraph
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Hollie Doyle becomes Britain's most successful female jockey
Hollie Doyle became the most successful female jockey in British racing history when Brindavan gave her a 1,023rd winner at Ascot on Saturday. The 28-year-old, who has surpassed Hayley Turner's total, reached 1,000 domestic winners in March and has regularly ridden more than 100 winners a season since 2019. Her best season was 2021, when she won 172 races. 'It's a nice milestone to reach and I'm really grateful to all the female riders who came before me,' she said. 'Hayley had it a lot tougher than I did and she paved the way for people like me to go on and do this, and there's plenty more female riders in the pipeline who will go on to do it. Things are looking good and I'm just grateful it was easier for me than it was for Hayley.' The jockey, who rides for Archie Watson's Lambourn yard and is retained by owner Imad Al Sagar to ride his horses, was already the most successful in terms of Group One races, having won her first on Glen Shiel in 2020. Her best association was his filly, Nashwa, who won three Group Ones. Doyle, who is married to fellow jockey Tom Marquand, is keen to keep extending her record. She added: 'I'm trying to keep my head down and keep things moving forward the whole time. I've no room for slackening the pace. You have to be really resilient in this sport and everyone has to work hard. You have no choice but to. I'm no exception. Being a jockey isn't a forever career so you've got to make hay while the sun is shining and thankfully it's still shining.' Turner announced her retirement, for the second time, in April when she became pregnant. If Doyle needs a new target she is still some way short of the record of 3,704 career winners set by Julie Krone in the United States. The big race, the Schweppes Victoria Cup, on Saturday's Ascot card was won by Saffie Osborne, another female jockey going places, on Hickory, a 22-1 shot trained by her father Jamie. Father and daughter are off to America at the end of the week when they run Heart of Honor in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the US Triple Crown, at Pimlico on Saturday.
