Latest News

Plus: Colin Bryce answers five quick-fire bloodstock questions

Falakeyah, the impressive winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket, has been supplemented for the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. She will join Anmaat as the Owen Burrows trained pair target Group 1 glory at the Royal meeting. 

Owners Shadwell and trainer Owen Burrows have decided to let the exciting 3-year-old filly Falakeyah take her chance on Friday. Unbeaten in two starts, the Shadwell homebred set pulses racing with her demolition of the field in the Pretty Polly and she now drops down in distance to the one mile of the Coronation Stakes. 

Angus Gold, Racing Manager for Shadwell, said: “Jim (Crowley) has been saying all spring ‘this filly has plenty of speed’ and she showed that when she won at Newmarket on her first start of the year. 

“Once we had decided not to stretch her stamina to a mile and a half in the Oaks, the next option was the Prix de Diane. However, she did not scope clean two weeks ago, so Owen and the team gave her time and sorted it out, but the net result was the timescale proved too tight to get her back to peak fitness for the Diane, especially with the travelling over to France. 

“Owen feels she is now back to where she was before the dirty scope. He’s very happy with her and together we feel the Coronation is the right race for her now. Jim believes she has the pace to be competitive at a mile at that level. She’s definitely got a lot of class, and we are looking forward to Friday.”

Above: Falakeyah, winner of the Pretty Polly, has been added to the Coronation Stakes field.

Last season’s winner of the Qipco Champion Stakes, Anmaat, is also on course to compete at the top-level next week. The dual Group 1 winning son of Shadwell stallion Awtaad is all set to take his chance on Wednesday following an encouraging reappearance run in Ireland, when he was narrowly beaten by Los Angeles in the Tattersalls Gold Cup. 

Angus Gold said: “Anmaat is our flagship horse and we’re aiming for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. 

“I thought it was a massive run in Ireland, especially considering he’s a 7-year-old now and he does himself very well. Prior to the Curragh, he had not set foot on grass this year and, to my eyes, he travelled like the best horse in the race, came to win and then you can pretty much see him take a heave of breath 100 yards out and a very tough, race-fit horse just beat him. 

“I thought it was an enormous run, almost as good as he has ever run, and interestingly Jim (Crowley) had said beforehand he feels every bit as good this year. So, the ability is still there and he showed himself to be a top-notcher last season with what he did at Ascot in the Champion Stakes. Ideally, we just want conditions that suit him so he can prove it again.

“It is exciting and a privilege to have horses of this calibre to run in these top, top races.”

Thoroughbred Thoughts - 5 quick questions for Colin Bryce

1. Proudest moment as a breeder?

When King of Steel and Via Sistina ran first and second in the Champion Stakes at Ascot in 2023. We didn't know who to shout for, having bred the sire of the winner and having bred the runner up also. We thought it was astonishing that a small stud like ours had taken such a hand in such an important race.

2. Which Shadwell stallions are you supporting in 2025?

Mohaather and Mostahdaf. We had a nomination to Minzaal but had to abandon it when the foal at foot was unable to  travel. We are big fans of both the M's and have been frequent users of the Shadwell stallions, including Baaeed, from whom we have an especially nice filly foal out of Listed winner Snooze N You Lose. 

3. One piece of bloodstock advice for your younger self? 

Team up with others and get as close to the elite end of the market as possible buying the best mare you can afford and using the best proven stallion as a cover. 

4. One thing you would like to see changed in the thoroughbred industry? 

I would like to see the top meetings packaged into a saleable product- rather like the Premier League model- and then to use the revenue from that to develop a healthy core racing product refreshed with appropriate prize money.

5. A horse to follow in 2025? 

I have two: Night Raider and That's Amore

*Image of Colin and Melba Bryce courtesy of Emma Berry