Emma Berry

The sales action rolls on to Baden-Baden this Friday for Germany's major yearling auction, the BBAG September Sale. If the talk in the build-up is to be believed then there will be more overseas visitors than ever landing at Karlsruhe airport to make the short journey to the sales grounds and its neighbouring racecourse during a lively week of action in both spheres.

“Please, please don't make me cry,” says Gerald Mosse as he is asked to recall his final day in the saddle at Chantilly on Bastille Day.

Sunday Racing's Magic Sands (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) retained his unbeaten tag when reeling in long-time leader Arma Veloce (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) to land the G3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes in a tight finish.

SAPPORO, Japan — “It's been a hard day's night,” sang Masayuki Goto, vice-chairman of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), as he took to the stage for his keynote speech during the closing exchanges of the 4oth Asian Racing Conference (ARC). And it is plain that Goto, the former president and CEO of the Japan Racing Association (JRA), and his fellow ARF committee members are looking forward to the day when their counterparts around the world are singing along in perfect harmony, perhaps to the tune of Here Comes The Sun.

Eighty of the 123 horses nominated for this year's G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup were bred in Europe. Only 18 of that group are still in training in either Britain, Ireland or France.

Pinhooking is a risky old business, but then again, so is breeding. Pinhookers at least have the chance to observe a live animal in front of them, watch them walk up and down and make their judgments accordingly. Those who have been around young stock for many a year can make an educated guess as to how a particular youngster may continue to develop, and work out if there are certain aspects which can be helped though improved nutrition or judicious farriery. Then there are the random elements, for better or worse, over which they have no control: illness, injury, a sire suddenly going hot or cold, or a major update in the family.

It's been a while, hasn't it? We can only apologise for the onslaught of the sales and some extra international travel pushing the Seven Days beat on to the back-burner, but we're home now, almost jetlag-free, and ready for this week's round-up.

From its launch in 2019, covering the five days of Royal Ascot, the World Pool has grown gradually to 33 race days this year across eight different countries. It is fair to expect to see that expansion continue apace.

It's the Leger Lowdown, our final run-through of Classic contenders for the season and one in which the late Galileo (Ire) has three chances to notch his 101st Group/Grade 1 winner so soon after Content (Ire) brought up his century in the Yorkshire Oaks. He is the sire of the first three favourites in the betting at the time of writing, and paternal grandsire of the next two.

'If Carslberg did weekends' was the caption on Tom Marquand's social media post beneath a photograph of the jockey with his wife, Hollie Doyle, after she had won her second Group 1 of the year aboard Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}). Marquand had himself lifted both of Leopardstown's Group 1 races the previous day with two of the best three-year-olds currently in training, Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio). Their mantelpiece may soon need reinforcement.