Racing: Tamarisk is sent to Lukas for US bow

EUROPEAN RACEGOERS will have to make do with just the one glimpse of Tamarisk at his best after it was announced yesterday that the Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup winner has been sold to join the Coolmore Stud team in 1999. He will have one more race, but that will be in the Breeders' Cup Sprint and, in an innovative move, he will be sent to the US shortly to be trained by D Wayne Lukas.

Harry Herbert, the managing director of Tamarisk's owners, Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, said: "Roger Charlton and his team at Beckhampton have trained Tamarisk with great distinction and Roger will be instrumental in his preparation for the Breeders' Cup.

"Tamarisk has only once raced around a bend and it is for this reason that he goes to the States to be trained over the next two months."

Charlton, who had his first Group One win for seven years with Tamarisk, reflected: "Everyone at Beckhampton will be sad to see Tamarisk leave us, but I believe it is logical for him to have an American preparation for the race."

n Martin Pipe, well used to breaking his own records, did so once again at Sedgefield yesterday when a double gave him his fastest half-century of winners in a jumps season. Tony McCoy was on board both Aavasaksa and Hit And Run as Pipe rendered obsolete his previous record which came on 9 October last season.