A 2-year-old colt named Cosmo Top is set to make his racing debut at Sapporo on July 24, 2026, as part of a lineage linked to the 2019 Cox Plate winner Lys Gracieux.
Cosmo Top’s Debut and the Legacy of Lys Gracieux
The 2-year-old colt Cosmo Top, sired by Efforia, is set to debut in an 1800m race at Sapporo on July 24, 2026. His pedigree includes Lys Gracieux, the 2019 Cox Plate winner, and the French-bred mare Liliside. The race, part of a field of 10 horses, marks the continuation of a bloodline that produced Nebra Disk, a 2022 foal with a record of 9: 4-2-1. Connections hope Cosmo Top’s form mirrors Nebra Disk’s, which included a 4th-place finish behind Masquerade Ball at his second career start. The race is set to jump at 1:20pm (AEST).
Legal Agreement Shifts Focus to Affordable Housing in Chepstow
A 2011 planning agreement for 169 homes at the former Osborn International Site in Chepstow was revised in March 2025 to prioritize 46 affordable homes. The original condition, a section 106 agreement requiring £200,000 in economic infrastructure development,
was modified after “no demand” for commercial premises was confirmed. The land, adjacent to the Fairfield Mabey site, was repurposed for 100 per cent affordable housing. Planning officer Phil Thomas noted the agreement had been approved by members many moons ago,
with construction nearing completion for the social housing block, expected to welcome tenants by late July or August.
KU Professorship Advances Mars Simulant Research
Steve Gurysh, an associate professor of visual art, has been awarded the 2026-2027 Keeler Family Intra-University Professorship. His work with Mars Global Simulant (MGS), a material replicating NASA’s Curiosity rover samples, will collaborate with Benjamin Sikes, professor and senior scientist of ecology & evolutionary biology. Gurysh aims to expand research through interdisciplinary partnerships, including a new cross-listed course in visual art and evolutionary biology at KU. While exploring the ontological complexity of planetary simulants from perspectives in the arts, sciences and humanities, our collaboration will conjure deep questions about future exchanges with other planets,
Gurysh said.
Steelhead Trout as a Budget-Friendly Salmon Alternative
Asteroid Breakup 800 Million Years Ago May Have Bombarded Earth
A study led by Dr William Bottke of the Southwest Research Institute suggests an asteroid shattered in the main asteroid belt 800 million years ago, sending debris across the inner solar system. The Eulalia asteroid family, formed by a collision of a carbon-rich object, may have caused impacts on Earth, the Moon, and Mars. The Moon’s crater record, including impact glass from Apollo missions, supports this theory.
Moon’s Slow Shrinkage Revealed by Crustal Cracks
Scientists confirm the Moon is shrinking as its interior cools, causing its crust to develop wrinkles and fault scarps. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter identified cliff-like features formed by compression, with the Moon’s diameter decreasing by 50 meters over hundreds of millions of years. While the change is imperceptible to the naked eye, moonquakes—recorded during the Apollo era—suggest ongoing seismic activity.
Worth a look
