Big race countdown for 23 June 2008

Filed on 23 Jun 2008 @ 09:41

Sunday 29 June 2008

New Approach has been withdrawn from Sunday's Irish Derby at the Curragh after sustaining a foot bruise. "New Approach does not run," said trainer Jim Bolger. "Obviously it is disappointing but these things happen in racing. We have no idea where he will go next. It will have to be discussed with the owners."

The John Gosden-trained Raven's Pass, a valiant second to Henrythenavigator in the St James's Palace Stakes, where the pair of them broke the old track record, could drop down to 6f in the July Cup.

The Newmarket handler told At The Races: "He has come out of the Ascot race fantastically well. I breezed him on Saturday morning and he was very relaxed over seven furlongs.

"He's in the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly on July 13 over a mile and if the ground is on the top, that would be a likely target. But he's also in the July Cup and we will be discussing that with the owners as well."

Juddmonte homebred Promising Lead scored an impressive breakthrough success at Group One level in the Pretty Polly Stakes on Saturday. Trainer Sir Michael Stoute said of the Danehill filly: "She is a real big, scopey, progressive filly. She improved through last year and was only beaten a head in the Opera.

"She started off this season winning well in a Group Three at York and she is really coming to herself. She has done that well but could have done with a lead for longer. We'll have a look at the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood now."

The runner up Mad About You pleased her trainer Dermot Weld, who said: "The winner is obviously very good and so is ours. It was a great race and we will look at the Irish Oaks next."

Finsceal Beo finished in the race, Jim Bolger reported: "She was distressed and found to be clinically abnormal after the race so there is obviously something wrong."

Septimus scored a workmanlike success in the Curragh Cup, and is likely to return to the track for the Irish St Leger. Aidan O'Brien said: "He has not been away at all this year and this was his first time on a racecourse. That was a slight worry but we saw how classy he was last year.

"We'd love to bring him back here for the Irish St Leger, and maybe take in something like the Lonsdale on the way."

At Newmarket Baileys Cacao won the Listed Empress Stakes in some style. Richard Hannon Jr said of the filly: "We have put her in the Moyglare Stakes and the Goffs Million so it looks like she's heading off to Ireland but we could also come back here for the Cherry Hinton."

Friday 27 June 2008

Jim Bolger's Derby winner New Approach could be a non runner in Sunday's Irish Derby at the Curragh, for which he is an odds-on favourite.

Bolger said: "New Approach is not 100% comfortable in his box. We do not as yet know the extent of the problem.

"It appears it may be a foot bruise and we will know more tomorrow evening."

Paul Cole could run his impressive Longchamp Listed winner Percolator in the Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte on 27 July. The Kheleyf filly had been favourite for the Hilary Needler Trophy at Beverley, but was rerouted to Longchamp after being withdrawn at the start.

Cole told At The Races: "We took her back to France for a Listed race and I'm told by the French agents over there that she is the fourth fastest horse to ever run at Longchamp and broke the two-year-old track record so she is quite fast.

"She hasn't performed at the top level in England yet. She could go for the Papin or there is another Group Three for juveniles she could go for, which would appeal from a breeders' point of view."

Thursday 26 June 2008

Trainer Rae Guest is to ruin his Newbury Listed winner Rosa Grace in the Irish Oaks, ahead of a tilt at the Yorkshire Oaks, which th etrainer has won previously with My Emma. He said: "She's fine and she's going to run in the Irish Oaks next month as long as the ground is firm or good to firm. I put her in the Yorkshire Oaks and hopefully she'll run a big race in Ireland and then we'll have the option of stepping up a gear at York.

"She was impressive last time. She obviously needed her first run back at Goodwood when a good horse beat her that day and she improved from that."

Katiyra caught the eye when running on to take third in the Oaks after beig shuffled back coming down the Epsom hill, and trainer John Oxx reports her to be in good form ahead of the Irish Okas. The trainer told PA Sport: "She's in good form and had an easy time for a week or so after Epsom, but she's beginning to step back up again now.

"She's in good shape and we're all set for the Irish Oaks in two weeks on Sunday. She lost a bit of ground coming down the hill and into the straight at Epsom so she did well to run as close as she did. The form of the race seems to be working out well and the time was good so I think it was a good renewal of the Oaks.

"She just needs to progress a little now and if she can improve she could fight out the finish - although there are other good fillies on the upgrade too."

Marchand d'Or disappointed in the Golden Jubilee Stakes, but is set to run in the July Cup before trying for a third successive Prix Maurice de Gheest win at Deaville in August.

Of his Ascot run, trainer Freddy Head reported: "He's very well and is in good form. He was very tense and ran too free early on, then he got into a little trouble and had a bit of a fight in the middle of the course. That meant he dropped back but he finished well."

Wednesday 25 June 2008

New Approach bids to become the first horse since High Chaparral in 2002 to land the Epsom/Curragh Classic double when he lines up in Sunday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh. The son of Galileo who himself achieved that feat in 2001, will face a maximum of 13 rivals following the final forfeit stage today.

Jim Bolger’s star colt really impressed at Epsom and will be at short odds to again get the better of Tartan Bearer (2nd), Casual Conquest (3rd), Doctor Freemantle (4th), Washington Irving (5th) and Alessandro Volta (6th), Curtain Call(10th), Frozen Fire (11th) in the 1.5 million euro Group One contest. The John Gosden trained pair of Centennial and Upton Grey, who was supplemented at a cost of 150,000 euro this morning, are other overseas challengers.

Intense Focus, runner up to Art Connoisseur in last weeks Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, is among fifteen entries for the Group Two One 51 Railway Stakes for which Aidan O’Brien is responsible for no less than seven entries including Peter Tchaikovsky, Grand Ducal and Mastercraftsman. Also included is the David Wachman trained Bushranger, who was only just touched off in the Windsor Castle Stakes last week.

All eyes will be on Myboycharlie in the William Fry Sapphire Stakes as the Tommy Stack trained three year old attempts to get his career back on track in the 5 furlong Group 3 contest. The race has attracted an entry of 12 including regular visitor Benbaun, Desert Lord, Tax Free, Enticing and Snaefell.

The ground at the Curragh is now Good on the round course and Good to Yielding on the straight course.

Star New Zealand mare Seachange and crack French filly Darjina are set to lock horns in a top-class renewal of the Group One UAE Hydra Properties Falmouth Stakes over a mile at Newmarket on Wednesday, July 9.

Seachange's trainer Graeme Sanders revealed: "We’ll go for the Falmouth Stakes - that’s the plan at this stage. We didn’t get a real good line on her the other day because she was in the wrong place on the track. They needed to be on the stands’ side.

"Ted (Durcan, jockey) said she didn’t handle the track and she wouldn’t let herself down on the ground, which was too rough where she was. She just needed the better ground, but he didn’t knock her around at all, just gave her a run and said to forget about it. He’ll ride her again at Newmarket.

"She’s come through the race well and I’m pretty happy with her. We just hope it stays dry now because she’s got to have that firm ground."

French trainer Alain de Royer Dupre is confident of another top-class effort from four-year-old Darjina following her tremendous runner-up finish in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, saying: "Darjina returned home after Ascot and has been playful and full of life. She seems to be very well. She certainly looks well, so if there’s no problem with her, then the plan is to take her to Newmarket for the Falmouth Stakes.

"I am delighted with the way she ran at Ascot. She ran very well against a very good colt and there was nothing between them.

"She will be against only fillies at Newmarket and I am confident that she will run well again. The only problem for her would be if there was too much rain. She needs to have good to firm ground to run her best race."

Tuesday 24 June 2008

Multiple Group One winner Peeping Fawn will not make her debut as a four-year-old in Saturday's Group One Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. The race had been pencilled in for the filly's return, but trainer Aidan O'Brien says she is not yet ready.

"We are just having to wait a bit longer before Peeping Fawn is ready to run. She will tell us and we have nothing definite planned for her just yet," the trainer told the Racing Post.

O'Brien also had news of summer targets for some of his Asvot team. "We've all discussed things and, while plans can always change, we've come up with a list of races for our Ascot winners, and we're looking at Duke Of Marmalade and Macarthur going for the King George," O'Brien told the paper.

"Soldier Of Fortune may go to France on Sunday for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and, for now, we're looking no further than that race for him."

Henrythenavigator will be prepped for the Sussex Stakes, whilst Yeats and Honolulu are to head to the Goodwood Cup.

Jim Bolger's impressive Musidora and Coronation Stakes winner Lush Lashes heads the cast of fillies and mares for the Group One Audi Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

Trainer Jim Bolger has also entered both Finsceal Beo and Toirneach for the Group 1 contest. In total there are 13 entries for the 10 furlong race including four – Ice Queen, Love To Dance, Psalm and Sail – from the Aidan O’Brien stable, while there are two from Britain in the shape of Richard Fahey’s Anna Pavlova and the Sir Michael Stoute trained Promising Lead.

Septimus is set to make his eagerly awaited seasonal debut in the Group Three At The Races Curragh Cup which has attracted 13 entries. Among the overseas trained contenders are Samuel, Supersonic Dave, Tungsten Strike and last years winner Peppertree Lane who missed an engagement at Royal Ascot last week due to firm ground. Other notable entries for the one mile and six furlong contest are Mores Wells, Hasanka, Ezima, and Hindu Kush and Red Moloney.

Andre Fabre's Getaway will once again take on his Coronation Cup conqueror Soldier Of Fortune in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on Sunday. Doctor Dino, Zambezi Sun and Saddex are others engaged in the Group One.

Bukit Tinggi heads the market for Saturday's Northumberland Plate at Newcastle after a pleasing run at Ascot last week, where the four-year-old was fourth in the Ascot Stakes. John Smith's Northumberland Plate odds: 7-1 Bukit Tinggi, 8-1 Arc Bleu, Mamlook, Highland Legacy, 9-1 Desert Sea, Tilt, Carte Diamond, 10-1 Double Banded, 11-1 Ajaan, 12-1 Gee Dee Nen, Missoula, Far From Old, 14-1 Amerigo, Rationale, Pippa Greene, 16-1 Spring City, Greenwich Meantime, Whenever, Bogside Theatre, Eastern Anthem, Colloquial, 20-1 bar.

Monday 23 June 2008

Michael Bell's impressive Coventry Stakes winner Art Connoisseur will be supplemented for the Group One Phoenix Stakes over 6f at the Curragh on 27 July.

The trainer said: "He seems fine after Ascot and will be supplemented into the Phoenix Stakes. The way he won was pretty breathtaking and I feel he deserves to have a shot at a Group One."

Norfolk Stakes winner South Central is to be stepped up to 6f after his Royal Ascot win. The Forest Camp colt had won at Carlisle by 13 lengths before getting going late to win the Norfolk.

Part owner Graham Wylie told Racing UK: "We knew he was a nice horse, but we were not sure how that Carlisle form was going to work out. The ground was probably too fast for him at Ascot and we'll probably step him up to six furlongs next time. We've nothing in mind but he'll have a break now and we'll find a nice six-furlong race for him with a bit of cut in the ground."

Golden Jubilee Stakes winner Kingsgate Native is to bid for a Group One hat-trick, with trainer John Best planning to run the three-year-old in the Darley July Cup before defending his Nunthorpe crown.

The trainer reported: "Seb Sanders said there was more to come and the horse saw the six furlongs out very well. He's bred to get the trip and we were pretty sure he would see it out but you never know until they do it on the track.

"His next race will almost certainly be the July Cup and then the Nunthorpe which he won last year."

South African import War Artist was placed in the Golden Jubilee, and he is set to reoppose the winner in the July Cup.

Myboycharlie was withdrawn on Saturday due to the firm going. Assistant trainer Fozzy Stack explained: "It's possible he could run in the Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh next weekend but that's over five furlongs so it's not ideal, but he does need a run. We want to get a run into him before his next main objective, the Maurice de Gheest at Deauville in August."

Filed on 23 Jun 2008 @ 09:41

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