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Friday 5 June 2009

William Haggas' Dee Stakes winner South Easter will miss the Investec Derby after coughing at home on Friday.

At Lingfield on Thursday the Henry Cecil-trained Flame Of Gibraltar, a €900,000 Goffs yearling, ran out an impressive winner of the Bet 1% In Running - Betdaq Maiden Fillies' Stakes. The Rock Of Gibraltar filly holds an entry in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.

In FRance Beta Leo looked a filly with a big future when winning over 1100m at Maisons-Laffitte. The AP Indy filly is out of Prix marcel Boussac winner Denebola, whose dam Coup De Genie, a sister to Machiavellian and a half to Exit To Nowhere, won the Prix Morny and Prix de la Salamandre.

David Wachman is yet to decide on a target for Irish 1000 Guineas winner Again. The trainer told At The Races: "She's in good form and came out of her race well, but we just felt 12 days to the Oaks would be a bit tight. It was very gluey ground the day of the Guineas so we just thought going to Epsom was the wrong thing to do.

"She's in the Coronation Stakes and numerous races and where she goes will be ground dependant a little bit. She doesn't need to have soft ground by any means but she doesn't want it like concrete. The Coronation is on the Friday of Royal Ascot so we can have a look at the ground on the Tuesday and make a decision.

"That's the race that came up first so it is in the forefront of my mind at the minute but there is the Pretty Polly a fortnight later and the Irish Oaks a fortnight after that. They are all possible."

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Thursday 4 June 2009

The going is Good, good to firm in places in places, at Epsom Downs Racecourse ahead of the Investec Derby Festival. The GoingStick reading was 8.2 at noon today.

Andrew Cooper, Director of Racing at Epsom Downs Racecourse, said this afternoon: “The going is very much good in the main and just on the quick side in a few places, between the 10-furlong and the mile starts and little bits elsewhere.

“There is no watering planned. The weather outlook is dry until possible showers overnight Friday into Saturday - we could get no rain or up to a maximum of five millimetres.”

The far side of the course will be dolled out six yards from the six-furlong pole to the end of Tattenham Corner and then five yards in the straight during racing tomorrow, Friday, June 5.

The running rails go back to their original position after racing tomorrow to give fresh ground for the runners on Investec Derby Day, Saturday, June 6.

Supplementary entries for Sunday's Group One Prix du Jockey Club are takesn this morning, with Godolphin expected to supplement Parthenon. Andre Fabre could add Prix Greffulhe winner Cutlass Bay to the field, and the Aga Khan's lightly raced Prix de l'Avre winner Beheshtam is likely to run in the 10f contest, despite being thought a more likely type for the 12f Grand Prix de Paris in July.

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Wednesday 3 June 2009

Ballydoyle stable jockey Johnny Murtagh has selected 2000 Guineas fourth Rip Van Winkle from the six O'Brien-trained colts engaged in the race as his mount for Saturday's Investec Derby at Epsom.

Seamus Heffernan is likely to renew his association with Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial winner Fame And Glory.

Champion jockey Ryan Moore is set to ride Dante winner Black Bear Island and Pat Smullen will take the ride on Lingfield Derby Trial winner Age Of Aquarius.

Colm O'Donoghue will partner Chester Vase winner Golden Sword and Richard Hughes will ride Masterofthehorse.

A Ballydoyle statement added: "These riding plans are not set in stone but this is the way we are thinking at the moment."

Godolphin's Kite Wood worked well in his final gallop on Tuesday morning. "He worked five days ago and it was a very nice piece of work, everything went well," said Saeed bin Suroor. "He's ready to go and today was his last piece, his last blow-out before the race and everything went nicely.

"He's in good form, we've had no problems with him and I think a mile and a half will really suit him - we just need the ground to be good for him. All our horses are improving for a run. When this horse ran at York he needed the race so he'll improve from that.

"The Derby is a very hard race but I think 12 furlongs will really help him and he wasn't beaten far at York. I think he has a chance over this trip. He was happy and fresh today and that is always a good sign before a big race."

Group Two Grand Prix de Chantilly winner Scintillo looks set to be campaigned on the continent this summer. Trainer Richard Hannon told richardhannonracing.tv: "They say that the best surprises are the big ones, and we went to France more in the hope of picking up some valuable place money - and black type - than actually winning the race.

"As is the case in so many French races, they went a funeral pace, but Hughesie always looked comfortable on Scintillo, and when he popped the question our horse had the best turn of foot.

"He won the Winter Derby at Lingfield in March and has had a busy time of it, so there is no question of taking up the entry in Friday's Coronation Cup at Epsom, and I would have also thought that he was unlikely to go to Royal Ascot for the Hardwicke Stakes.

"Scintillo won a Group One in Italy as a two-year-old and he loves travelling. His owners, the White Beech Farm syndicate, are having a ball and in all probability, we will look at the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at the end of the month and maybe the Gran Premio de Milano."

The Harry Dunlop-trained Three Moons has been ruled out of the Investec Oaks after picking up an injury during her final gallop. The trainer hopes she will be fit to run in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot.

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Tuesday 2 June 2009

13 colts go forward to saturday's Investec Derby at the five-day confirmation stage.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien, successful with Galileo (2001) and High Chaparral (2002) looks to hold all the aces going into Saturday’s contest as he accounts for no less than six of the acceptors. The Ballydoyle sextet includes Fame And Glory, who has followed the same path as Galileo and High Chaparral by winning the Ballysax Stakes and the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial this season. Also among the contingent from Ballydoyle is Dante Stakes winner Black Bear Island, Lingfield Derby Trail scorer Age Of Aquarius, the first two horses home in the Chester Vase victor Golden Sword and Masterofthehorse and 2000 Guineas fourth Rip Van Winkle.

In addition to O’Brien’s formidable contenders, Ireland also has two other leading Investec Derby contenders in 2000 Guineas victor Sea The Stars, trained by John Oxx, and Gan Amhras, from the Jim Bolger yard and a fine third behind Sea The Stars at Newmarket on May 2.

One horse aiming to keep the prize in Britain is the Mick Channon-trained Montaff. The Montjeu colt was successful at Newbury in a maiden last year and on his only start this season finished a neck behind Age Of Aquarius in the Lingfield Derby Trial on May 9. He worked at Epsom Downs during the Breakfast With The Stars media morning on May 28 and is set to be partnered by Richard Hills on Saturday, with regular pilot Darryll Holland currently serving a 21-day suspension for a riding offence at Warwick.

Montaff’s owner Barry Walters revealed today: “We were quite pleased with his work at Epsom on Thursday and he handled the course fine. Richard Hills liked his temperament and he seemed to settle, which is good for a Montjeu colt. Running him on Investec Derby Day might be a bit different for him, with such a big crowd, but you don’t know until you run.”

“I didn’t think that Darryll deserved to be banned for that length of time. He knew the horse very well so we were a bit gutted when he couldn’t take the ride, but I am sure that Richard will do a good job.

“Montaff is a good horse and worthy of a try at the Investec Derby. We had a little problem with him earlier in the year, when he had a small splint, and he wouldn’t have been as fit as some of his rivals in the Lingfield Derby Trial.

“That was the first time we really put the gun to his head and I thought that he was a bit unlucky not to pinch the race. There appears to be some long odds about him but, if we get the luck on the day, then I think he can run well. He’s a top horse and I am sure that he will have his day somewhere, hopefully at Epsom Downs this weekend.

“I’ve bred some good horses before, including Lady Lahar, who won a Group Three in Ireland, and Classic Legend, who was a very good two-year-old, but Montaff looks to be the best. I also bred Popmurphy, who was second in this year’s Weatherbys Bank Blue Riband Trial Stakes, and I thought that he might be a potential Investec Derby colt, but it’s hard to find the right horses.”

Other British-trained horses hoping to claim the Investec Derby prize include last year’s Racing Post Trophy victor Crowded House, who disappointed on his return to action in the Dante Stakes, and Godolphin’s Kite Wood, who finished fifth in the same contest. South Easter, who is part-owned by Investec managing director Bernard Kantor, could aim to maintain the 100 per cent record in the Investec Derby of trainer William Haggas. Haggas saddled the 1996 hero Shaamit - his only previous runner in the Classic.

One acceptor to have already scored at Epsom Downs is Debussy, who was successful in the Weatherbys Bank Blue Riband Trial Stakes at the course on April 22. Owned by last year’s winning owner, H R H Princess Haya Of Jordan, the son of Diesis is trained by John Gosden who triumphed with Benny The Dip in 1997.

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Monday 1 June 2009

Sunday's Group Two Prix du Gros Chene winner Tax Free has been cut to 10-1 for the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Richard Hannon's Grand Prix de Chantilly winner Scintillo will bid to win once more at the highest level, when he lines up in the Gradn Prix de Saint-Cloud at the end of June.

Jean-Claude Rouget plans to run Prix de Sandringham winner Homebound in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket's July meeting. The trainer will have runners at Royal Ascot before then, with French 1000 Guineas winner Elusive Wave targeting the Coronation Stakes and Prix d'Ispahan winner Never On Sunday set to run in the Prince of Wales's Stakes.