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Thursday 30 April 2009

Jim Bolger is planning to run Dewhurst Stakes winner Intense Focus in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, and relies on Gan Amhras in Saturday's 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

"We've decided Intense Focus would go for the French Guineas and we didn't want to run two horses in the one race," Bolger told PA Sport. "We've gone with this for Gan Amhras and I'm very happy with him. Almost every horse in the race has a chance and it will be a top-class race. We'd be hoping for a good run."

17 horses have been declared for the stanjames.com 2000 Guineas event including four trained in Ireland. Jointly heading the market at 7/2 with Stan James is Delegator, the impressive winner of the Group Three banshahousestables.com Craven Stakes at Newmarket on April 16.

Delgator’s trainer Brian Meehan revealed on his website www.brianmeehanmanton.com today that he is happy with the colt’s final preparation: " We are more than happy with the draw (15) he has been given. He has some fancied horses drawn around him and that was just what we were looking for.

"He went five furlongs (today) in what was an easy piece and he went every bit as well as we had hoped. Everything has gone according to plan so far and the horse must have a great chance."

Rip Van Winkle, winner of his first two starts last season before finishing seventh in the Group One Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on October 18, is the other 7/2 joint-favourite with Stan James. The Galileo colt will be partnered by Ballydoyle’s number one jockey, Johnny Murtagh.

O’Brien will also be represented by 9/2 chance Mastercraftsman, the mount of Pat Smullen and a dual Group One winner last season, while the two other Irish–trained contenders are Jim Bolger’s Gan Amhras and the John Oxx-trained Sea The Stars, a half-brother to Derby winner Galileo and last seen out when successful in the Group Two Beresford Stakes at the Curragh in September.

Trained by Karl Burke, 20/1 chance Lord Shanakill was forced to miss his intended seasonal debut in the Group Three Greenham Stakes at Newbury due to a high temperature but his trainer Karl Burke is very happy with the colt’s condition ahead of Saturday’s Classic.

The Leyburn handler said today: “I am totally happy with his draw (10) - I would rather be there than either very wide or right down stuck on the fence. Middle to low was my preference so I am happy enough with 10.

“The horse looks tremendous. He had his last pipe-opener this morning and will have a light canter tomorrow morning and then travel down.

“I would have liked to have had a prep run but that wasn’t to be. I am very, very happy with him and the ground should be perfect for him - there will be no excuses on that score.

“I just hope they go a nice, even gallop and that we will get a good run.

“This will be my first Classic runner. It’s just great to have these horses around and whatever he does on Saturday I am sure he will be competing in all the good races throughout the year.”

Rip Van Winkle looks set to take his place in the 2000 Guineas, with trainer Aidan O'Brien reporting that the colt is "95% sound" after a stone bruise.

O'Brien told the Racing Post: "We poulticed Rip Van Winkle's foot again on Wednesday night and not as much pus came out as had been the case the previous night. He's 95 per cent sound and, hopefully, will be perfect on Thursday morning and able to run.

"Obviously when such things happen you have to miss a bit of work, but we were happy with him before he got the bruise and, hopefully, everything will be okay on Thursday."

Sir Michael Stoute's maiden Phillipina was backed in to 16-1 from 33-1 for the Oaks on Wednesday. The filly is likely to run in next week's Cheshire Oaks.

The John Gosden-trained Earl of Sefton Stakes winner Tazeez is likely to run in the Group One Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp on 17 May.

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Wednesday 29 April 2009

The going on the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket remains good to firm ahead of The stanjames.com Guineas Festival. Today saw irrigation commence, with eight millimetres of water applied to the whole course.

After walking the course at 4.00pm clerk of the course Michael Prosser reported: “The going remains good to firm with a GoingStick reading of 9.0. We are on the good side of good to firm, which is exactly where we want to be.

“The forecast for the next five days is for largely dry weather. We could see some rain on Thursday morning, but this is only forecast to be a negligible amount of around one millimetre.

“With that in mind, it is highly likely that we will have to irrigate the course again on Friday to maintain the status quo.”

The Henry Cecil-trained Native Ruler came in for some support for the Derby, for which he is a general 25-1 chance, after winning the Totesport.com Maiden Stakes at Pontefract on Wednesday.

At Ascot Sir Michael Stoute saddled Patkai to a dominant success in the Sagaro Stakes that sees him favourite for the Gold Cup, and paraded his 2000 Guineas hope Evasive before racing.

The trainer told PA Sport: "He is walking well and he looks very well. His homework has not been spectacular. It has been annoying - he has just been having little stoppages, which you don't ideally want.

"He has done enough fast work, despite the interruptions I said, his weight is good and you can only hope he wants to get back to the racecourse and get fired up."

Simon Crisford is hoping that Godolphin's UAE Oaks winner Devotee will run well on her first start on turf in the stanjames.com 1000 Guineas on Sunday. He told PA Sport:
"She seems to have chilled out quite a lot over the last three weeks. She's never been on grass, which we hope won't work against her. We are aware of the (heart) problem but she didn't need to be treated for it and we are hoping that is behind her now.

"We are being very ambitious asking her to run in this race but there are lots of options for her later in the year if it doesn't work out."

Jeremy Noseda is set to run Himalya in the stanjames.com 2000 Guineas. The colt was last seen in public when fourth to Art Connoisseur in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, and received high marks from the ratings experts for that run.

"Himalya will hopefully take his chance in the Guineas on Saturday, and Seb Sanders has been booked to ride," the Shalfleet handler said on his website. "He showed a good level of form at two, and we will see how things work out this weekend."

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Tuesday 28 April 2009

Fred Darling Stakes winner Lahaleeb has delighted her trainer Mick Channon in her final piece of fast work ahead of Sunday's stanjames.com 1000 Guineas. A notoriously lazy homeworker, she had to be hustled along by Darryl Holland.

Channon told his website www.mickchannon.tv: "That's typical of Lahaleeb, who never does very much at home, but I promise you she's a smart filly and the formbook shows it.

"I think it looks a good Guineas. John Gosden's filly is the yardstick and the Cheveley Park form with Rae Guest's filly is solid, but we've beaten Alan Bailey's filly and so the form's in the book.

"We're a high-class filly and have got to go and do it. A lot of my fillies have improved from two to three over the years and she's one of them."

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Rip Van Winkle, who had been vying for 2000 Guineas favouritism, has suffered a stone bruise.

O'Brien told www.racingpost.com: "Rip Van Winkle pulled out sore this morning and when we took the shoe off one of his front legs, we found a stone bruise.

"We think that he is going to be fine and that he will be able to run on Saturday, but we will have to wait and see how he is over the next few days before making a final decision."

Brian Meehan is hoping the ground is not too fast at Newmarket, but reports that he will not run Delegator in the 2000 Guineas if it is.

Meehan told his website, www.brianmeehanatmanton.com: "Delegator has continued to work very well since the Craven and we were delighted with his last piece of work this morning (Monday). However, we do have a real concern about fast ground at Newmarket. It is pointless risking him if it is too quick when we have the option of Longchamp and easier ground waiting for him next week.

"There is some rain forecast this week and we will keep an eye on things. If it does not materialise to any great extent, we will walk the course to see how things look before making a decision."

Newmarket's clerk of the course Michael Prosser said on Monday: "The ground is currently good to firm following 2.4 millimetres of rain so far on Monday. Further showers are possible into the early evening, while overnight promises to be dry.

"There are more showers expected to develop on Tuesday morning and into the afternoon. Wednesday looks to be dry with further rain forecast for Thursday. However, at this point, Friday, Saturday and Sunday look to be dry and pleasantly warm with temperatures of 16 to 17 degrees anticipated."

Barry Hills has supplemented European Free Handicap winner Ouqba to the 2000 Guineas. Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Hamdan Al Maktoum, said: "Barry Hills originally felt that the horse wasn't up to winning The stanjames.com 2000 Guineas so he wasn't given an entry and there was always a question mark about his stamina.

"But he won the European Free Handicap in good style and he had plenty of racing last year so he's experienced. Richard Hills rode him the other day and feels that he will stay the trip.

"It's hard to tell with the form because quite a few horses haven't run this season, but at this moment, it looks a very open race.

"I think that Sheikh Hamdan felt that he would like another string to his bow and I think that Ouqba could easily be in the frame on Saturday."

The famous blue and white silks of the owner are also set to be carried by the Marcus Tregoning-trained Finjaan, who beat Ouqba in a five-furlong maiden at The stanjames.com Guineas Festival last year.

He ended his juvenile campaign at Newmarket with an excellent third in the Group One Darley Dewhurst Stakes, when going down by a couple of noses to Intense Focus and Lord Shanakill.

Gold added: "We also have Finjaan in the Guineas and we don't know that he will stay the mile. He's not bred to stay the mile but he got the seven furlongs of the Darley Dewhurst Stakes so we have to be hopeful that he will get the trip.

"He missed the Greenham Stakes but I don't think that fitness will be an issue on Saturday. But he hasn't had a run this season and the fact that he had so much speed last year means that I will be pleasantly surprised if he can see out a mile at Group One level, especially at Newmarket."