Major race entries 2008: 2000 Guineas | 1000 Guineas | Derby | Oaks | Coronation Cup

Classic countdown, w/c: 7 April | 14 April | 21 April | 28 April | 5 May | 12 May | 19 May | 26 May

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Friday 11 April 2008

Peter Chapple-Hyam is hoping a racecourse gallop over a mile will show whether Winker Watson, a Piccolo colt, will stay the Guineas trip. "He's going straight to the Guineas but he'll go to Newmarket this coming week - hopefully they'll let me gallop there on Wednesday or Thursday," the trainer told At The Races. Winker Watson hasn't raced since landing the six furlong July Stakes.

"He's been working well and I haven't put the gun to his head yet but it's now time. In his races last year he wanted every yard of the six furlongs and we were going to step up to seven. We probably would have found out if he would stay then, but circumstances didn't let us. When he works at Newmarket I suppose I'll have a better idea as I will work him over the full mile."

Of his 1000 Guineas hope Cape Amber - a filly the trainer earlier declared was the best three-year-old in his yard - Chapple-Hyam said: "She's a filly I've obviously liked a lot but she went wrong as well last year.

"She's working really nicely but she works like a staying filly to be honest. She is in the Guineas though and that probably is the plan, although I think really she might be more of an Oaks filly."

John Gosden has described 2000 Guineas hope Raven's Pass as "the best chance I have had in the race." The Elusive Quality colt will run in a trial at Newmarket or Newbury next week.

"Raven's Pass will run in either the Craven or the Greenham," Gosden told the press on Thursday. "He will have a run in one or the other as I need to take the freshness out of him. He is bucking and squealing when he works. He is fresh and fizzy in his work and has strengthened during the winter, but is too full of himself to go straight to the race.

"I don't want to run him on soft ground again, and we'll see how the ground is next week for the trials. He didn't like the ground in the Dewhurst. It was tacky autumn ground and Jimmy Fortune said he was changing his legs in the dip.

"He is by Elusive Quality and both his mother and father went on a road and all of his family like fast ground. He is a real top-of-the-ground horse. I would like to take on New Approach on good or good to firm ground. On decent ground there would be no arguments.

"He doesn't do much in the morning and he hasn't impressed me in a gallop yet, but I don't mind a horse like that. I like to see them do it on the track and it is the 'morning glories' that are the problem."

Of the fillies: "Infallible will have entries in the Nell Gwyn and the Fred Darling. She won her sole start last year and she is a nice filly. Jimmy rode her in work yesterday and he was very happy with her.

"Sense Of Joy will go straight to the Guineas. She is very professional and won her maiden by five lengths, before winning the Group Three race at Goodwood. She is still in her coat but she is getting there so she will be fine going straight to the race."

Gosden also had news of Centennial, one of 13 colts added to the Vodafone Derby at the latest entry stage. The son of Dalkhani will run in the Sandown Classic Trial at the end of the month.

Gosden said: "He won the Haynes, Hanson& Clark Conditions Stakes last year before finishing second to a horse of Mr Fabre's [Thewayyouare] who they think a lot of. He is in the French Derby too but he is by Dalakhani so he should stay. The owner [Michael O'Flynn] is a game man he said to just do it and enter him. The plan is to take him to Sandown for the Classic Trial unless it is bottomless, in which case he would go for the Newmarket Stakes."

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Thursday April 10 2008

Sir Michael Stoute was one of a number of trainers to attend a racecourse lunch at Newmarket on Wednesday. His leading 2000 Guineas hope is Confront, whom the trainer hopes to run at Newmarket or Newbury next week. Tartan Bearer, a full brother to Golan, "is behind schedule and we haven't done a good piece of work with him yet. He got held up with a foot problem but he is a talented horse." Of the fillies, Visit will head straight to the 1000 Guineas.

Henry Cecil reported that his Classic contenders Twice Over and Kandahar Run could drop in trip: "They both need to prove themselves but we have brought them along steadily. Both are stronger and better this year.

"Twice Over looks to have a certain amount of speed and I would be surprised if he is not OK over a mile. Kandahar Run doesn't do much at home but he will hopefully come out and tell us what his next move will be. He could go for the Fielden Stakes and Twice Over for the Craven but no decision has been made yet."

Speaking by telephone, Aidan O'Brien had a positive report of Jupiter Pluvius, saying: "Jupiter Pluvius is on target for the race. He worked this morning and went well.

"Henrythenavigator is in good form and good, fast ground is very important to him. Plan is also on target and Zulu Chief might go to a maiden at Newmarket next week.

"Last year's two-year-olds were not good enough and we are not sure of the reason why. We had a bit of a lull mid-season so we backed off with them rather than forcing on. We ended up with two to three months at the end of the season to go on again, and we don't know if the horses weren't right or if they weren't good enough. It will be interesting to see what happens. The are coming along nicely but we haven't pressed any buttons yet.

"Listen won't make the 1000 Guineas after a setback, but Savethisdanceforme is on course. Kitty Matcham, who won the Rockfel last season, is also on target. Psalm ran in a Guineas trial at Leopardstown last weekend, and all of the fillies are in the melting pot."

Mick Channon is likely to run Nijoom Dubai in the Nell Gwyn at Newmarket next week, but Lowther Stakes winner Nahoodh will be kept in the Fred Darling at Newbury but is most likely to head straight to the Guineas.

Barry Hills will have runners in the trials, with Yankadi likely to go for the Craven and Nacho Libre in the Free Handicap. Of his fillies, Royal Confidence could run in the Nell Gwyn, with Spinning Lucy taking in the Fred Darling at Newbury.

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Wednesday 9 April 2008

A record total of 13 horses have been added to the 2008 Vodafone Derby at the today's £8,000 second entry stage, headed by Godolphin's Group One Jean-Luc Lagardere victor Rio De La Plata.

Owner Khalid Abdulla has two second entries in Confront, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and a promising winner of the Hyperion Conditions Stakes at Ascot in the autumn, and Twice Over, from the Henry Cecil stable and successful on both his starts at Newmarket last year. The master of Warren Place, who has enjoyed four Vodafone Derby wins, has also put in Kandahar Run, victorious in two of his three starts last season.

French handler Andre Fabre, still seeking a first Vodafone Derby success, could be represented by the Sean Mulryan-owned Thewayyouare, a four-time winner in 2007 including in the Group One Gran Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.

Read summaries of all 13 additions to the Derby field.

The Kevin Prendergast-trained Marjalina (Marju) won the Group Three Park Express Stakes at the Curragh 10 days ago, and has been entered in the Juddmonte Oaks as a precaution. Prendergast said of the filly, who beat Prix Marcel Boussac fourth Savethisdanceforme: "She came home well, she's a big filly, she's 16.3. We only put her in the Oaks when it was closing just so we weren't saying afterwards we wished we had put her in. She's won her maiden and a Group Three now. She stayed on well but I'd say with that run under her belt, she should be sharper next time.

"I don't know where she'll go next, the owner has been away so I haven't had chance to talk to him, maybe a race like the Pretty Polly but who knows at this stage. We think she'll stay a mile and a half so we'll see what happens."

Curtain Call is likely to run in the Blue Riband Trial - run this year at Nottingham - and the Lingfield Derby Trial as his preps for the Derby.

The winner of the Beresford Stakes, Curtain Call was trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland last season, but since being purchased and syndicated the colt has been transferred to Luca Cumani in Newmarket.

Cumani told the Daily Mail: “His main Derby trial will be at Lingfield on May 10 and it is possible he will run in the Blue Riband Trial at Nottingham on April 23. We haven't done anything serious but he's certainly an exciting prospect”

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Tuesday 8 April 2008

John Gosden could run his thrilling Solario Stakes winner Raven's Pass in either the Craven Stakes or the Greenham Stakes next week, but connections will avoid a soft surface. "Plans for Raven's Pass depend on the ground," Peter Shoemark, spokesman for Gosden, told sportinglife.com. "If it is quick ground he could well run in a trial next week, if it is soft he won't. We saw he didn't handle that in the Dewhurst."

Verba was a battling winner of the Prix Le Sancy, where she took on colts over six furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte on Monday. The Anabaa filly fought back after being headed to win by half a length. Richard Gibson reported the filly will improve for a longer trip and could be aimed at the Irish 1000 Guineas.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Listen, winner of the Group One Fillies' Mile last season, has met with a setback and will miss the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket next month.

The Sadler's Wells filly had been the ante-post favourite for Classic, but came back stiff from a canter on Monday. She is to be given a month to recover.

Aidan O'Brien told the Racing Post: "She will miss the 1000 Guineas and, as she won't be going to Newmarket, it is unlikely that she will make the Oaks. Hopefully, we will have her back for the second half of the season."

Muthabara and Spacious are now 5-1 joint favourites for the 1000 Guineas with the sponsors. Both have run twice, with Spacious, from the first crop of Nayef the winner of the Group Two May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

Muthabara won a Newbury maiden before taking a Listed contest at Salisbury last July, where she beat Lady Deauville. Owner Sheikh Hamdan's racing manager Angus Gold told At The Races: "I don't know quite why this has suddenly happened, all the bookmaker talk. She hasn't been asked any major questions yet but she did go, as has been widely reported, to Goodwood last weekend and Richard Hills went to ride her. Mr Dunlop [John, trainer] and Richard were both very happy with her, but like all fillies she could do with some warmer weather.

"She won both her starts impressively last year and looked a nice filly in the making before she had a little hold-up. She had a tiny hairline crack in her pelvis so obviously we had to give her some time off. She's come back and the signs are that she's moving well and has a lot of enthusiasm. She's showing plenty of speed and at the moment, all being well, we're aiming to run her in one of the trials next week and then take it from there."

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Monday 7 April 2008

James Fanshawe was out on the Newmarket gallops on Monday with 1000 Guineas favourite Spacious working under Jamie Spencer, with the trainer reporting: "Spacious, ridden by Jamie Spencer, worked with Cesare (Mark Denaro) and both of them worked nicely. Jamie felt Spacious had come on since he last rode her."

Sir Gerry also pleased connections. Fanshawe said: "Sir Gerry was ridden by Oscar Urbina and worked over a mile with a lead horse. Oscar was very happy with the way he relaxed in his work and he picked up nicely."

Henry Cecil's Twice Over is a 7-1 shot for the Derby and is to make his seasonal debut in next week's Craven Stakes ahead of a possible run in the 2000 Guineas.. Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, told At The Races: "He's done very well and worked nicely on Saturday, Henry was very pleased with him. He is relatively unexposed, but he is by Observatory so there is a reasonable question mark about him staying a mile and a half. He's out of a Caerleon mare though and he looks more of that type, but I think he'll probably go for the Craven next week and we'll see how he is from there.

"We'll see how he runs there and obviously if he goes very well we'd have to look at the 2000 Guineas. If he looked like he needed a bit further, then he might go for something like a Dante. He's not in the Derby yet, but we have an opportunity to put him in that tomorrow morning and I would think we'll do that."

"I'll have to speak to the Prince but I think Henry would be keen to do that, he is second-favourite for the Derby."

Dermot Weld has got his season off to a flying start and saddled a 118-1 treble at Leopardstown on Sunday that included wins in both the Group Three Guineas Trials.

Carribean Sunset landed the 1000 Guineas Trial over seven furlongs, fighting out the finish with Halfway To Heaven to get up by a head. Weld said of the Danehill Dancer filly: "Her run at Cork last time was in very deep ground and that's obviously brought her on. We'll now be looking at the Irish 1,000 Guineas for her next run." She has been cut to 25-1 for the Classic

Dual Group One winner Saoirse Abu was third, with Kevin Manning noting: "She was very fresh and got very buzzy down at the start. I'll be surprised if you don't see a very different filly when she runs next."

Aidan O'Brien's Psalm had her saddle slip soon after the start and she could finish only seventh.

Juddmonte homebred Famous Name was rather more impressive in the 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes over a mile and he can improve further.

Weld said of the Dansili colt: "He has developed into a bull of a colt and he is very smart. He was about 15kg over his optimum racing weight today, so he should come on well for the run. He could go for the Irish 2000 Guineas or the French Guineas depending on what his owner wants to do and I could see him staying a mile and a quarter, and possibly further."

The form compliments Ballydoyle's Jupiter Pluvius, who was firmly in control when beating Famous Name in the Group Three Killavullan Stakes last term.

Weld also struck with Unwritten Rule, who beat O'Brien's well=touted Derby hope Washington Irving. The pair are likely to meet again in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial.

At Longchamp, the Head family are hoping that Full Of Gold can emulate Bering by going on from victory in the Prix Noailles, where he just held on to beat fitter opponents, to win the Prix du Jockey Club in June.