Fillies to the fore
There were some impressive performances by fillies on Saturday afternoon.
Tiggy Wiggy (5/2f) was a class apart in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury. Richard Hannon’s filly was carrying top weight but that was no hindrance as she stormed clear under jockey Richard Hughes to win by six lengths from Haxby (Roger Varian, Andrea Atzeni, 10/1).
She holds an entry in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York at the end of August.
Mark Johnston’s Kosika (8/1) made it three wins inside a month with victory in the one mile fillies’ handicap (2.05 Newbury). The four-year-old was always at the front and her rivals let her go for home unchallenged.
At Newmarket Shelley Birkett rode Noble Protector (12/1) to success in the Aphrodite Stakes, a listed race for fillies. The 3/1f Criteria was well held, 5 lengths back in second place.
Doom Bar Stakes, Newbury 2.40
Al Kazeem could not make it a winning return to the racecourse after a spell at stud. Roger Charlton’s six-year-old was backed in from 15/8 to 11/10 but ‘match fitness’ seemed to count as he faded in the final furlong.
Horse to note: Vancouverite, having his first run since the Dubai World Cup in March, just beaten a short head, drifted from 7/1 to 10/1.
Sweet on Candy
Henry Candy has had a couple of fine winners in recent days in the shape of Music Master (Hackwood Stakes, Newbury) and the unbeaten Limato (Rose Bowl Stakes, Newbury).
Showing posts with label Al Kazeem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Al Kazeem. Show all posts
19 July 2014
20 August 2013
Racing Preview: York’s Ebor Festival
York’s Ebor Festival begins on Wednesday and provides four days of good racing and entertainment.
Wednesday’s card includes the Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2) and Sir Michael Stoute’s much vaunted Telescope is favourite. The colt was beaten by a length in the Betfred Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock Park last time when 4/9f.
In the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes Al Kazeem faces five rivals in his bid to go five races unbeaten this season.
Roger Charlton’s horse has already won three Group One races this season: the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Group 1), the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1), and the Coral-Eclipse (Group 1).
His rivals include Toronado, winner of the Qipco Sussex Stakes last time, and Irish Derby winner Trading Leather.
The rest of the week features the Darley Yorkshire Oaks, the Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Lonsdale Cup, Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes, the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes, and the Betfred Ebor Heritage Handicap.
Wednesday’s card includes the Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2) and Sir Michael Stoute’s much vaunted Telescope is favourite. The colt was beaten by a length in the Betfred Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock Park last time when 4/9f.
In the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes Al Kazeem faces five rivals in his bid to go five races unbeaten this season.
Roger Charlton’s horse has already won three Group One races this season: the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Group 1), the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1), and the Coral-Eclipse (Group 1).
His rivals include Toronado, winner of the Qipco Sussex Stakes last time, and Irish Derby winner Trading Leather.
The rest of the week features the Darley Yorkshire Oaks, the Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Lonsdale Cup, Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes, the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes, and the Betfred Ebor Heritage Handicap.
06 July 2013
Race Day Betting: Coral-Eclipse
The winner of the Coral-Eclipse Stakes could be determined by how well the contenders take their racing. Six of the seven runners were engaged at Royal Ascot just over a fortnight ago, whilst the seventh, Pastorius, was running in Singapore in mid-May. Have the horses recovered from their races and can they deliver another full-blooded performance?
Aidan O’Brien has said of Declaration Of War that he “is in good form, he came out of Ascot well.” But he added: "Going a mile and a quarter at the top level is different. We should learn a lot about him for the rest of the year. It's very sharp after Ascot.”
Speaking to At The Races, Al Kazeem’s trainer Roger Charlton explained: "There are no rules [as to how fast horses recover]. Ideally you would probably want three weeks, but the fact is there is only 17 days and it is hard to tell. He's in good form and I think he's recovered, but who knows. The Fugue and Mukhadram all ran in the same race [at Royal Ascot], so it will be interesting to see how they compare.”
John Gosden is more upbeat about his charge The Fugue, the only filly in the race: "She did it all fine at Ascot and you'd expect her to come on for the run. The race has brought her on and we expect her to run well."
The Fugue was left with too much to do at Ascot, when trying to catch Mukhadram and eventual winner Al Kazeem. If Paul Hanagan tries to steal a lead on his rivals again this time they must surely be quicker to respond this time and William Buick will have to have The Fugue better positioned to cover the move. With Ascot being the filly’s first run of the season, there should be some improvement to come from that race.
Pastorius was poor in the International Cup in Singapore but trainer Mario Hofer believes the performance can be discounted and the horse finished the race with cuts to his front legs. Pastorius is the only horse to have had a good break since his last race and that could give him an edge over his rivals. He is a Group 1 winner and a double-figure price looks too tempting given his experience. Good ground is no problem for him but good to firm going is more of an unknown.
The selections are The Fugue (4/1 with Skybet) and Pastorius (10/1 with Skybet).
Aidan O’Brien has said of Declaration Of War that he “is in good form, he came out of Ascot well.” But he added: "Going a mile and a quarter at the top level is different. We should learn a lot about him for the rest of the year. It's very sharp after Ascot.”
Speaking to At The Races, Al Kazeem’s trainer Roger Charlton explained: "There are no rules [as to how fast horses recover]. Ideally you would probably want three weeks, but the fact is there is only 17 days and it is hard to tell. He's in good form and I think he's recovered, but who knows. The Fugue and Mukhadram all ran in the same race [at Royal Ascot], so it will be interesting to see how they compare.”
John Gosden is more upbeat about his charge The Fugue, the only filly in the race: "She did it all fine at Ascot and you'd expect her to come on for the run. The race has brought her on and we expect her to run well."
The Fugue was left with too much to do at Ascot, when trying to catch Mukhadram and eventual winner Al Kazeem. If Paul Hanagan tries to steal a lead on his rivals again this time they must surely be quicker to respond this time and William Buick will have to have The Fugue better positioned to cover the move. With Ascot being the filly’s first run of the season, there should be some improvement to come from that race.
Pastorius was poor in the International Cup in Singapore but trainer Mario Hofer believes the performance can be discounted and the horse finished the race with cuts to his front legs. Pastorius is the only horse to have had a good break since his last race and that could give him an edge over his rivals. He is a Group 1 winner and a double-figure price looks too tempting given his experience. Good ground is no problem for him but good to firm going is more of an unknown.
The selections are The Fugue (4/1 with Skybet) and Pastorius (10/1 with Skybet).
04 July 2013
Racing Preview: Coral-Eclipse Stakes
The Coral-Eclipse Stakes is run at Sandown Park over a distance of one mile, two furlongs (10 furlongs) and in 2013 has a first prize of £241, 018. It is a Group 1 contest and forms part of the Qipco British Champions Series.
The race was first run in 1886 and takes its name from a great racehorse of the 1760s. Eclipse was unbeaten in 18 races and went on to sire three of the first five Derby winners. The race pitches the Classic generation of three-year-olds against the older horses in a middle distance contest.
In the last 12 runnings of the Eclipse there have been three three-year-old winners: Sea The Stars (2009), Oratorio (2005), and Hawk Wing (2002). Oratorio and Hawk Wing were both trained by Aidan O’Brien and he enters the only three-year-old in the 2013 race in the form of Mars. The Galileo colt has finished sixth in the 2000 Guineas, sixth in the Epsom Derby, and third in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
It is common for runners in the Coral-Eclipse to have raced at Royal Ascot just a few weeks before, often in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes over the same distance. Indeed, Al Kazeem, Mukhadram, The Fugue, and Miblish all lined up in that race at Royal Ascot 2013 with the first three listed filling the places.
Aidan O’Brien’s other runner in the race, Declaration Of War, won the Queen Anne Stakes over a straight mile (8f) at Royal Ascot but has also won over 10 furlongs.
The final contender in the seven runner field is the German colt Pastorius. The four-year-old has been a globe-trotter in recent months, contesting the Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot last October, the Group 1 Prix Ganay at Longchamps in April, and the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji in May.
Recent years have seen several short-priced favourites win the race, a sequence broken last year by Nathanial (7/2), who denied 11/4 favourite Farhh (subsequent winner of the 2013 JLT Lockinge Stakes) by half a length.
The race was first run in 1886 and takes its name from a great racehorse of the 1760s. Eclipse was unbeaten in 18 races and went on to sire three of the first five Derby winners. The race pitches the Classic generation of three-year-olds against the older horses in a middle distance contest.
In the last 12 runnings of the Eclipse there have been three three-year-old winners: Sea The Stars (2009), Oratorio (2005), and Hawk Wing (2002). Oratorio and Hawk Wing were both trained by Aidan O’Brien and he enters the only three-year-old in the 2013 race in the form of Mars. The Galileo colt has finished sixth in the 2000 Guineas, sixth in the Epsom Derby, and third in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
It is common for runners in the Coral-Eclipse to have raced at Royal Ascot just a few weeks before, often in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes over the same distance. Indeed, Al Kazeem, Mukhadram, The Fugue, and Miblish all lined up in that race at Royal Ascot 2013 with the first three listed filling the places.
Aidan O’Brien’s other runner in the race, Declaration Of War, won the Queen Anne Stakes over a straight mile (8f) at Royal Ascot but has also won over 10 furlongs.
The final contender in the seven runner field is the German colt Pastorius. The four-year-old has been a globe-trotter in recent months, contesting the Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot last October, the Group 1 Prix Ganay at Longchamps in April, and the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji in May.
Recent years have seen several short-priced favourites win the race, a sequence broken last year by Nathanial (7/2), who denied 11/4 favourite Farhh (subsequent winner of the 2013 JLT Lockinge Stakes) by half a length.
27 June 2013
Royal Ascot 2013: A New Generation Of Jockeys
With the likes of Kieren Fallon and Frankie Dettori failing to notch a winner at the Royal Ascot meeting in 2013 it did have the feel of a changing of the guard in the jockeys’ ranks, as some of the younger names came to the fore.
Joseph O’Brien is still only 20 years old but has already won a host of big international races. At the Royal meeting in 2013 he recorded three wins, finishing second in the top jockey table behind Johnny Murtagh.
25-year-old James Doyle matched O’Brien’s three wins in the space of just three rides, with an incredible hat-trick of victories on the second afternoon of the Royal meeting. Al Kazeem’s win in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes was the jockey’s first Royal Ascot winner.
It was also good to see some recent champion apprentices be successful at the Royal Meeting. The likes of William Buick (champion apprentice 2008), Tom Queally (2004), and Martin Harley (2011) all had a winner each.
Adam Kirby, Richard Kingscote, and Billy Lee were three more young jockeys who put in notable winning performances at Royal Ascot 2013.
Joseph O’Brien is still only 20 years old but has already won a host of big international races. At the Royal meeting in 2013 he recorded three wins, finishing second in the top jockey table behind Johnny Murtagh.
25-year-old James Doyle matched O’Brien’s three wins in the space of just three rides, with an incredible hat-trick of victories on the second afternoon of the Royal meeting. Al Kazeem’s win in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes was the jockey’s first Royal Ascot winner.
It was also good to see some recent champion apprentices be successful at the Royal Meeting. The likes of William Buick (champion apprentice 2008), Tom Queally (2004), and Martin Harley (2011) all had a winner each.
Adam Kirby, Richard Kingscote, and Billy Lee were three more young jockeys who put in notable winning performances at Royal Ascot 2013.
19 June 2013
Royal Ascot 2013: Day 2
Day two of Royal Ascot began in the same manner as the first day with the opening race going to Aidan O’Brien and Ballydoyle. This time it was Gale Force Ten (9/2f) in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes, showing great resilience to win by a head from Montiridge (15/2) for Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes.
The newly named Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (formerly the Windsor Forest Stakes) went the way of Duntle (10/3) for David Wachman. There was no sentimental win for Lady Cecil’s Chigun (11/4f) who finished back in sixth.
Jockey James Doyle rode his first Royal Ascot winner in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes – not a bad way to start – aboard Al Kazeem (11/4). Doyle was quickly alert to the threat from Paul Hanagan aboard Mukhadram (14/1) who had stolen an easy lead on his rivals and was trying to steal the race from the front. But Al Kazeem gradually caught up to him and was ahead by a neck at the line.
Doyle then immediately doubled his tally of Royal Ascot winners by following up in the Royal Hunt Cup aboard Belgian Bill (33/1) with Premio Loco (40/1) in second.
The jockey completed an amazing 891/1 treble by riding Rizeena (6/1) to victory in the Queen Mary Stakes for Clive Brittain.
"I'd have taken one [win] but three is unbelievable!" the delighted Doyle told Channel 4 Racing.
The concluding handicap for fillies, the Sandringham Handicap, went to Annecdote (11/1) in a close four-way finish. The win gave trainer Jonathan Portman his first victory at the Royal meeting. Ed Dunlop's Auction (16/1) was the runner-up by a neck with Woodland Aria (7/1) a further neck back in third.
The newly named Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (formerly the Windsor Forest Stakes) went the way of Duntle (10/3) for David Wachman. There was no sentimental win for Lady Cecil’s Chigun (11/4f) who finished back in sixth.
Jockey James Doyle rode his first Royal Ascot winner in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes – not a bad way to start – aboard Al Kazeem (11/4). Doyle was quickly alert to the threat from Paul Hanagan aboard Mukhadram (14/1) who had stolen an easy lead on his rivals and was trying to steal the race from the front. But Al Kazeem gradually caught up to him and was ahead by a neck at the line.
Doyle then immediately doubled his tally of Royal Ascot winners by following up in the Royal Hunt Cup aboard Belgian Bill (33/1) with Premio Loco (40/1) in second.
The jockey completed an amazing 891/1 treble by riding Rizeena (6/1) to victory in the Queen Mary Stakes for Clive Brittain.
"I'd have taken one [win] but three is unbelievable!" the delighted Doyle told Channel 4 Racing.
The concluding handicap for fillies, the Sandringham Handicap, went to Annecdote (11/1) in a close four-way finish. The win gave trainer Jonathan Portman his first victory at the Royal meeting. Ed Dunlop's Auction (16/1) was the runner-up by a neck with Woodland Aria (7/1) a further neck back in third.
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