A point worth taking to Ascot
Charlie Appleby has nominated Blue Point in the G1 Commonwealth Cup on Friday, June 23 as his stable’s best chance at Royal Ascot next week.
Appleby, who expects to have around 20 runners over the five days, is pleased with the progress shown by the sharp Shamardal colt.
“He has done particularly well since winning the G3 Pavilion Stakes at Ascot, and the Commonwealth has been his target since last Autumn,” Appleby pointed out.
In the Pavilion Stakes, Blue Point beat Harry Angel by a length and a half when in receipt of 4lb. The latter has since been purchased by Godophin and will reoppose.
Blue Point finished a respectable third to Churchill in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last October, and although only beaten a length and three-quarters, the run indicated he would be better suited to sprinting.
“My view was that it was better to find out early, rather than running in Classic trials and then having to come back in distance mid-season,” Appleby explained.
“Blue Point has always been at the top table. He knows nothing else, and he has never been out of the first three in seven starts. He is my best chance next week,” he added.
Appleby also mentioned Frontiersman, runner-up in Epsom’s G1 Coronation Cup, as a major hope in the G2 Hardwicke Stakes, which promises to be one of the most interesting all week.
“He is still very raw,” Appleby said. “He has come out of Epsom very well and is going the right way at present.
“It was a big step up for him in the Coronation Cup, as he is very babyish in some ways. But he coped, and I feel he will be more comfortable back on a conventional course such as Ascot.
“A major factor in his favour is that he has proven himself competitive in G1 company, and often you need to be a G1 horse to win the Hardwicke,” he said.
Other key prospects flagged up by Appleby are Culturati in the Wokingham Handicap, Endless Time in the G1 Gold Cup, as well as Masar in the G3 Chesham Stakes.
‘Snow’ fit and ready for return clash at Ascot
Thunder Snow, the globetrotting star of Godolphin Stables, is ready to do battle again with his formidable rival Churchill in Tuesday’s G1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
He is set to lead Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor’s team into Britain’s most glamorous and important five-day race meeting.
No three-year-old trained in Europe has embarked on such a demanding international campaign in the first half of the season as Thunder Snow.
The Helmet colt recorded the most courageous of wins in the G2 UAE Derby at Meydan in March before his disappointing trip to Churchill Downs, where he was pulled up after 50 yards in the G1 Kentucky Derby.
He then bounced back to finish second to Churchill, beaten two and a half lengths, in the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas at Curragh.
If anything, Thunder Snow seems to be thriving on the rigours of the campaign, but Saeed is not underestimating the task ahead. He has the greatest respect for the opposition this week.
“Thunder Snow tries hard in his races, but Churchill beat him comfortably at the Curragh, and that colt is again the one to beat.
“He is our best horse, and he has done very well after coming back home from Ireland. He will run well, but it is a very tough race,” he added.
Saeed is awaiting the arrival in Britain of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed before finalising his Ascot plans. “I will discuss all the horses with Sheikh Mohammed first,” the trainer said.
Beautiful Romance in Thursday’s G1 Ascot Gold Cup will no doubt be a subject for discussion between owner and trainer.
The New Approach mare, fifth in last year’s G2 Hardwicke Stakes, finished an excellent seventh in the G1 Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington, Australia, in November before winning the G2 Zipping Classic, over 2,400m (a mile and a half) at Sandown (Australia).
She then travelled to Dubai where she won the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, over 2,800m (a mile and three quarters) and finished second to Vazirabad in the two-mile Gold Cup.
“She hasn’t been showing me a lot in the mornings here at Newmarket,” Saeed said. “She’s a very good two-mile filly, we know that, but I want to see something in her next piece of serious work,” he pointed out.
Saeed said that plans for two of his G1 Derby runners, Benbatl (5th at Epsom) and Dubai Thunder (11th), depend on weather and ground. “Ideally, we want some rain for them,” he pointed out.
fonte : Godolphin
MARTEDÌ 13 GIUGNO 2017. Francia: Verso il Prix de Diane G1 di domenica. Ecco le 20 rimaste. La campionessa Precieuse acquistata da Peter Brant
Il fine settimana Europeo include molta Francia. Domenica in programma c’è il Prix de Diane G1 e le news riguardanti l’ultimo forfait vedono al momento 20 cavalle rimaste, prima dell’ultimo step per le eventuali supplementazioni di giovedì e la dichiarazione ufficiale dei partenti di venerdì. A parte le locali, al momento sembra siano 5 le cavalle provenienti dall’estero in procinto di salire sul volo verso Chantilly. Dall’Irlanda Aidan O’Brien non ha ancora chiarito il suo programma, ma ne ha dentro ancora 3 e sono la piazzata di Ghinee e Oaks Rhododendron (Galileo). A supporto le candidature di Roly Poly (War Front) e Pocketfullofdreams (Invincible Spirit), che dopo i chiari compiti di battistrada sinora attribuitole, ha corso la scorsa settimana al Curragh in maiden senza emergere. Dall’Inghilterra è annunciata la vincitrice del Prix Saint-Alary Sobetsu (Dubawi) per Godolphin, deludente nelle Oaks di Epsom dove è giunta ottava di nove.
John Gosden è molto probabile partecipi con Shutter Speed (Dansili), imbattuta in 3 uscite tra cui le Musidora Stakes G3 ed una condizionata, quella del rientro, dove si è tenuta bene dietro Enable (Nathaniel), vincitrice poi delle Oaks inglesi.
Tra le francesi ci sarà la vincitrice del Cleopatre G3 Terrakova (Galileo), la figlia della grande Goldikova, Sistercharlie (Myboycharlie), vincitrice del Prix Penelope G3 ed acquistata dal White Birch Farm (che ha completato proprio nelle scorse ore l’acquisto anche di Precieuse di cui parleremo dopo), poi la vincitrice del Prix de Royaumont Kitesurf (Dubawi), ed ancora Senga (Blame), Monroe Bay (Makfi), Onthemoonagain (Cape Cross), quest’ultima allenata da Rouget per Augustin Normand e probabilmente montata da Cristian Demuro qualora dovesse correre, mentre dal riferimento delle Poule d’Essai des Pouliches ci sarà la quarta arrivata Wajnah (Redoute’s Choice). Intanto Cristian Demuro ha messo nel carniere un’altra Listed; è accaduto lunedì nel Prix Melisande per femmine di 3 anni in sella alla Pia Brandt-trained Normandel (Le Havre).
Poco fa abbiamo anticipato anche di una trattativa che si è concretizzata nelle scorse ore. Completiamo l’analisi dicendo che Precieuse (Tamayuz), vincitrice della Classica rosa, è stata venduta dai suoi proprietari allevatori Brendan and Anne-Marie Hayes a Peter Brant della White Birch Farm. Rimarrà in training a Chantilly da Fabrice Chappet, e verrà supplementata per le Coronation Stakes G1 del venerdì del Royal Ascot. Brant, proprietario ed allevatore del campione Gulch (Mr. Prospector), lo scorso anno ha investito in una parte del Wildenstein Stables Dispersal a Goffs, spendendo oltre un milione alle Orby Sale per una femmina da Dansili ed altri cavalli in training.
Vale la pena dire che nella giornata sono in programma anche il Prix Hocquart Longines G2 per 3 anni sui 2400 metri (che poteva essere un traguardo utile per capire il valore dei nostri 3 anni da distanza, vedi Mac Mahon e soci) mentre sabato 17 sempre a Chantilly c’è il Prix Paul de Moussac G3, ideale per i primi 3 del Parioli per misurarsi ancora con i coetanei dello stesso segmento, ma in Europa.
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