Zakouski is the Word

[Wandering Eyes]

There is nothing better than a “buzz” horse at Newmarket’s Craven meeting and that monicker falls firmly on Godolphin’s Zakouski (GB) (Shamardal) in the feature Group 3 contest after which the fixture is named on Wednesday. That he is favoured over fellow Godolphin runner and the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Royal Marine (Ire) (Raven’s Pass), having won one race, is as telling as it is ridiculous. The sole racecourse evidence of his prowess came in a two-length defeat of Headman (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in receipt of seven pounds in a seven-furlong novice contest at Kempton in November, but it is what he has been achieving at home that has put him in this position.

“He’s done all the right things and has pleased us with what we’ve seen at home, but he’s favourite and we all know what that momentum is like at this time of year,” Appleby said at Newmarket on Tuesday. “Saeed’s horse brings a good level to the race and is the one we all have to beat. We think Zakouski is a nice horse who has developed well from two to three and it was a good performance at Kempton. I’m not going to get away from it, I like him and am expecting a big show. We’ll all find out where we are tomorrow. I think a mile is going to be his maximum and the nice thing is he switches off well, but he does show a lot of pace at home.”

Royal Marine comes via a try on Meydan’s dirt as Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) did 12 months ago and his distant fourth in the Jan. 10 UAE 2000 Guineas Trial means next to nothing in this context. It is a world away from his defeat of the subsequent group winners Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Shaman (Ire) (Shamardal) in the Lagardere and that was no surprise given how impressive he had been on the previous occasion in a seven-furlong Doncaster maiden. Bin Suroor is keen to have him back on grass.

“He is doing good and has been working well. He wintered in Dubai and was working well on the all-weather and the Tapeta, but he didn’t handle the dirt,” he explained. “We thought it was worth testing him, but you could tell from his action he didn’t like it. We hope he’ll have a good season back in Europe on the turf. Any rain would be good for him, because his two wins last year were on easy ground. He is in good form and is a tough horse.”

Outside of the Godolphin challenge, there is at least one other genuinely exciting prospect in Abdulla Al Khalifa’s Skardu (GB) (Shamardal) who was 33-1 but a thoroughly convincing winner of his sole start over seven furlongs here in September.

“Skardu has done well over the winter–I am very happy with him,” trainer William Haggas commented. “All he has done so far is win a maiden, which I wasn’t expecting because he ain’t that flash at home, but he won easily in a good time against a good field. He will come on for what he does on Wednesday, because it’s not his Derby at all–it’s a trial for a better race. He’s entered in the 2000 Guineas, although that’s not to say that he’s a definite runner–we will be much wiser about that after the Craven.”

Elsewhere on the card, which includes the much-cherished Wood Ditton S. for unraced 3-year-olds which has long been a staple of the meeting and which has drawn four runners from Shadwell, there is the G3 the Connaught Access Flooring Abernant S. Looking to defend his title from the last two years in the six-furlong sprint is Angie Bailey’s Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), but Godolphin’s lightly-raced Dreamfield (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) might have a say in matters. The 10-furlong novice race on the card for 3-year-olds who have not run more than once replaces the old “Museum Maiden” won by Commander In Chief in 1993. Along with the Feilden, it gives the Derby prospects a chance to show up and speaking of Epsom it features Godolphin’s Jalmoud (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), a Charlie Appleby-trained son of the Oaks heroine Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

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