King of Comedy Looking for Ideal Ascot Warm-Up

[Wandering Eyes]

‘TDN Rising Star’ King of Comedy (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) looks to springboard to Champions Day at Newmarket on Friday as Lady Bamford’s homebred tackles the G2 Shadwell Joel S. Reverting to a mile after a latest fourth in the G1 Juddmonte International at York Aug. 21, the June 18 G1 St James’s Palace S. runner-up sets the standard despite meeting the smart older performers Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). Hugo Lascelles, racing manager to Lady Bamford, is taking nothing for granted. “We’re hopeful, but there are one or two good horses up against him so it won’t be a walkover, that’s for sure,” he said. “He’s working well and John is happy with him going into the race. He put up a decent performance at York and the stiff mile at Newmarket should suit him well. He hasn’t won a group race yet, so we’ll take it one step at a time, but if all goes well on Friday we hope he will then head back to Ascot for the QEII.”

Fellow Rising Star Benbatl is making his belated seasonal debut in the Joel, having chased home Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October. He proved when successful in the G1 Dubai Turf, the G1 Grosser Dallmayr Preis and the G1 Ladbrokes S. last term that he is a top-class campaigner but his last win on English soil came in the 2017 G3 Hampton Court S. “His work has been good and he always shows his class in the mornings,” Saeed bin Suroor commented. “His last piece of work on the Watered Gallop on racecourse side was very good and we are very happy. A mile is a good trip for his first run and we will see how we go. I think he will need this race, but I’m hoping for a good run.”

In the G2 Shadwell Rockfel S., Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s Daahyeh (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) looks the one to beat on the basis of her win in the June 21 G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot and runner-up finishes in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. on the July Course here July 12 and the G1 Moyglare Stud S. at The Curragh Sept. 15. “Daahyeh ran great in the Moyglare on her first try at seven furlongs when she was coming back after a bit of a break,” trainer Roger Varian said. “It was a tight decision choosing between running her here or in the Cheveley Park Stakes on Saturday, but the long-term plan may include taking her over to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf over a longer trip, so it seemed sensible to stick at seven furlongs instead of yo-yoing back down to six.”

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum’s impressive Ascot debut scorer Cloak of Spirits (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) reverts to seven after running too free when sixth in the G2 May Hill S. over a mile at Doncaster Sept. 12, while Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s Festival Day (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) comes off a six-length Chepstow novice win 11 days previously. “It wouldn’t be something we usually do–throwing a horse in at the deep end so quickly–but this filly was showing enough early on to give her some entries at this sort of level,” Charlie Johnston explained. “Daahyeh sets a very good standard and will be a tough nut to crack. It’s a bit of a fact-finding mission for us, but we hope she’ll be competitive.”

Newmarket’s card also features the G3 Princess Royal Muhaarar S., where Princess Haya of Jordan’s Promissory (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) goes back against her own sex following a second to the subsequent G1 St Leger runner-up Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) in the G3 March S. over 14 furlongs at Goodwood Aug. 24. The two listed contests are intriguing affairs, with Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Listed Pretty Polly S. winner Maqsad (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) taking on John and Tanya Gunther’s Sept. 7 Ascot handicap winner She’s Got You (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the Rosemary and Ballydoyle’s G2 Beresford S. runner-up Mount Everest (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) looking for some momentum to his late-starting 3-year-old campaign in the Godolphin S.

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