Hungerford The Focus Of Saturday Fayre

[Wandering Eyes]

Newbury and Deauville offer the pick of the action on Saturday, with the former venue staging the seven-furlong G2 Ladyswood Stud Hungerford S. Carrying a three-pound penalty, the G3 Criterion S. and G2 Lennox S. winner Sir Dancealot (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) looks a specialist at this trip and will take some stopping despite his extra burden, while last year’s runner-up Librisa Breeze (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}) is coming right having finished fourth in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville 13 days ago. Trainer Dean Ivory is hoping that the 2017 G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint S. scorer is not backing up too quickly. “He ran well enough abroad last time. This race might come a bit quick, I don’t know, and we won’t know until we run him,” he said. “We’ve got the ground, so we’ve got to have a crack at it and give it a go. He got a bit boxed-in when second here last year and the ground wasn’t perfect. We’d be hoping for a better run this year.”

Despite holding favouritism for this welcome drop in trip, the June 19 G1 St James’s Palace S. runner-up Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has the class to win but comes from a Ballydoyle stable which continues to be in-and-out. Another 3-year-old with claims is Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s July 21 G3 Hackwood S. winner Yafta (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and trainer Richard Hannon said, “I think seven furlongs is his trip. He is in great form and if the ground becomes softer, it should suit him.”

On the supporting card, the 3-year-old St Leger candidate Raymond Tusk (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) takes on his elders in the G3 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Geoffrey Freer S. on the back of a win in the Listed Glasgow S. at Hamilton July 20. “He has been in good form and if they have any rain, that will suit him down to the ground,” trainer Richard Hannon commented. “He will get the trip and we like him a lot. He is taking on older horses, but I think the track will suit him and he is in good form. He has a lot of class and we’ve always thought the world of him. The St Leger is the main plan.” Charlie Appleby has a progressive 4-year-old in Hamada (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) in this and the way he dispatched his rivals in a Newmarket handicap last time July 13 suggests he is up to this standard. “Our horse is on an upward curve and it was always the plan to come here after Newmarket,” he said. “Hopefully this will be his last run before going to Australia. Obviously it depends on the result, but if he can finish in the first three, hopefully that will be enough to get him a run in the Melbourne Cup. After that, we’d have to decide whether we gave him a prep run in Australia or went straight for it.”

‘Rising Stars’ Out To Enhance Reputations…

There are some exciting juveniles in action in France and England, with the unbeaten Boitron (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) lining up for Newbury’s Listed Denford S., or Washington Singer as it was known in the days of Lammtarra et al, and Godolphin’s ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Al Hilalee (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) putting his reputation on the line in Deauville’s Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l’Elevage. The former caught the eye when winning with ease despite blowing the start over six furlongs here July 12 before defying a penalty in a Doncaster novices event at this seven-furlong trip Aug. 4. “He is a gorgeous horse and is a proper two-year-old,” trainer Richard Hannon said of Boitron, who was bought into by Gerard Augustin-Normand after his racecourse bow. “His maiden was very impressive and if we get rain-softened ground, that would suit him. He should have an excellent chance.” Charlie Appleby said of his Deauville raider, “I think Al Hilalee won on raw ability at Newmarket, as he was very green that day. Mentally he’s come forward since then and I think the step up to a mile will suit him. I think he’s a middle-distance horse for next year really. He’s got a stout pedigree.”

Also at Deauville, the G2 Shadwell Prix du Calvados features the sponsors’ ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Tasleya (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who bids to build on an impressive 3 1/2-length debut success here July 29 and go one better than her smart dam Mashoora (Ire) (Barathea {Ire}) who was runner-up to Elusive Kate (Elusive Quality) in the 2011 edition. Al Shira’aa Farms’ Sicilia (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was another to take the eye when winning over six here July 31 and the relative of Footstepsinthesand (GB) is held in high esteem by Carlos Laffon-Parias, while the omnipresent Charlie Appleby stable is represented by the July 28 G3 Prix Six Perfections winner Beyond Reason (Ire) (Australia {GB}). “She is a course-and-distance winner, obviously. I think she’s got to step up again to win on Saturday, but we feel that she has,” her trainer said. “She’s a very nice, straightforward filly and if she can just raise her game a notch, then she should be bang there.”

The G2 Shadwell Prix de la Nonette also has an Appleby trainee engaged in the returning Listed Montrose Fillies’ S. winner Hadith (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), while Godolphin’s main chance seems to be the Andre Fabre-trained Musis Amica (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) who is having her first outing since finishing a neck second to Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) when runner-up in the G1 Prix de Diane over 10 1/2 furlongs at Chantilly June 17. “Musis Amica has been very impressive in defeat on her last two outings,” the operation’s Lisa-Jane Graffard commented. “We are still a bit perplexed about her true attributes, such as whether she needs further or softer ground. This race will hopefully act as a springboard for the second half of the season and we want to see how she gets on before making any further plans.” Appleby said of Hadith, “She hasn’t run since she won the Montrose as a two-year-old, but she’s a filly we’ve always liked. She had a small setback in the spring and we said we’d save her for an autumn campaign. Her preparation has gone well and I hope she’ll be competitive, but whatever she does, I’m sure she’ll improve from it.”

 

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