Monday, April 26, 2004
BIG GUNS STAND THEIR GROUND FOR ULTIMATEBET.COM GUINEAS FESTIVAL
The long time ante-post favourite, ONE COOL CAT, is one of 21 horses confirmed today for Saturday's £300,000 UltimateBet.com 2000 Guineas, while the 18 confirmed for Sunday's UltimateBet.com 1000 Guineas include SILCA'S GIFT, who has been supplemented at a cost of £25,000. That takes the prize pool for the fillies' race up to £322,750*, the first time in its history that it will have been worth more than the colts' classic.
Also amongst the entries for the UltimateBet.com 2000 Guineas are the much vaunted SNOW RIDGE, one of 4 Godolphin confirmations in the race, the runaway bet365 Craven Stakes winner, HAAFHD (Barry Hills), the impressive David Oldrey Conditions Stakes winner, IQTE SAAB (John Dunlop), and the smooth Lane's End Greenham Stakes winner, SALFORD CITY (David Elsworth).
Aidan O'Brien has 3 other confirmations in addition to ONE COOL CAT, while both GREY SWALLOW (Dermot Weld) and AZAMOUR (John Oxx) have also stood their ground for Ireland. WHIPPER (Robert Collet), with proven Group 1 form to his name, flies the flag for France. Despite their recent classic trial defeats, MILK IT MICK and THREE VALLEYS, first and second in last year's Darley Dewhurst Stakes, remain on course for the race.
In the UltimateBet.com 1000 Guineas, Godolphin have a strong team of 3 left in - CARRY ON KATIE, CAIRNS and SUNDROP - while RED BLOOM (Sir Michael Stoute) has stood her ground despite an injury scare over the weekend. With SILCA'S GIFT, so impressive in the Shadwell Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes, now joining the Dubai Duty Free Fred Darling Stakes winner, MAJESTIC DESERT, Mick Channon has a very strong hand in the race.
Mark Johnston's flying filly ATTRACTION has stood her ground together with the impressive Turftours.com Masaka Stakes winner, HATHRAH (John Dunlop). Aidan O'Brien has confirmed both NECKLACE and KISSES FOR ME, while NATALIYA (John Dunlop), PHANTOM WIND (John Gosden) and SPOTLIGHT (John Dunlop) will need to come on for their recent classic trial outings.
In the £100,000 UltimateBet.com Jockey Club Stakes 16 horses have stood their ground including BRIAN BORU and POWERSCOURT from Ballydoyle, DUBAI SUCCESS and GAMUT, who fought out the finish to the Dubai Irish Village John Porter Stakes, and MILLENARY, winner of this race in 2001 and runner-up in the last two years. MARTALINE (Andre Fabre) is the sole French challenger.
"It's fantastic to see that the introduction of the supplementary entry stage has worked in the very first year with the addition of SILCA'S GIFT," commented Newmarket's Clerk of the Course, Michael Prosser. "We couldn't have asked for more in the two classics - all the top horses are there. We should be in for a cracking weekend."
* NOTE: following a revision to the supplementary entry system, the racecourse now receives the cumulative total of all the usual entry stages towards its prize money fund (i.e. in this case £650 to enter, £1,150 to stay in at the forfeit stage and £450 at the confirmation stage - £2,250 in total). The balance, in this case £22,750, is added to the total prize fund.
RAIN HIGHLY LIKELY THIS WEEK
The going at Newmarket is currently Good-to-Firm. The latest weather forecast for the area is:
Showers coming in tonight and into Tuesday morning. A more organised band of rain and showers coming in Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Some of the showers could be thundery and heavy. By midday on Wednesday it is estimated that Newmarket might have had 6 to 8 millimetres of rain.
Michael Prosser said: "After the warm, dry weather of the last few days, we could do with some rain. Only if it fails to materialise might I have to give some consideration to watering, though there is more unsettled weather due at the end of the week so for now it is a question of waiting and seeing what happens over the next 48 hours."
£1000 FOR THE STABLE LAD OR GIRL IN CHARGE OF THE ULTIMATEBET.COM GUINEAS WINNERS
The lad or girl in charge of the winner of the Ultimatebet.com 2000 Guineas on Saturday and the UltimateBet.com 1000 Guineas on Sunday will each receive £1,000 in cash courtesy of the sponsors. In addition the lad or girl in charge of the best turned out horse in each race, plus the Ultimatebet.com Jockey Club Stakes, will receive £100.
"UltimateBet.com have put a great deal of hard work, backed up by considerable investment, into their Guineas Festival sponsorship and I hope that this excellent gesture will be well received," commented Newmarket's Managing Director, Lisa Hancock.
STAGE SET FOR SUPERB PUNCHESTOWN FESTIVAL
An outstanding four-day Irish National Hunt Festival, beginning at Punchestown tomorrow (Tuesday, April 27), is in prospect with top-class performers from both sides of the Irish Sea set to compete for record prize money of over EUR1.7 million.
Moscow Flyer, the best two-mile chaser of recent years, will be a warm order to land the Grade 1 BETDAQ.com Champion Chase tomorrow at 3.15pm, in which he faces six rivals, while the Grade 3 Ellier Developments Novice Chase at 2.40pm may only have four runners but is nevertheless a fascinating event.
Lord Sam, trained by Victor Dartnall in Devon, is unbeaten over fences and makes his eagerly-awaited reappearance after missing Cheltenham and Aintree with an infection and his Punchestown rivals are Hi Cloy, winner of the Grade 1 Powers Gold Cup on his latest start, Nil Desperandum, who is expected to come on for his third place in that event, and Sum Leader.
There are 13 declared in the Grade 1 Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle at 3.50pm and all eyes will be on the clash between Brave Inca, winner of the Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, and the Steve Gollings-trained Royal Shakespeare, a stylish winner at Aintree. The Willie Mullins-trained Royal Alphabet, successful in all three of his starts over hurdles, adds further interest to the two-mile event.
Wednesday's card is headed by the Grade 1 Punchestown Heineken Gold Cup at 3.50pm, in which last year's winner, the French-trained First Gold, looks set to meet Cheltenham Gold Cup third Harbour Pilot, Michael Hourigan's stable star Beef Or Salmon, Rince Ri and the Royal & SunAlliance Chase winner Rule Supreme.
Nicky Henderson, who sent over Royal Rosa to capture the Grade 1 Paddy Power Champion INH Flat Race (5pm on Wednesday) 12 months ago, has entered Foxton Brook against some useful rivals including seven five-day entries from Willie Mullins' stable, Aintree bumper runner-up Young Scotton and Best Mate's half-sister Sidalcea, trained by Edward O'Grady.
Wednesday's concluding Cox's Cash & Carry Champion Hunters Chase at 5.35pm could see recent Cheltenham winner Bright Approach take on some of the top Irish performers.
All eyes will be on the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Iris's Gift on Thursday when he lines up for the Grade 1 Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers' Hurdle at 4.20pm as he bids to emulate the great Istabraq by winning graded races at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown festivals in the same season. A 50-strong supporting party is travelling over with the grey's Cheshire-based owner Robert Lester.
Iris's Gift's stablemates Hasty Prince, a convincing winner at Sandown on Friday, and Rhinestone Cowboy, the Grade 1 Martell Cognac Aintree Hurdle victor, are other possibles along with the Nicky Henderson-trained Mon Villez and Sunny Flight, trained in France by Arnaud Chaille-Chaille for race sponsor Sean Mulryan.
The preceding Grade 1 Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase at 3.50pm on Thursday could feature the likes of the Tom Taaffe-trained Kicking King and Hi Cloy.
The Colm McEvoy Auctioneers Championship 4YO Hurdle at 3.15pm on Thursday features an intriguing clash between Made In Japan, the JCB Triumph Hurdle winner at Cheltenham, and Al Eile, who turned the tables on that rival in the four-year-old hurdle at Aintree.
Last year's winner Buailtes And Fadas, the Martin Pipe-trained Sulphur Springs and Ferdy Murphy's Luzcadou are among those entered in the Quins Of Baltinglass Chase for the La Touche Cup over Punchestown's unique banks course at 2.40pm on Thursday.
Friday's Grade 1 Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at 3.45pm has attracted 14 entries at today's five-day confirmation stage and the two-mile event is shaping into a classic. The Smurfit Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace is set to reoppose last year's Cheltenham winner and this season's runner-up Rooster Booster.
Roscoff, trained by Arnaud Chaille-Chaille, has been supplemted today for the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at cost of EUR16,000 while the 2003 winner Quazar, trained by Jonjo O'Neill, is also engaged as are his stablemates Rhinestone Cowboy and Hasty Prince. Solerina, trained by James Bowe, could also be in the line up after two wins on the Flat.
Brave Inca and Royal Shakespeare both remain in Friday's Grade 1 Menolly Homes Champion Novice Hurdle (4.55pm) in which other notable entries include the Willie Mullins-trained Sadler's Wings and Be Fair, who is unbeaten over hurdles in three starts for Newmarket trainer Don Cantillon but has not run since November.
The valuable EUR90,000 Sharp Minds Betfair Novice Handicap Chase at 4.20pm on Friday has 32 remaining entries after today's five-day stage with the seven trained in Britain including Rosslea, representing the Best Mate connections of owner Jim Lewis and trainer Henrietta Knight.
No less than 38 British trainers as well as two from France have entered horses for this year's Irish National Hunt Festival, either at the early-closing or five-day stages, and Dick O'Sullivan, Punchestown's General Manager, is delighted with the interest in this year's fixture.
"Virtually every major stable in Britain as well as a host of smaller yards will be represented at Punchestown this week, competing for record prize money against the best performers in Ireland," said O'Sullivan.
"Following First Gold's historic first French-trained victory at the Irish National Hunt Festival last year we are delighted to see him entered again as well as further French entries from Arnaud Chaille-Chaille. The stage is set for four fantastic days of racing."
Punchestown's Racing Manager, Richie Galway, reports the course to be in perfect shape ahead of the Festival with the ground now Yielding.
"We had no rain on Sunday night and it has been dry and bright this morning," Galway said today. "The forecast is to cloud over this afternoon with the chance of an odd shower that may produce about one millimetre of rain. The weather should remain mostly dry tonight with the chance of some light showers during the day tomorrow."
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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