BENBAUN GIVEN DARLEY JULY CUP ENTRY - DARLEY JULY CUP COULD BE ON THE KINGSGATE NATIVE AGENDA
Crack sprinter Benbaun is among 66 top-class contenders entered for the Group One Darley July Cup at Newmarket on Friday, July 11, the final day of the Ritz Club July Festival, which for the first time this year is part of the prestigious Global Sprint Challenge.
The Darley July Cup, which this year carries record prize money of £400,000, has attracted a fantastic international entry that includes three speedsters from Australia and one from New Zealand, as well as 14 trained in Ireland and five from France.
Benbaun enjoyed a tremendous run of success in 2007, winning four of his six starts including the Group One Prix de l’Abbaye over five furlongs at Longchamp in October.
The Mark Wallace-trained seven-year-old saw off a top-class field of sprinters as he drew two lengths clear of Kingsgate Native in the Paris spectacle and the trainer is looking forward to a first tilt at the speed test on Newmarket’s historic July Course.
The Newmarket handler revealed today: “Benbaun hasn’t run in the Darley July Cup in previous years but he has a Group One penalty this season so he probably has to take in more of the top races now.
“He’ll start off in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh in three weeks and then we may run him twice at Royal Ascot, we’re not sure yet. We’ll probably run him in the King’s Stand and see how he is before considering the Golden Jubilee, and then we’ll see about the Darley July Cup afterwards.
“I was delighted with him last season. You don’t get many sprinters that win four out of six in the year, all in Group races, so I was really thrilled and if he could do it all again I’d be even more delighted.”
Benbaun’s only disappointment came when last of 13 behind Sacred Kingdom in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint in December, but Wallace believes his charge is firing again after a break.
He continued: “His last run in Hong Kong is one to forget. It was the end of a long season and there was a lot of travelling. You don’t win all those Group races, and especially Group Ones, without taking something out of you. He was a bit light after Hong Kong but looks great now. He’s a picture and I’m delighted with him.”
Benbaun could lock horns again with Prix de l’Abbaye second Kingsgate Native, who enjoyed a phenomenal two-year-old campaign, defeating his elders in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August prior to his runner-up finish at Longchamp.
Trainer John Best is looking forward to pitching his charge in against his elders once more as he prepares the Mujadil colt for a three-year-old campaign that will begin at Royal Ascot.
Best revealed today: “We want to keep our options open. He’s entered at Royal Ascot where the King’s Stand Stakes will be his first port of call and we’ll decide after that whether we step him up to six furlongs in the Darley July Cup or not.
“At this stage, we need to see how things work out. I think he will stay six furlongs but whether he’ll stay a stiff six like at Newmarket, I don’t know. I’m sure that the owners, Cheveley Park and John Mayne, want to campaign him to make him the best possible stallion prospect and if he won over six furlongs that would make a significant difference.
“He looks fine at present. I think it will be really tough for the three-year-olds against the older horses, even though Captain Gerrard won at the weekend. When we scored with him as a two-year-old, we had an extremely mature juvenile and I haven’t yet done enough with him to say whether he has improved from last year. Physically, he looks fine but he always looked like a three or a four-year-old, even last year.
“He’s only cantering at the moment and I haven’t worked him yet but we have another six weeks until Ascot and we’ll take him for a racecourse gallop before then.”
The Australian contingent includes the brilliant Joe Janiak-trained Takeover Target, winner of the 2006 King’s Stand Stakes and one of the world’s best sprinters in recent seasons.
Trainer Peter Moody could send last season’s King’s Stand third Magnus, while West Australian trainer Darren McAuliffe has engaged his rising star Universal Ruler, who landed six wins on the bounce and recently ran to within half a second of Miss Andretti’s course record at Ascot race track in Australia.
Top New Zealand mare Seachange, a multiple Group One winner, has also been entered as has Haradasun, a Group One winner in Australia who is now with Aidan O’Brien in Ireland.
O’Brien’s 10 entries also include StanJamesUK.com 2000 Guineas winner Henrythenavigator, last season’s Poule d’Essai des Poulains victor Astronomer Royal and US Ranger. The Ballydoyle handler landed the prize in 1999 with Stravinsky and 2001 with Mozart.
StanJamesUK.com 1000 Guineas heroine Natagora has been engaged by trainer Pascal Bary, while the French raiding party could also include dual Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Marchand D’Or, fourth in last year’s Darley July Cup.
The 2007 victor Sakhee’s Secret, who delighted trainer Hughie Morrison when runner-up in the Group Three Stan James 08000 383384 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket in May 4, could bid for a repeat win, while 2006 hero Les Arcs is also engaged, having missed most of last season.
The James Fanshawe-trained Sir Gerry landed a Listed race at Ascot on April 30 and is one of several interesting three-year-olds engaged, along with the John Gosden-trained 2000 Guineas third Raven’s Pass, last season’s TNT July Stakes victor Winker Watson, and the Tommy Stack-trained Group One winner Myboycharlie.
Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor is looking for a first triumph in the Darley July Cup and has entered last season’s fifth, Dandy Man, along with Diabolical and Greek Renaissance.
Newmarket Racecourses Director of Racing, Michael Prosser, said: “We are delighted to be a part of the enormously successful Global Sprint Challenge. The Darley July Cup winner so often goes on to be crowned champion sprinter and it is fitting that a race with such a strong heritage has now been incorporated into the global competition.
“It is great to see a top-class international entry, with the likes of Takeover Target and the New Zealand champion Seachange likely to take on last year’s hero Sakhee’s Secret.”
DASH AND ROSE BOWL ENTRIES REVEALED
* NEW FREEDOM SET TO CONTEST DASH
* JENKINS COULD RUN LITTLE WHITE LIE IN ROSE BOWL
Rookie trainer David Lanigan has entered New Freedom in the £50,000 Dash (3.15pm), run over the fastest five furlongs in the world at Epsom Downs on Derby Day, Saturday, June 7. The seven-year-old finished fifth on his latest start in the Group One Dubai Golden Shaheen at Nad Al Sheba on March 29.
Lanigan said: “New Freedom has been entered in the Dash at Epsom. He’s rated 105 and we want to see how good he is in handicap company first of all before trying him in a Group race.
“He has an awful lot of speed over five furlongs on the dirt and he’s very quick even coming out of the stalls.
“Following his run in the Golden Shaheen, he had about three weeks’ break in Dubai and has been with me for around two weeks now. He’s settled in perfectly and he’s done very well since he has been with me.
“He’s a pretty straightforward horse, being very sound and a good mover. He’s had a little break and it’s just a question of whether he can transfer his dirt form to the turf. Five or six furlongs should suit him and we will see how he gets on.
“We have entered him in the Darley July Cup as well and it would be a possible target if he has a good run before that. The Dash seems a nice race to start him off in.”
A total of 46 horses have been entered for the Dash, including last year’s first and second, the Stuart Williams-trained Hogmaneigh and Moorhouse Lad, who is among Bryan Smart’s four entries.
David Nicholls, successful in the race four times, has entered Buachaill Dona, Tournedos, Masta Plasta, Strike Up The Band and Bigalo’s Bandit, while William Haggas could be represented by Group Two winner Conquest and Fyodor.
Kevin Ryan, who saddled subsequent Group One winner Desert Lord to victory in 2006, has engaged Green Manalishi, Evens And Odds, Tamagin and Northen Empire, while James Given has entered Morinqua, who was an impressive Listed winner at Bath recently.
John Jenkins is hoping that Little White Lie will take his chance in the £50,000 Rose Bowl (2.45pm), run over 10 furlongs at Epsom Downs on Ladies’ Day, Friday, June 6, entries for which are revealed today.
The four-year-old joined Jenkins’ Royston yard recently having previously been trained in Ireland by Ger Lyons, who sent out the gelding to finish a good second in the Vodafone Group Services Handicap over seven furlongs on Ladies’ Day last year.
Jenkins was pleased with how Little White Lie coped with the unique demands of Epsom Downs on that occasion and also hopes that a step up in distance could suit his new recruit well.
Jenkins said: “Little White Lie has been entered in the Rose Bowl. He’s been with me about three weeks now and I am very happy with him. He’s settled in well.
“Any horse rated in the 90s can’t be a bad handicapper. He seems a very relaxed horse and I don’t see why he shouldn’t stay.
“I spoke to Richard Quinn who rode him in the Lincoln at Doncaster in March and he said the horse just seemed very flat in himself and he was never really going to pick up, but he thinks that a longer trip might suit him.
“He’s set to run in the Victoria Cup at Ascot on the weekend and that could be a fact-finding mission. I don’t really think he is a seven-furlong horse and he could need further in time.
“I saw a video of his run at Epsom last year and he came down the hill well and looked as if he stayed on at the end so that’s why I thought that the Rose Bowl would be a good target for him. He’s a nice horse and I am looking forward to running.”
A total of 38 horses have been entered for the Rose Bowl, including the Brian Meehan-trained Charlie Farnsbarns, who finished second to last year’s Vodafone Derby winner Authorized in the Group One Racing Post Trophy at Newbury in October, 2006.
Sir Michael Stoute has entered recent handicap scorer Cabinet, Gulf Express and the unexposed Sugar Ray, while Mick Channon could be represented by 2006 Vodafone Derby runner Championship Point and multiple Group winner Halicarnassus.
Jamie Osborne has engaged last year’s Cambridgeshire second Docofthebay and Tears Of A Clown, and the pair could be joined by Proponent, trained by Roger Charlton and an impressive winner of the competitive Suffolk Stakes at Newmarket on May 4.
SMOKEY STORM BIDS TO FOLLOW UP AT GOODWOOD TOMORROW
William Jarvis is looking forward to testing his recent Brighton winner Smokey Storm against some potentially smart juveniles in the £15,000 Empire Property Group International Conditions Stakes (2.30pm) over five furlongs at Goodwood tomorrow (Thursday, May 8) - the second fixture of the year at the beautiful West Sussex course.
The One Cool Cat colt built on the promise of a useful debut run when scoring at the second attempt over an extended five furlongs at Brighton on April 28. The youngster had exhibited signs of greenness on his first start at Windsor on April 14, but knuckled down to overhaul Brenin Taran and win by a head at the seaside track.
Jarvis revealed: “He’s a nice little horse. I’m not certain, but I think he may be better over another furlong. He’s in good form and I hope he runs well.
“I don’t think he’s a Royal Ascot two-year-old. It would surprise me if he’s that good but let’s hope he runs well and we’ll see what happens.”
Smokey Storm, the mount of Alan Munro, faces stiff opposition, including a pair of previous winners from the Richard Hannon yard. The Acclamation filly, Doughnut, won her sole start at Folkestone last month and is being aimed at the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury in July, while stablemate Icesolator broke his maiden over the course and distance at Goodwood’s first fixture of the season on Saturday, May 3.
Mick Channon has a fine record at Goodwood, taking the Dick Hern Award for leading trainer in 2007, and he is set to saddle Mazzola and Imperial Skylight.
A fascinating seven-race card commences at 2.00pm with the 16-runner Pioneerpoint Maiden Stakes for three-year-olds over a mile. The Walter Swinburn-trained Crown Choice could lay down claims for a place in the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, for which he holds an entry, while the unraced Luca Cumani-trained Schopenhauer still holds a Derby entry.
Race three of the afternoon is a typically competitive Goodwood sprint handicap, the 15-runner Novocapital Handicap (3.00pm) over six furlongs where the Tom Dascombe-trained Savile’s Delight could bid to gain compensation for his head defeat at Goodwood on Saturday. Other competitive affairs look assured in the 11-furlong Gateway Project Services Handicap (3.35pm) which has attracted 13 starters and the Empire Property Group International Fillies’ Handicap (4.10pm), run over a mile and with a field of 11.
There are further Classic hopefuls on show in the Wedlake Bell Maiden Stakes (4.45pm) over a mile and a half. Savarain, from the Cumani yard, the Alan King-trained Manyriverstocross and the Willie Muir-trained Nemo Spirit each hold Derby entries, while the filly Sortita, from the Michael Jarvis stable, has plenty of big-race entries including the Oaks at Epsom.
The 16-runner Empire Schizophrenia Trust Handicap (5.20pm) over nine furlongs brings the afternoon to a close.
Admission prices for Thursday, May 8: Richmond Enclosure £27; Gordon Enclosure £19. Over 65s and NUS card holders can receive a discount of 50 per cent in the Gordon Enclosure (please enter through the East Entrance). Over 65s also receive a FREE racecard and refreshment voucher. Children under 17 are admitted FREE to all enclosures and FREE parking is also available.
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