Tuesday, June 22, 2010
NEWMARKET’S TNT JULY STAKES ON AGENDA FOR COVENTRY STAKES RUNNER-UP ELZAAM
Trainer Michael Jarvis is considering letting his exciting juvenile Elzaam take his chance in the £70,000 Group Two TNT July Stakes (2.00pm), one of the highlights of the second day of the Newmarket July Festival on Thursday, 8th July.
The Australian-bred, Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned colt gave his sire Redoute’s Choice a first northern hemisphere winner on 13th May when posting an impressive all-the-way success in a six-furlong York maiden.
He followed up that victory by going down by a nose to the current ante-post favourite for next year’s Stan James-sponsored 2000 Guineas, the Richard Hannon-trained Strong Suit, in the Group Two Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot on 15th June.
Jarvis revealed today: “Elzaam is a possibility for the TNT July Stakes at the moment - there are one or two options open for him and the July Festival would obviously come into the reckoning.
“He’s come out his run at Royal Ascot in A1 shape and I was very pleased with his performance there. It was a high-class renewal of the Coventry Stakes and he ran a super race.
“He was out in front for quite a long time and he did start to look around a bit in the last half-furlong. While Strong Suit would have probably have been judged unfortunate if he didn’t get up, I think if Elzaam hadn’t idled a little bit in front, then we might have won.
“He was only having his second start and we were very happy with him - he is a decent horse.
“If we were to meet Strong Suit again in the TNT July Stakes, I would be hopeful rather than confident that we could turn the tables. We would be getting 3lb but he looked value for a bit more and I wouldn’t be looking to take him on again.”
The July Festival offers three days of outstanding racing action on the beautiful July Course, including the £185,000 Group One Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes on Wednesday, 7th July, and the third British leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, the £400,000 Darley July Cup, on Friday, 9th July.
BELL COORDINATES LADBROKES ST LEGER PLAN
LATER THAN USUAL ENTRY STAGE FOR LADBROKES ST LEGER
Entries for the £500,000 Group One Ladbrokes St Leger must be made by noon on Tuesday, July 20, and one horse that is likely to be among those seeking victory in the world’s oldest Classic at Doncaster on Saturday, September 11, is the Michael Bell-trained Coordinated Cut.
This year’s closing date for entries is three weeks later than has been the case in recent years, with Doncaster Racecourse keen to allow trainers and owners more time to assess the merits of their horses.
Coordinated Cut could head to the extended mile and three quarters Classic after contesting the Group One Irish Derby over 12 furlongs at the Curragh on Sunday, June 27.
The Montjeu three-year-old won the £250,000 Tattersalls Timeform 3-Y-O Trophy over a mile and a quarter at Newmarket in April before coming home third to Cape Blanco in the Group Two totesport.com Dante Stakes the following month.
Coordinated Cut, whose owner Lawrie Inman saw his colours carried to third place in the 2009 Ladbrokes St Leger aboard Monitor Closely, finished seventh to Workforce on his most recent start in the Group One Investec Derby over a mile and half at Epsom Downs on June 5.
Bell, who took over the colt’s training from Peter Chapple-Hyam at the end of last season, said: “Coordinated Cut will almost certainly have an entry in the Ladbrokes St Leger.
“He is running in the Irish Derby this weekend and is in good form at present. The track at the Curragh will suit him much better than Epsom, so hopefully we will be able to get a true handle on what real level of ability he has.
“He won at Doncaster as a two-year-old, so the question regarding the Ladbrokes St Leger is whether he will truly stay a mile and six furlongs. On pedigree, that is open to debate, so it will be interesting to see how well he stays on at the Curragh.
“How well he gets a stiff mile and a half there will be a key as to whether the Ladbrokes St Leger is the race we target.
“He is out of an Arazi mare, so there is a bit of speed on the dam’s side. He doesn’t smell of being a mile and three quarters horse on the dam’s side but he is a big, long, scopey horse, so he may well stay, although there are no guarantees.”
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