O'NEILL PUTS MEDICINE ON THE VINTAGE PATH - BUCKLEY PLEASED WITH COURSE CONDITION
The Amanda Perrett-trained Jo'Burg, who was hampered by a high draw when fifth in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, will step up to seven furlongs for the first time as he bids for compensation in the prestigious £70,000 Group Two Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday, August 2.
The two-year-old Johannesburg colt, drawn 20 of 21 runners when finishing a little over two lengths behind Hellvelyn in the Group Two Coventry Stakes, has subsequently shown his well-being at Windsor on July 10, when landing a competitive six-furlong maiden by a length and a quarter from Cheap Street.
Mark Perrett, assistant trainer to his wife, revealed today: "Jo'Burg heads for the Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes in good nick so we're hopeful of a good run.
"He ran a great race at Ascot, it's just a shame he was drawn on the wrong side with no company. He had nothing to race with and he was only beaten two lengths or so.
"Mick Kinane has ridden him in all his races and he'll be in the saddle again. Mick got off him at Windsor and said go seven furlongs with him."
Jo'Burg has shown immense promise in each of his three starts, starting at Newbury on May 20, when he was runner-up to Coventry second Major Cadeaux, with Chesham Stakes winner Champlain held in third and Windsor Castle Stakes runner-up Conquest in fifth.
Perrett reported: "As far as the ground's concerned, he'll go on anything. It was on the soft side at Newbury when he ran and on the fast side at Ascot, so the ground isn't a worry.
"Goodwood's a local meeting and there's a lot of interest so we try to run what we can and hope we can have some success."
Eoghan O'Neill saddled Always Hopeful to success in the Sterling Insurance Richmond Stakes last year and is hoping for more Goodwood success with his juveniles this year, including the once-raced Danehill Dancer colt Medicine Path, who was impressive when defeating Cumin by a length and a quarter in a seven-furlong York maiden on July 14..
The Averham Park handler revealed today: "Medicine Path goes to the Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes and is in fine form. I was pleased with his York win but I fully expected it. He's a very good horse and he knew is job so it was no surprise to us.
"He'll gallop this week and I'll see how he is. Ideally, he'd like to get his toe in but they do very well with the ground at Goodwood, so I never have any worries taking horses there because Seamus Buckley does a fabulous job."
O'Neill plans to saddle Mood Music, runner-up to Bahama Mama in a five-furlong Sandown Listed contest on July 7, in the Group Two Sterling Insurance Richmond Stakes on Friday, August 4.
The trainer reported: "Mood Music is fine after running a good second at Sandown. We're stepping him up to six furlongs but he's a nice solid sort of horse so Goodwood should suit him.
"Medicine Path and Vital Equine are my two best colts and they'll both be running in Group Ones at the end of the season. Vital Equine is having a bit of a break because he's an unfurnished horse but he'll be out by the beginning of September. These are good horses and hopefully they'll go a long way."
Other possible contenders for the Group Two Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes include the Paul Cole-trained Strategic Prince, winner of the Group Two TNT July Stakes at Newmarket on his last start, and the Jeremy Noseda-trained Coventry Stakes fourth Kalgoorlie.
Since achieving Group race status in 1985, a host of brilliant horses have won the Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes, and several have gone on to Classic success the following season, including last year's hero, the Marcus Tregoning-trained Sir Percy, who emulated Dr Devious (1991) with victory in the following season's Vodafone Derby at Epsom.
Don't Forget Me (1986) and Mister Baileys (1993) won the race before landing the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket the following spring, and the brilliant 2004 victor Shamardal subsequently won the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and the Prix du Jockey Club before scoring a breathtaking triumph in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Central Park augmented his 1997 victory by securing the Italian Derby, while Aljabr (1998) returned to Goodwood the following summer to capture the Group One Cantor Spreadfair Sussex Stakes.
Goodwood is renowned for producing superb racing ground, and, despite the searing temperatures and lack of rain during the prolonged heatwave, clerk of the course Seamus Buckley and his groundstaff have been working hard to ensure an excellent surface for the Glorious Goodwood Festival.
Buckley reported today: "We had six millimetres of rain last night and could not be more pleased with the condition of the course. We have followed an extensive watering programme during the recent dry spell, aimed at producing consistent ground overall with the use of the Upton Irrigator.
"We've had the Upton Irrigator at Goodwood for 10 years now, and it ensures consistent watering all the way across the course. It ensures that the water goes down rather than up into the air, which pop-ups and tow-lines are inclined to do, so the water goes exactly where you want it to.
"Our aim has been to keep moisture in the ground during this very dry and warm period when we have had temperatures soaring to over 30 degrees celcius on many occasions, and we have managed to do that.
"We are where we want to be in this regard and we are hopeful of being able to produce some very decent ground for the Festival."
He continued: "This has probably been the most difficult summer since 1976 with regards to trying to maintain a racecourse but at the moment the going is close to good in the straight, and good to firm out on the loops.
"There is the possibility of showers later this week, which will help our cause. There is a lovely covering of grass and it should be fair and safe for everyone."
WEAVER AND ROBERTS DUEL AT ASCOT!
Ladbrokes appointed "Official Bookmaker" to the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup;
375 horses entered for the 6 races
Jason Weaver, manager of the Great Britain & Ireland Team in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday 12th August, is shedding the pounds and getting himself into shape! He will be coming out of retirement four and a half years after he handed in his jockey's licence to take on Michael Roberts, manager of the Rest of the World Team, in the Ladbrokes Shergar Cup Duel, a match race over 6 furlongs. Roberts was champion jockey in the UK in 1992, retired from riding in 2001 and is now a highly successful trainer in his native South Africa.
The Ladbrokes Shergar Cup Duel will be run prior to the first official race on the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup card. Ladbrokes will also act as "Official Bookmaker" for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, pricing up many different markets in the world's highest profile international jockeys competition.
The entries for the six Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup races are released today and reveal an excellent overall entry of 375 horses. Wokingham runner-up Firenze is one of 46 in the £30,000 Sodexho Prestige Shergar Cup Distaff; Armigerent, runner-up in the TNT July Stakes (Group 2), is one of 117 entries in the £30,000 Porthault Shergar Cup Juvenile; the fast improving Bentong, winner of the Weatherbys Insurance Summer Sprint at Redcar last weekend, is one of 47 entries in the £30,000 Sodexho Prestige Shergar Cup Sprint; last year's Chester Cup runner-up, Swift Sailor, is one of 38 entries in the £30,000 Carvill Shergar Cup Stayers; Glistening, who looked unlucky in defeat in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, is one of 48 entered for the £40,000 Michael Page International Shergar Cup Challenge; and Pentecost is one of 79 entries in the £40,000 Sony Shergar Cup Mile, a race he won in both 2003 and 2004.
Trainer Brendan Powell will provide two in-form horses for the Ladbrokes Shergar Cup Duel in Pic Up Sticks, a winner of his last two races, and Who's Winning, also successful last time out and who carries top weight in the last race at Sandown tonight. With Weaver likely to weigh in rather heavier (to put it kindly!) than 'Muis' Roberts, he is set to partner Pic Up Sticks who will have to concede more than a stone to his stable companion based on their current handicap ratings.
There will be no prize money for the race which will not be run under official rules. However, the winning rider will gain 5 potentially vital points towards his team's total in the quest to win the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, in which Weaver's Great Britain & Ireland team will be looking to avoid a third straight defeat at the hands of Roberts' overseas stars.
As well as having the opportunity to contribute their own points towards the event, Weaver and Roberts will also have the crucial task of selecting which horses will represent their teams after the 48 declarations have been made. This process, together with the allocation of the mounts to the jockeys, will take place at Ascot at lunchtime on Thursday 10th August and will be broadcast live on At The Races.
"I feel really lucky that the opportunity has come up to ride at the redeveloped Ascot," said 34-year-old Weaver. "It's been great fun getting into shape and now I'm just aiming to go out there and win. Muis's team has got the better of mine in the last two Shergar Cups and I want to make sure it's me that gets the first points on the board this time by winning the Ladbrokes Duel!"
Michael Roberts, 52, said: "I'm dying to see the new track which looks so impressive on TV and I'm really looking forward to riding in the race. Jason's team had better watch out because I'm very keen on the idea of making it three-in-a-row for the Rest of the World!"
Mike Dillon, PR Director at Ladbrokes, said: "We're looking forward to offering a wide range of markets on the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup and I think it's fantastic that this year Hayley Turner and Emma-Jayne Wilson are being given their chance to shine alongside international champions like Frankie Dettori, Mick Kinane, Glen Boss and Doug Whtye.
"The Ladbrokes Duel will be a bit of fun for everyone watching, though I suspect that Jason and Michael will be taking it very seriously!"
The full line-ups for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup are:
Great Britain & Ireland: Jason Weaver (Team Manager, GB); Jamie Spencer
(Captain, IRE), Mick Kinane (IRE), Robert Winston (IRE), Hayley Turner
(GB), Kevin Darley (GB), Seb Sanders (GB).
Rest of the World: Michael Roberts (Team Manager, SA); Frankie Dettori (Captain, ITY), Glen Boss (AUS), Emma-Jayne Wilson (CAN), Doug Whyte (SA), Gerald Mosse (FR), Yuichi Fukunaga (JPN).
The six races are limited to 10 runners (in the event of non-runners, 2 reserves can be brought into each race up until 12 noon on the raceday), five racing for each team, and points are awarded on a 15, 10, 7, 5, 3 basis to the first five horses home. The team with the highest total after the sixth race will lift the Shergar Cup.
The jockeys will be signing autographs from 12 noon to 12.30pm, the Opening Ceremony will be at 12.40pm, the Ladbrokes Shergar Cup Duel at 12.50pm, the first race is at 1.20pm and the last at 4.10pm. At 5pm a free concert will start in the Old Paddock, featuring Charlotte Church who will be on stage at 5.45pm.
Adult ticket prices: £25 Premier Admission and £15 General Admission. 10% advance booking discounts available. All accompanied children aged 16 and under admitted FREE. Ring 0870 727 1234 or visit www.ascot.co.uk
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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