Wednesday, September 23, 2009.
DUFF AMONG 48 ENTRIES FOR VICTOR CHANDLER CHALLENGE STAKES AT NEWMARKET
ROYER-DUPRE HOPING TO PLAY FOR PRIDE WITH ARMURE AND ASHALANDA
This year’s renewal of the £100,000 Group Two Victor Chandler Challenge Stakes looks set to be another superb event after 48 entries were revealed today for the seven-furlong contest, one of six Group races at Newmarket on Champions’ Day, Saturday, 17th October.
Trainer Edward Lynam is aiming his stable star Duff at The Home of Racing after the six-year-old gained a deserved success in Group Two company when gamely taking the seven-furlong Park Stakes at Doncaster on 12th September.
The Spinning World gelding came seventh in the Victor Chandler Challenge Stakes in 2007 and was sixth behind Stimulation in last year’s race but has looked better than ever this season, posting a rallying victory in the Group Three Ballycorus Stakes at Leopardstown in June before his Doncaster success.
Lynam reported: “Duff is likely to go to Newmarket for the Victor Chandler Challenge Stakes. He has come out of his Doncaster run very well and he’s in good form at the moment.
“I was delighted with his victory in the Park Stakes and it made up for two years earlier, when he was done on the line. He idled a bit in this season’s race but he was in front for a long time - when he got in front of the stands, he picked up again.
“He’s a very game horse and I think that we’ve seen that seven furlongs is his best trip now. He’s won Listed races over six furlongs and a mile but his two Group performances have been over seven.
“We are hoping to get an invite to Hong Kong later in the year and he needs sunshine to be at his best. We are aiming at taking him to Newmarket and he should take his chance, providing the ground is not soft.”
There are nine entries from Godolphin headed by Delegator, who found only Sea The Stars too strong in the stanjames.com 2000 Guineas and was beaten a neck in the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, when trained by Brian Meehan.
The three-year-old landed the Group Two Celebration Mile at Goodwood on his Godolphin debut at the end of August and could be joined in the Victor Chandler Challenge Stakes by stable companions Rio De La Plata, Ashram, Ancien Regime, Dijeerr, Young Pretender, Huntdown, Shaweel and Asset.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Main Aim may return to Newmarket following his second in the Darley July Cup on the July Course earlier in the season, while a quintet of entries for the stable of Jeremy Noseda includes dual Group Two scorer Arabian Gleam, the unexposed Leahurst and Royal Hunt Cup winner Forgotten Voice.
Other notable entries include the William Haggas-trained High Standing, who was third in the Group One Haydock Sprint Cup, Group Two Betfair Cup winner Finjaan, trained by Marcus Tregoning, and Border Patrol, who notched his fourth successive victory for trainer Roger Charlton when taking the Group Three Solonaway Stakes at the Curragh on 13th September.
A potential Irish challenge of eight for this year’s Victor Chandler Challenge Stakes also includes Cuis Ghaire, who was runner-up to Ghanaati in the stanjames.com 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May for Jim Bolger, the Andrew Kinsella-trained Rock Of Rochelle and Irish 2,000 Guineas second Rayeni, from the stable of John Oxx.
A quartet of entries from Aidan O’Brien consists of Totally Devoted, who was fourth in the Group One Matron Stakes at Leopardstown earlier this month, Windsor Palace, Gluteus Maximus and stanjames.com 1000 Guineas fourth Heart Shaped.
The two French-trained entries are recent Listed winner Sweet Hearth, from the Chantilly yard of Alain de Royer-Dupre, and the Yves de Nicolay-trained Soneva, who landed a Group Three at Deauville in August.
A high-class entry of 38 has been received for this year’s £100,000 Pride Stakes, which is also one of the highlights of Champions’ Day at Newmarket on Saturday, 17th October.
Last year’s inaugural running of the Group Two 12-furlong contest saw Crystal Capella get the better of Irish raider Unsung Heroine in a thrilling finish. The Sir Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old may return to defend her crown having defeated subsequent dual Group One winner Dar Re Mi in a York Listed contest on her only appearance so far this season.
Alain de Royer-Dupre would love to win the race named in honour of one of his finest horses. The Chantilly-based handler enjoyed three Group One victories with Pride including a comprehensive three-length triumph over Rob Roy in the 2006 Emirates Airline Champion Stakes.
Royer-Dupre can choose from unexposed three-year-old Ashalanda and Armure, who could make her second appearance in the Pride Stakes after coming sixth in the race for former handler Michael Jarvis.
Ashalanda gained a short-head victory on only her second racecourse appearance in the Group Two Prix de Malleret at Saint-Cloud in June and was narrowly denied on her next start, going down by a head to the prolific Voila Ici in the Group Three Premio Federico Tesio at Milan, Italy, on 20th September.
Four-year-old Armure notched up a hat-trick of wins in France during the summer culminating in a comfortable success in the Group Two Prix de Pomone at Deauville in mid-August. She also ran with great credit on her first appearance in Group One company at Longchamp on 13th September, when she came seventh behind Stacelita and Dar Re Mi in the Prix Vermeille.
Royer-Dupre revealed: “I hope to have a runner in the Pride Stakes because it would be such a nice race to win and I feel that I have a duty to have a filly in it. A lot will depend on the going because Ashalanda would prefer some cut in the ground, whereas Armure likes a faster surface.
“Ashalanda is definitely an intended runner if the ground there is soft. She ran a really good race at Milan on Sunday and the winner looks to be a very good filly. She came out of that run in good order and she looks a good, interesting filly at the moment.
“We have given her a very limited race programme this year to let her develop. She has progressed very well throughout the season and the Pride Stakes could be the next logical step for her. We gave her an entry in the Prix Dollar at Longchamp but I think that we need to run her over a mile and a half, so Newmarket seems the likely option.”
“Armure has done really well this season and she has been very progressive. I think that the Prix Vermeille was a very tough Group One contest for her and she didn’t enjoy the run of the race there. She is a nice filly and she won her Group Two well at Deauville and 12 furlongs seems to suit her at this stage of her career.
“She has several options open to her, including the German St Leger and the Gran Premio del Jockey Club at Milan, but she will run where the ground is suitable.”
Other entries for the Pride Stakes include last year’s Oaks heroine Look Here, who has been third in Group One company this season in both the Coronation Cup and the Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland.
The Ralph Beckett-trained filly could reoppose Clowance, from the stable of Roger Charlton, who was fourth at Epsom in 2008 and filled the runner-up spot on her first appearance for more than 15 months in the Irish St Leger at the Curragh on 12th September.
Some of the leading fillies from this year’s Classic crop may be represented with entries from High Heeled and The Miniver Rose, who were third and fifth respectively in the Oaks.
Saeed bin Suroor has entered last season’s Group One Prix de l’Opera winner Lady Marian, Copperbeech, multiple German Group One scorer Baila Me and the unbeaten Flying Cloud, who powered to a four-length victory over the Henry Cecil-trained Flame Of Gibraltar in the Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Apart from last year’s winner, Sir Michael Stoute could also rely on Salisbury Listed scorer Ave, July Jasmine and Phillipina, while a trio of entries from John Gosden includes French Group Three winner Charity Belle and Take The Hint, who began her season with victory in the Listed stanjames.com Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket in May.
Other notable entries include the Luca Cumani-trained Splashdown, last year’s third Saphira’s Fire from the yard of William Muir and the David Elsworth-trained pair of Snoqualmie Girl and Group Two Lancashire Oaks scorer Barshiba.
The 11 Irish-trained entries include Again, who landed the Irish 1,000 Guineas for trainer David Wachman. Jim Bolger may be represented by last year’s seventh Shreyas, who has twice been successful in Listed contests at Leopardstown this year, while Dermot Weld has entered Irish Oaks fourth Grace O’Malley.
Aidan O’Brien may be represented by Listed Cheshire Oaks scorer Perfect Truth, Chirkova, Group Three winner Tamarind and Roman Empress, who was third behind Dar Re Mi and Sariska in the Group One Yorkshire Oaks.
A trio of fillies from the stable of John Oxx consists of the progressive Aliyfa, a Listed winner at Galway at the end of August, Irish Oaks runner-up Roses For The Lady and Tanoura, who took a York Listed contest in August.
HRH PRINCESS HAYA BECOMES FIRST PATRON FOR RETRAINING OF RACEHORSES
Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is pleased to announce that HRH Princess Haya has agreed to become its first Patron.
As British Horseracing’s official Charity for the welfare of horses which have retired from racing, it is very fitting and a privilege to have such a highly regarded Patron, particularly within the equestrian word. Her Royal Highness has an in-depth knowledge and passion for thoroughbreds and horseracing, as does her husband His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Peter Deal, Chairman of RoR, said: “We are delighted and honoured that Princess Haya has kindly agreed to be our first Patron. The extensive equine knowledge and experience that Her Royal Highness will bring to the role will be invaluable to this important Charity, which continues to gain support from both the racing industry and the wider equine world.”
HRH Princess Haya said: “It is a particular pleasure for me to support Retraining of Racehorses, whose work I much admire and I hope that through my involvement I can assist them to raise awareness of the vital work they do in giving racehorses a career after racing. Many of HH Sheikh Mohammed’s racehorses are being retrained as are my own. It is a great pleasure for His Highness and myself that from our stables retrained racehorses are now competing in dressage, show jumping, eventing and showing classes.”
Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) was founded in 2000. It raises funds from within racing to provide and maintain facilities for the care, retraining and re-homing of former racehorses and to promote awareness of the suitability of the retrained racehorse for other equine careers.
Working closely with the sport horse organisations and media, RoR also promotes the adaptability of racehorses to other equestrian activities and has a well-established programme of competition sponsorship. In addition, RoR holds clinics across the country to help owners look after and train their former racehorses.
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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