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A Very Busy Weekend Racing . . .
It is one of the last major racing weekends of the year. There are some fantastic race meetings being held here in the UK, with plenty of valuable Sales races being held around the country. Plus Sunday sees the always eagerly anticipated Arc meeting at Longchamp – It is a wonderfully exciting meeting to attend and we are delighted to have another runner in the Qatar Prix De L’Abbaye in the form of our Royal Ascot, Kings Stand Stakes winner – GOLDREAM . . .
Over the next three days we have the following runners . . . KINGSGATE NATIVE, SPEED HAWK, GRAND BEAUTY, NORMAL EQUILIBRIUM, COMEDY NIGHT, GOLDREAM, IFFRANESIA and MASTER ZAIN . . . All interesting and exciting runners to keep an eye on . . .
Today we have four runners at Ascot . . . KINGSGATE NATIVE, SPEED HAWK and GRAND BEAUTY all line up for the 2.00pm, Albert Bartlett Stakes (formally the Rous Stakes). This is a Listed event over the minimum trip . . . All three are in super form here at home . . . Kingsgate Native carries his Listed penalty today, but overall at the grand old age of ten-years-old he is in flying form this season. With opportunities running out this season, we felt this was the right race to aim him for. Over the past couple of seasons we have avoided Ascot due to him never really seeming to enjoy the build up to a race there. However he now wears the Hood in all his races, which has helped enormously and we do not see why he should not race at Ascot again. On his best form he should run well . . . Speed Hawk ran a superb race last time out, having been gelded during the summer. We were delighted with him that day and we very much hope to see another performance of the same calibre . . . Grand Beauty has a huge step up in grade today, however she has performed very well on her last two outing and last two wins. She is a well bred filly, and of course black type is invaluable to any filly. She has behaved impeccable on her last two starts with the aid of Gary Witheford and his team. If she enjoys the preliminaries in the same way again today she gives herself every chance for performing well . . . . NORMAL EQUILIBRIUM will then book-end the card for us today in the last at Ascot at 4.55pm. He has enjoyed a couple of months mid-season break which will have done him the world of good. It is his first race back but he normally enjoys running off the back of some time off. He also has a few pounds taken off with the booking of Aaron Jones today . . .
COMEDY NIGHT makes the very short trip up to the Rowley Mile at Newmarket for the first this afternoon at 1.45pm . . . He has held this entry for some time, being a Book 3 purchase from Tattersalls. He won well this week at Nottingham, with the Visor on for the first time. However today is a step up to 6 furlongs, but he takes his chance in this valuable race for Mr Al Shafar . . .
Early this morning GOLDREAM and IFFRANESIA set off on their trip to France . . . GOLDREAM is set to line up for the fast and furious Prix De L’Abbaye at Longchamp at the later time this year of 4.40pm, local time. It is a wonderful meeting to have a runner at and all his connections are delighted to be making the trip this weekend to see him race. He raced with so much credit at York in August in the Nunthorpe Stake on far from ideal ground. He has a good draw at Longchamp and finger crossed he can have some luck in running over this quick five furlongs. Martin Harley will get the leg up once again . . . IFFRANESIA will wait until Monday to perform in the 2.35pm (local time), Prix De Bonneval at Chantilly. This is a 5.5 furlong Listed event, which should suit her down to the ground. Again, being a filly, black type is very helpful for her future as a broodmare . . . She has gone from strength to strength since arriving with us a few seasons ago and she certainly deserves to pick up a race like this for her owner and breeder, Mr C Humphris . . .
MASTER ZAIN has been declared this morning for Pontefract on Monday – More news to follow on him next week . . .