Twelve Remain In Newbury's Lockinge

This Saturday's G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. at Newbury is shaping up into a quality renewal with 12 horses going forward at Monday's five-day stage. Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}), owned by the sponsors and trained by Hugo Palmer to win the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas on his seasonal debut last year is among the dozen along with Richard Fahey's stable-star Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), who posted a promising return at Meydan in March when third in the G1 Dubai Turf. He could be accompanied by stablemate Toscanini (Ire) (Shamardal) who Godolphin transferred to Fahey earlier this year to act as a pacemaker for Ribchester. Martyn Meade fields a potential dark horse in Aclaim (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) who successfully graduated from handicaps into Group 2 company last year and will be having his first outing of the season. “So far I'm very, very pleased with him,” said Meade. “If you look at his last race at Newmarket [G2 Challenge S.], there was no stopping him. This was a horse who was improving and was on the up–it wasn't a fluke that he won and he won quite convincingly. I think there's more to him and more to come. We're determined to win a Group 1 somewhere with him. So whatever it takes and wherever we have to go for it, we'll go.”

Aidan O'Brien has already built up a healthy lead in the British trainers championship and he could rely on recent Newmarket winner Somehow (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Cougar Mountain (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). David Simcock could also be doubly represented with both Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Breton Rock (Ire) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}) still engaged. The other four in contention for the race are the French trained Dicton (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}), Charlie Hills's Dutch Connection (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), Ennaad (GB) (King's Best) from the Roger Varian stable and David Lanigan's Mitchum Swagger (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}).