John Deer's Al Kazeem (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a triple Group 1 winner in 2013 and second in last year's G1 Champion S. after returning to training due to subfertility, could start off his 7-year-old campaign this year in France.
“We'll see how things go, but my thoughts would be that he could come back in a Group 2 at Longchamp in early April [Prix d'Harcourt],” Deer said. “That would obviously have to be run by Roger, but that's what I'm thinking at the moment. He's a big, strong, older horse now, so hopefully he'll be ready to return, and then there's a Group 1 in France three weeks later [Prix Ganay] that he could run in.”
Al Kazeem won the 2013 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, G1 Prince of Wales's S. and G1 Coral Eclipse for trainer Roger Charlton and was purchased by The Royal Studs to stand last year. After he got a small number of mares in foal, Deer purchased his homebred back and returned him to Charlton. Al Kazeem won last year's G3 Winter Hill S. at Windsor, and after finishing off the board in the G1 Irish Champion S. and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe ran Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) to a quarter-length in the Champion S.
“It was wonderful to see him run so well at Ascot at the end of last season,” Deer reflected. “I was so pleased, it was almost like winning, to be honest, as it is very unusual for a horse to come back from stud and run as well as he did. The Champion S. also came only 13 days after the Arc, so there must be a question mark over whether he was at his very best.”
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