Australia Day?
AUSTRALIA DAY?
When it comes to the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas, Aidan O’Brien appears to hold the key more often than not, and he arrives in Newmarket today with supposedly the best colt to have passed through his hands since he began his tenure at Ballydoyle. As if his breeding is not enough to commend him, the vibes surrounding Ouija Board’s son Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) are as strong as those which accompanied some of Rosegreen’s most-hyped celebrities of recent springtimes. King of Kings (Ire), Hawk Wing, One Cool Cat, George Washington (Ire), Rip Van Winkle (Ire), St Nicholas Abbey (Ire) and Camelot (GB) all came here with much ballast to their sails and enjoyed mixed fortunes as they bid to put real substance to their trainer’s heightened faith. The maestro of Co. Tipperary has been as candid as can be as to his view of the merit of Derrick Smith’s colorbearer, who brushed aside the much-vaunted Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) when winning by six lengths on his only real test so far in the G3 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Trial S. at Leopardstown in September. The fact that Joseph Allen’s War Command (War Front), one of the most visually impressive winners of Royal Ascot’s G2 Coventry S. in its history and the title-holder of the G1 Dewhurst S. on top, is firmly in the shadow of his stable companion speaks volumes. It is a strikingly similar scenario to the 2002 edition, in which the lauded Hawk Wing arrived on the Rowley Mile with all the mystique only to surrender to the hand of fate as the relentless achiever Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) found the line before him. Neither occupies favoritism, despite the mix of excitement and accomplishment they bring to this edition, but then three of the operation’s fives winners–King of Kings, Footstepsinthesand (GB) and Henrythenavigator–all traded at generous odds before overturning the mighty Xaar (GB), Dubawi (Ire) and New Approach (Ire) in their respective years. “Everybody knows that Australia is bred to get the Derby trip, but obviously he has to start somewhere and it would be nice to start him at Newmarket on a nice bit of ground,” Aidan O’Brien said yesterday. “We’ll take it one race at a time and hopefully get him started and go from there.”
No Grounds For Concern…
Ending speculation yesterday, connections of J “TDN Rising Star” J Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) appear happy to let the unbeaten colt take his chance despite the regional rain mostly missing the track. Owner-breeder Khalid Abdullah’s Racing Manager Teddy Grimthorpe explained, “I think everyone is happy
ground-wise. They’ve had a good bit of rain and hopefully everything will be fine for him. We’ve always said it was the intention to run if we possibly could–it wasn’t a question of if it’s not perfect ground we’re not going to go–we wanted it safe for him. He has pleased in everything he’s done since the Greenham in terms of physique and the way he has worked.” Speaking of the opposition, he added, “It’s the 2000 Guineas and it does look a really strong race. I was impressed with Toormore and I’d be pretty pleased if he was ours. There are plenty of horses you can make a case for and we don’t know about Australia, but the vibes from Ballydoyle have been fantastic.”
More To Come…
Richard Hannon Sr captured this Classic for the third time 24 years ago and was frustrated by some near misses prior to his recent retirement, so the burden falls on Richard Jr now to end the drought and start his own career off in style. Three-handed in this renewal, the chief prospect appears to be Middleham Park Racing’s Toormore (Ire) (Arakan), who smoothly collected the G2 Vintage S. at Glorious Goodwood and G1 National S. at The Curragh last term and who returned to add the G3 Craven S. to his tally over this track and trip Apr. 17. The team also have Elaine Chivers’ similarly unbeaten Shifting Power (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) and Saeed Manana’s Night of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), with the former having annexed the Listed European Free H. over seven furlongs here Apr. 16 and Night of Thunder attempting to reverse a 4 1/2-length defeat by Kingman in the Apr. 12 Greenham. “The Craven definitely knocked the rust off Toormore and he will be a lot sharper this time,” their trainer commented yesterday. “He will never be as spectacular as Canford Cliffs or Toronado, but he is a very good galloper with no complications, and the Rowley Mile brings out the best in him. Night of Thunder should not be underestimated. He has gears and, though he was well beaten by Kingman in the Greenham, he is definitely better than that. The favorite had the run of the race at Newbury, but our fellow will improve for the extra furlong and we feel that Kieren Fallon’s style will suit him. Similarly, we think Shifting Power, a big colt who was always going to make a better 3-year-old, can progress again. He showed plenty of spirit to win the Free Handicap and will also appreciate the step up to a mile. He is unbeaten and we don’t know how good he is.”
Hill View…
Another with a perfect record and a Group 1 win to his name is Paul Smith’s Kingston Hill (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), and while he lacks the flash of Kingman and hype of Australia, the Roger Varian trainee creeps into this contest with a real case to be made for him. Holes can be picked in the form of his wins in the G3 Autumn S. over this track and trip and Doncaster’s G1 Racing Post Trophy in the fall, but the manner of his performances in both suggested he could be one of this year’s leading lights. “He has had a trouble-free preparation and looks in great condition,” his quietly-spoken conditioner said yesterday. “I have been happy with his work and we are very much looking forward to running in the 2000 Guineas. He looked top-class last season and nothing he has done since his win in the Racing Post Trophy has made me doubt that. It is very exciting to go into a Classic with a horse like him. I am confident he will run a big race.”
Spanish Eyes…
Breaking new ground is the Spanish raider Noozhoh Canarias (Spa) (Caradak {Ire}), whose elite position among his country’s peers translated to France last year when runner-up in Longchamp’s G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc day. He had the subsequent G3 Prix Djebel winner Charm Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) 1 1/4 lengths back in third on that occasion and hammered home his dominance over his compatriots when warming up for this with a facile five-length score in the Premio Torre Arias over seven furlongs at La Zarzuela at the end of March. Trainer Enrique Leon is aware of the excitement his inclusion in this field will generate back home. “For us, coming to England is a dream,” he told the Daily Mail. “When you talk about English racing in Spain, it is the biggest thing, like playing in the Champions League. There is going to be between 500 and 700 people coming. There is a lot of interest in Spain. I believe this year will be a very strong Guineas. I have seen some very good trials, but why not try? We have nothing to lose and a lot to win. After the Lagardere, Christophe [Soumillon] was impressed with the horse. In a recent interview, he said he thought Noozhoh Canarias would be one of the three best milers in the world this year. Noozhoh Canarias is a very aggressive horse with a great stride. He can fight and he has a big heart.”