In The Thik Of It

As the record-holding trainer with eight successes in Goodwood's G2 Doom Bar Celebration Mile, Sir Michael Stoute understands what it takes and relies on Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Thikriyaat (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) to fly the flag on Saturday. Runner-up to Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) in Royal Ascot's G3 Jersey S. over seven furlongs June 15, the bay went on to take the G3 Thoroughbred S. over this trip at the Glorious meeting here July 29 and is poised for his next step up the ladder. “It looks like the logical next step and going through the race, there are all the hardened types in there like Toormore and he is a young gun coming through,” racing manager Angus Gold said. “At Ascot, he was crying out for a mile and in time I'm sure he'll stay 10 furlongs. He's a lovely horse, in that all he wants to do is please you. He's not flashy in any way. He just does enough and is progressing very nicely. We're looking forward to it and it's the obvious race to go for. We also know he can handle the track.”
Cheveley Park's Zonderland (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) is another 3-year-old on the rise, winning the Listed Heron S. over a mile at Sandown May 26 and G3 Sovereign S. at that distance Aug. 11 either side of a disappointing eighth in the G1 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly July 10. “He did it nicely at Salisbury and we are following the same route we did with [last year's winner] Kodi Bear,” trainer Clive Cox commented. “That is where the similarities end, though, as Kodi wants cut in the ground and this fellow wants top of the ground. They are two nice horses, though. He's progressing and it was pleasing to see him do what he did at Salisbury. We've always thought he was a nice horse.” He may have more to offer than last year's G2 Summer Mile first and second Arod (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Godolphin's Toormore (Ire) (Arakan), who was last seen finishing fourth in the G1 Sussex S. over this course and distance July 27.