Trainer Mark Johnston sent out his hopefuls for the G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas and G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas, Buratino (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and Lumiere (Ire) (Shamardal), respectively, to work before racing at Newmarket Thursday. Both horses worked with a stablemate.
“That was perfect,” Johnston said. “To be honest, all the work had been done before today and this was just the finishing touches. We just wanted to give them an outing to the track because if we are going to start them off at that level, they need to have been to the track beforehand.”
Buratino ran eight times last season, winning the G2 Coventry S. for Godolphin and placing twice in Group 1 company, while Lumiere took the G1 Cheveley Park S. for the same owner.
“You might question Buratino on pedigree [for the one-mile Guineas trip], but the way he ran in the Middle Park, when he was beaten by an out-and-out sprinter, if he'd have gone further he'd have taken closer order, which gives us confidence in him getting it,” Johnston said. “Lumiere is bred to get every inch of a mile and is not bred to be a sprinter. She's always looked like being a miler and if you looked at her and didn't know her form, you'd think she was a middle-distance horse. The question with her is her temperament, as she can be keen early on but she was much more settled here today.”
Also working at Newmarket Thursday was Paul Makin's G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas hopeful Marcel (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). Last year's G1 Racing Post Trophy winner galloped under jockey Pat Smullen for trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam.
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