Saturday's G2 Betfred Hungerford S. at Newbury is as tight as it gets, with all of the 11 lined up standing some sort of chance but there are only three that have Classic form and one of those is the long-absent Shadwell representative Massaat (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). Off since flopping in the G3 Sovereign S. at Salisbury last August, the homebred deserves another chance to reach the heights he promised when second in the 2015 G1 Dewhurst S. and in last year's G1 2000 Guineas. “Massaat is as fit as I can get him at home, but he will be rusty and he will come on for it,” trainer Owen Burrows said. “I would not say he has grown a lot upwards but he has certainly filled out–but he was always a big horse. He is a year older now and is not the easiest to get fit as he doesn't overdo himself at home, but I have been happy with his work. It is a good starting point for him and hopefully if he retains his old ability he should run a good race. It's been a long year with him and he is the type of horse you don't want to be without.”
Interestingly, the two others who have previous form in mile Classics are the Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah-owned fillies Daban (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and Nathra (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), who both hail from John Gosden's stable. The former was third in a strong edition of the G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 7 in between a success in the Apr. 19 G3 Nell Gwyn S. there and a sixth in Royal Ascot's G3 Jersey S. on June 21. Nathra has yet to recapture the form of her second to La Cressonniere (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in the 2016 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.
“Nathra and Daban breezed very well the other morning and they both looked good,” the owner's racing manager Bruce Raymond commented. “Daban was sixth in the Jersey last time out. We felt that she was too close to a very fast pace and she simply could not keep up with it. John is running them both in the race as they need to run somewhere and I am sure he has got something in mind for them both later on.”
Fillies play a strong hand in this renewal, with Cheveley Park Stud's G3 Sceptre S. winner Spangled (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) making a belated comeback having registered a career-best success in that seven-furlong contest at Doncaster in September, while the May 13 G3 Chartwell Fillies' S. scorer Mix and Mingle (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) returns to shallower waters following her subsequent 12th in the G2 Duke of Cambridge S. at Royal Ascot on June 21. Cheveley Park's stud manager Chris Richardson said of Spangled, “Drying conditions will suit her better. She had a nasty foot abscess in the spring which took a while to come right, which was frustrating. We took a view to be very patient and let it clear up. She is sound now and [trainer] Roger [Varian] has been very pleased with her. I think we will possible step her up to a mile, but it makes sense to start her back at seven.”
Mix and Mingle's trainer Chris Wall said, “Her main mid-season target had been the Oak Tree at Goodwood, but it came up too soft for her. Two things worked against her in the Duke of Cambridge at Ascot. She had an impossible task from her draw, as low numbers didn't have a hope in hell that day. We also found out that she just doesn't stay a mile. We can draw a line through that. It was not representative of what she can do. She won her Group 3 well over seven furlongs. She is fresh and well and if it dries up, all the better. She is in great form and I could not be happier with her.”
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