By Tom Frary
Saturday's G3 BetUK Winter Derby at Southwell has become a target race for the Gosdens with four renewals falling the way of Clarehaven since 2019, so the presence of the yard's unexposed Military Academy (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the latest edition generates extra intrigue. Impressive at Salisbury in September, Isa Salman and Abdulla Al Khalifa's 4-year-old was in a class of his own last time when making his all-weather debut with an authoritative win in Kempton's Listed Floodlit Stakes in November and could be one of the stable's lurkers for 2025.
“Military Academy was progressive last year. He is coming here on the back of a good performance in the Floodlit Stakes and, with natural progression, hopefully he can pick up from where he left off,” jockey Robert Havlin said. “He is very laid-back at home and is as fit as we can get him. We are using this as a stepping-stone to a race in Bahrain next month and this should leave him spot-on. All that being said, we are expecting a big run.”
Making a solid line-up are Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Listed Quebec Stakes winner Royal Champion (Ire) (Shamardal), who was runner-up in the GI Canadian International two years ago, the Listed Doonside Cup and G1 Champion Stakes eighth scorer Persica (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) and the Listed Wild Flower Stakes and Winter Derby Trial winner Champagne Prince (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).
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