Jim Crowley: “Nazeef fully deserves to take her chance at Group 1 level”
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Our ambassador previews his Friday rides at Newmarket
The second day of the July meeting begins for me on a real old favourite, Zhui Feng. He’s been a grand servant for connections, winning a Hunt Cup as a four-year-old, and he’s now coming down in the handicap to the point where hopefully the handicapper has given him an each-way chance in a race like this.
Reshoun is a nice horse who stays a mile six furlongs really well. We won over two miles at Kempton last year and he ran a good race in the Northumberland Plate first time up this season, which should bring him forward.
Whether he’s good enough to win this or not we’ll have to see but he’d certainly have a good chance of getting in the money here.
Nazeef has been an absolute revelation, winning five in a row and going through the ranks each time. She took the step up to Group 2 class really well last time to win at the Royal meeting. She has carried on improving and kept on surprising us and she fully deserves to take her chance at Group 1 level.
Her trainer John Gosden also has the favourite, Terebellum. She was just touched off in the Queen Anne and Magic Wand is interesting, running just five days after her run in the Coral-Eclipse.
So as you’d expect for a Group 1, this is a classy contest and on official ratings my filly does have something to find. But she keeps on improving and is another filly who Sheikh Hamdan could have retired. But again, his decision to keep her in training has paid off and it would be great to now make her a Group 1 winner.
Jim
