Jim Crowley: “This trip is fine and Qaader should take all the beating”
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Coral ambassador previews his rides at Newmarket on Thursday
The season continues to go well, with two more winners on Coral-Eclipse day, where it was great to see Montatham reverse his Hunt Cup run with Dark Vision, just.
I also have some lovely rides to look forward to at Newmarket’s July meeting, particularly for the boss, Sheikh Hamdan.
I kick off the three days on Glesga Gal for Hugo Palmer. She’s one of the few in here with a run to her name, a good second at Kempton and she’s bred to be good.
If she can improve from her debut run – and I’d fully expect her to – she could run a big race here and come forward from that Kempton run.
Maydanny is a smashing horse, a beautifully bred son of Attraction, making him a half-brother to Elarqam. He ran a super race at Ascot last time, when we were drawn on the wrong side.
We ‘won’ the race on our side that day and it was an even better performance to run so well in a big field handicap like that on just his fourth start. I think he’s got a really good chance here, he’ll be tough to beat.
Separate had some decent form as a two-year-old, finishing third in the Oh So Sharp Stakes, but she hasn’t shown too much in her two starts so far this season.
She will need to take a step forward in this Listed contest. It looks fairly strong for the grade so if she can make that step forward she might have an each-way squeak.
Al Aasy is another smashing horse who I’m really looking forward to riding. Initially I was a little bit disappointed with his first run this year but the winner that day, Mishriff, has gone on to the win the French Derby, so it was obviously a decent race.
My fellow made no mistake next time out, bolting up by ten lengths. At one time we even thought of this horse as a potential Derby horse, so I’d hope he can take this step up to Group 3 class in his stride.
Another lovely ride for Sheikh Hamdan, Qaader made a quick reappearance after his Newbury debut victory to run a great race in the Coventry Stakes, finishing second.
He deserves to be favourite here. He will definitely stay further than six furlongs in time but for now this trip is fine and he should take all the beating.
It’s my first time on Golden Dragon, who won a couple of races at Windsor last year, and was down the field on his return at the Royal meeting. But that run should bring him forward and at a big price he could well have an each way chance.
It’s very unusual for the boss to keep fillies in training beyond three years old but his decision to keep her in training at four paid off when she won three in a row.
Those wins included the Park Hill Stakes, before the very soft ground at Longchamp last autumn found her out, although she still ran a big race to finish third in a Group 1.
She’s now back as a five-year-old and our aim is to try to make her into a Group 1 winner, and this is a good place to start. She could have run in the Lancashire Oaks on Sunday – a race she won last year – but we were worried about the Haydock ground getting too soft, so the going here should be perfect.
She’s a proper mare, a real favourite of mine, and I’d hope she’d go close here.
Jim
