While Richard Quinn admits he is “getting bored in retirement and open to offers”, it gives him plenty of time to reflect on a his career that brought him three Classics and well in excess of 2,000 winners over a period of 28 years in the saddle.
Goodwood and tough stayer Persian Punch in particular, take pride of place for the 61-year-old, who was forced to retire for a final time in 2008 due to a persistent back injury.
Quinn is one of a handful of jockeys to ride more than 100 winners at Goodwood, a feat recognised by former clerk of the course Seamus Buckley, who had pictures of the riders who achieved that landmark adorning a wall at the West Sussex track.
“I loved Goodwood,” said Quinn. “It’s one of those very idiosyncratic tracks. They had these pictures on the wall – every one of them centurions.
“I was there, Pat Eddery was there, Frankie Dettori was there, Lester Piggott was there. Just to be on that wall, with all those people who have ridden 100 winners at Goodwood, I thought that was quite special.
“Seamus did that and he made it special. It was a really nice touch. He is a superstar.”
Quinn could be described in similar vein. One of the most stylish riders of his generation, he won the Oaks in 2000 on Love Divine and the St Leger twice, on Snurge (1990) and Millenary (2000).
He might also have ridden a Derby winner, having being the regular rider of Generous, but he was controversially replaced by Alan Munro before Epsom.
Yet the man who rode the first British all-weather winner, booting Niklas Angel to victory at Lingfield on October 30, 1989, says Persian Punch’s Goodwood Cup victory for master trainer David Elsworth in 2001 was one of his favourite highlights.
“It was a wet day and we came down the middle of the track,” recalled Quinn. “He stayed on and he was just a superstar horse.
“Owner Jeff Smith had Lochsong and then Persian Punch – two superstars who the public took to heart.”
Such was the gelding’s popularity that he even had his own fan club and website. No less than 13 of his 20 career wins were in Pattern company, and at the age of 10 he was just denied the Stayers’ Triple Crown of Goodwood Cup, Ascot Gold Cup and Doncaster Cup, by Mr Dinos at Ascot.
“He was a good horse,” said Quinn. “I was associated with him for such a long time, we travelled the country and to the Melbourne Cup twice, where he finished on the podium twice. It was a great experience and he gave me some great memories.
“Horses that are kept in training for six or seven years like him and Ibn Bey, you get really fond of them.
“When you are with these horses and you ride them year in, year out, you do get an attachment to them. You look after them, because you know there is going to be another day for them.
“For a time Persian Punch just lost a bit of confidence and David Elsworth, to his credit, was a superstar trainer and a genius. He dropped him out from Group company to conditions races, and that is when Martin Dwyer got on him and he got back up to Group level again.
“David did things by feel. He had an instinctive feel for the horse.”
Persian Punch won the Goodwood Cup again two years later and also won three Jockey Club Cups, the Doncaster Cup, three Henry II Stakes and two Lonsdale Cups, and was awarded the Cartier Award for top stayer in 2001 and 2003.
Quinn, who was champion apprentice in 1984 with 64 winners, spent 17 years with Paul Cole (1981-1998) before joining Henry Cecil in 2000 and was stable jockey at Warren Place for the next four years.
Persian Punch’s success was not Quinn’s first in the Goodwood Cup, having previously won the race with Tioman Island in 1994 for Cole.
“He just got beaten in the Northumberland Plate and he went to Goodwood and broke the track record on that occasion,” said Quinn.
“He was pretty much straightforward. He was a good ride and he didn’t do anything different to any other horse. You seemed to be rowing away, but he was very genuine and kept giving.”
The Scot was never one to resort to hyperbole or court attention and just quietly went about the demanding business of riding winners until a nagging back injury forced a shock retirement in 2006. Though he returned the following spring, he announced a permanent departure in 2008.
“I slipped two discs way back and that was the end of my career. When you are in pain, it affects your life completely,” he explained.
“When you are getting legged up and you twist round, it was so painful. But when I was on the horse, I was OK. It was just getting on it.”
Quinn was considered a reluctant self-promoter and an introvert, though he concedes a combination of factors led to this misinterpretation.
“I have a hearing impairment and a lot of the time I couldn’t hear what was going on,” he added.
“Also, back in the day when I was an apprentice, Lester Piggott was the main man. He didn’t talk to the press and we all thought that was the way to do it, it was normal.
“I was looking up to Lester, Joe Mercer and Greville Starkey and none of them were what you’d call media-friendly.”
Times have changed. Quinn’s style would be more suited to this era and he has always taken a keen interest in educating young riders.
“The good thing is, my style changed over the years and I used the whip as little as possible,” Quinn said. “I think that’s the way forward. It’s all about educating the young guys that you don’t have to use a whip.
“Once you have got a horse running as fast as it can, it doesn’t matter how many times you go to hit it. All it will do is come off a straight line and cause interference.”
In these interesting times, his words will echo through the weighing room and beyond, no doubt.
Sparks Fly will bid for a remarkable seventh consecutive victory in the British EBF 40th Anniversary Lyric Fillies’ Stakes at York on Friday.
The Dave Loughnane-trained three-year-old was rated just 59 when her winning spree began at Windsor in April, but five further victories have seen her mark rise to 98 and earned her a step up to Listed level.
She has won three times at Windsor, once at Thirsk, once at Chester and most recently struck gold north of the border at Ayr.
Sparks Fly will become winning-most Flat horse in Britain this season if she can bring up the seven-timer for owner David Lowe in Friday evening’s £70,000 feature on the Knavesmire.
“The owner is a very good owner – he’s very loyal and always gives his horses a chance. We gave her a chance to just fill her frame a bit and a chance to develop,” said Loughnane.
“All her siblings have been very early sharp two-year-olds; you’d expect her to be, but she wasn’t. We gave her the time and reaped a reward.
“She’s always been a bit of a stable favourite. She’s a lovely filly and a pleasure to have around the place – everyone always liked her.
“Obviously, it’s been a lovely journey to be part of and I don’t think we’re finished yet.”
The Shropshire-based trainer is hoping for some cut in the ground at York, adding: “The plan is, provided there’s ‘soft’ in the description, she’ll run.
“I’d go there quite bullish if the ground conditions are right. The way she’s won every race, she’s done it with complete ease. I don’t think we’re anywhere near the bottom of her yet.
“I think she’d be fine on good ground as well, but it’s not something we need to find out right now. Obviously, we’re on for a seven-timer, so we just need to tick every box at the moment.”
Sparks Fly is one of 10 fillies declared. Her rivals include the William Haggas-trained Golden Lyra, a Listed winner in France last season, and Richard Fahey’s Midnight Mile, who placed fourth in the Musidora Stakes at York in the spring.
Electric Eyes, trained by Karl Burke, is another major contender as she makes her first competitive appearance since finishing second in the Group One Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket in September.
Soprano is set to make a belated return to the track at Sandown on Thursday when she takes on nine rivals in the European Bloodstock News EBF Star Stakes.
The George Boughey-trained filly, who was third in the Albany at Royal Ascot, was due to run in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket, but missed that engagement due to a medication mix-up at home.
The daughter of Starspangledbanner will now be upped to seven furlongs for the first time, as long as the Sandown ground is suitable, with jockey William Buick maintaining the partnership.
Harry Herbert, managing director of owner Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, said: “She will go to Sandown unless the ground turns very soft or something – I wouldn’t want to run her on very soft ground.
“She has such a beautiful action but we do think a trip up to seven furlongs would really suit her, so it makes sense at this stage. Then we will see where we stand.
“On ratings she’d be miles clear of everything else, but like all these races, they deserve to attract horses like Shuwari, Fallen Angel and Expensive Queen – they are horses who could be anything.
“Ratings don’t mean an awful lot at this stage, it is more what lurks in the once-raced fillies.”
The current ground conditions at the Esher track are described as good, although further scattered showers are expected over the next 48 hours.
Should she fail to make the line-up, connections also have the option of sending her to Ascot on Saturday for the Group Three Bateaux Princess Margaret Stakes.
That race is over six furlongs, however, and Herbert feels she will be better off over further.
“We will take it one step at a time,” he said. “If she were to be successful on Thursday, we would be looking at races possibly like the Moyglare in Ireland, you have got the Newmarket race over seven, a Group Two (Rockfel Stakes).
“Going over seven furlongs was pretty much the chat from William Buick at Royal Ascot. He said that if the pace had been better, she probably would have gone pretty close, but definitely he felt she was crying out to go further.
“She is a lovely filly, with plenty of size and scope to her, so she should get better as she gets older. She is a gorgeous filly and it is exciting to see her back on the track.”
Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami and his Queen’s Vase-winning stablemate Gregory both remain in contention for the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on Tuesday.
Courage Mon Ami provided jockey Frankie Dettori with a fairytale final victory in last month’s Royal Ascot showpiece, 24 hours after the Italian had steered Gregory to success in the same colours of owners Wathnan Racing.
Both horses were left in the Group One feature on the opening day of next week’s Qatar Goodwood Festival at the confirmation stage and John Gosden, who trains the pair in partnership with son Thady, is not ruling out the possibility of them locking horns.
He said: “At present, both horses will be left in the race and then we will make a decision nearer the time whether one of them runs or they both run.
“Gregory saw the mile and six furlongs out the other day and I think he will see the two miles out, too. I think he is very much a progressive sort. He is a three-year-old getting the weight in the race, which is a very big edge. We have done it before with Stradivarius.
“Goodwood has its own demands, you swing left right, up, down. It demands a lot of agility from a horse.
“Interestingly enough both horses have won there, though I have to say they looked a bit up in the air galloping at some stages, but they would have learnt a lot from those experiences previously at Goodwood.”
Courage Mon Ami and Gregory were both purchased by the Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing before Royal Ascot, with Gosden keen to underline the significance to the owners of having big runners at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
He added: “It is extremely important, as the owners put a great deal into the meeting. To me it has lifted the whole event, particularly with the sponsorship and presence there. To that extent I think it’s key and let’s hope we can at least be running well for them.
“Goodwood is a great meeting. Let’s face it, you have Royal Ascot, then the July Meeting, and then Goodwood followed by York. They are the huge summer meetings.
“They are very important to the whole fabric of British racing and, in a sense, the British sporting summer, which turned a little soggy in Lancashire with the cricket and the golf in pouring rain. We can’t put a roof on it like centre court at Wimbledon – we’ve just got to get on with it.”
The Gosden team will be well represented across the week at Goodwood, with top-class fillies Inspiral and Nashwa also set to be in action.
Inspiral, who was beaten a neck by Triple Time in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, is set to take on the brilliant colt Paddington in the Qatar Sussex Stakes on Wednesday.
Nashwa, meanwhile, will bid for back-to-back wins in the Qatar Nassau Stakes on Thursday week after notching her third Group One win in the Falmouth at Newmarket.
“Inspiral ran a great race on her return in the Queen Anne. She has come on for that and been in great form since,” said Thady Gosden.
“Paddington is a horse who has made rapid progression. He is a horse with plenty of speed and plenty of ability. He won the St James’s Palace and then went on to the Eclipse. That is quite an unusual route but it demonstrates how brilliant he is. It will be tough taking him on but a championship race like the Sussex Stakes is never going to be an easy race.
“Inspiral has a low action and plenty of speed. She is a very strong filly and hopefully the track will prove no problem to her at all.
“Emily Upjohn was taking on Paddington two furlongs below her optimum trip (in the Eclipse), whereas Inspiral will be taking him on at her ideal trip. Paddington is a three-year-old stepping into older miler company for the first time, which is always an interesting one.”
Of Nashwa, he added: “She has taken a bit of time to come to herself this year as can often happen with fillies who are going from three to four.
“You could tell in the couple of weeks after the Hoppings Stakes that she really had taken a step forward. She looked very well in herself before the Falmouth, relaxed during the race and quickened up past some smart fillies.
“She is going to a track that she knows, having won the Nassau last year. She seems in good order and stepping back up to a mile and a quarter shouldn’t be an issue. It is a fast mile and a quarter, which should hopefully play to her strengths.
“Blue Rose Cen is a brilliant filly and this year she has shown what she can do, having won both fillies’ French classics. It will be a different test for her coming over here and taking on some different fillies, but she is certainly a brilliant filly.
“We have to give her 8lb in the race, so we’ll have to see how things go.”
Charlie Fellowes is thrilled to have secured the services of Frankie Dettori to ride both of his two runners on the opening night of the 2023 Racing League at Yarmouth.
Having played a key role in Wales and The West’s victory last year, Dettori has switched sides for the third instalment of the team competition to become player-manager for the East.
Among the trainers able to call upon the Italian is Newmarket-based Fellowes, who is keen to make the most of a rare opportunity.
He said: “Frankie doesn’t ride for me very much, not through choice because I’m a huge fan.
“I think he’ll really suit both horses. They’re two nice, kind individuals who are not going to give Frankie a heart attack in his old age!”
The trainer and rider first team up on Thursday with Shahbaz, who is fitted with a visor for the first time in race three over a mile.
“Shahbaz, I felt, ran very lethargically when third at Ayr last time. He was slow out of the gates and I just didn’t like the way he raced,” Fellowes added.
“A few people commented that he wants further, but I really don’t believe he does. Every time we’ve tried him over 10 furlongs, in my opinion, he’s not got home.
“I really wanted to give him another try over a mile on a straight track, which is why we’ve gone to Yarmouth and any rain is a plus.
“I’ve put a set of visors on him, just to sharpen him up and hopefully help him travel a little bit kinder.
“I’m sure he’s ahead of his mark of 87 and I would just like to see a little more enthusiasm than we saw last time.”
The Bedford House handler has high hopes for Cumulonimbus, who bids to continue his profitable campaign in the seventh and most valuable race on the card, with a total prize fund of £100,000 up for grabs.
The four-year-old has already won at Newmarket and Haydock this season and was last seen finishing third in the Old Newton Cup at the latter venue just under three weeks ago.
Fellowes said: “The other horse is having a fantastic year and is a real pleasure to train.
“He enjoys his racing and I have no problem with a drop to 10 furlongs on a big, galloping track like Yarmouth and with him I don’t really mind what happens weather-wise as he goes on any ground.
“I suppose a bit of rain would make it more of a stamina test, but he’s very versatile, he’s got a fantastic way of going and I think he’ll run a big race on a track where he’s won before.
“It’s an unbelievable pot and I hope he can go and put in a big performance.”
The bar was raised for Bermuda’s team to the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships and Head coach Micah Franklin believes they not only cleared it, but more importantly, exceeded all expectations.
For Franklin, who has ambitions to expand squash in Bermuda, the performance of the team, which was the largest ever fielded by the British Overseas Territory, augurs well for the future of the sport, provided they remain consistent.
Barbados reclaimed the overall team title, they last won in 2021, as they outclassed and dethroned Guyana in both boys and girls team finals at the just concluded tournament in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Franklin admits that his 17-member team of nine boys and eight girls, lacked the experience and calibre of the top two nations, which is why their third and fourth place finishes in the respective categories were even more rewarding.
“I think that the team performed well beyond what I expected from them and when you take into account the fact that the top two nations Barbados and Guyana are way above us at the moment, it makes our coming third place in the boys’ category and fourth place on the girls’ side, a really great accomplishment,” Franklin told Sportsmax.tv.
“So, I’m very pleased with all of my players’ performances. They fought hard in difficult conditions and gave me everything. As a coach that’s all I can ask for. I was pleased with the manner in which they represented themselves and their country with pride and honour,” he added.
Franklin, a former player, who was Bermuda’s flagbearer at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is excited about the prospects, particularly where the players’ continued development and progress is concerned.
This, as Mason Smith won Bermuda’s first Under-11 medal, while Benjamin Sherratt, Somers Stevenson, and Owen Rosorea, were all runners-up in their respective categories, fulfilling their own personal goals.
“Every player went in with separate aspirations and some of them were able to achieve those objectives which is a huge step in the right direction and for sure we expect Mason, Benjamin, Somers, Owen and others to keep progressing over time, as they continue to transition from one each group to the next,” Franklin shared.
On that note, he declared an unwavering desire to steer Bermuda Squash onto a new path, and the outstanding display by the team at CASA, has solidified the platform on which to do that.
“Based off of the results I see a bright future for Bermuda squash. Our younger age groups have given me a lot of hope in the next generation because like I said before, the overall goal and ambition for Bermuda Squash is to achieve full inclusion from all ages, races and genders. We want to prioritize squash first and let everything else fall into place,” Franklin noted.
While he continues to do the groundwork, the coach said the players can get some much-needed rest and recovery before their next assignment.
“After the much-deserved break, we will kick things back in the fall. We will be looking to send a group of players to the United States and Canadian Junior opens, where we hope to continue building on the momentum, we have achieved so far this year,” Franklin ended.
Charlie Fellowes is convinced Marbaan will put up a bold show in his bid for back-to-back wins at the Qatar Goodwood Festival next week following a frustrating run at Royal Ascot.
The Oasis Dream colt shone in the Group Two Vintage Stakes on the Sussex Downs last summer before failing to land a blow in successive Group Ones before the end of his juvenile year.
He made a promising start to his three-year-old campaign by finishing fourth in the Commonwealth Cup Trial at Ascot and second to subsequent July Cup runner-up Run To Freedom at Salisbury, but beat only one home in the Commonwealth Cup itself at the Royal meeting last month.
Fellowes is adamant the three-year-old is better than he showed in Berkshire, though, and is targeting redemption in the Group Two Lennox Stakes on Tuesday.
“I was disappointed with Ascot because I don’t think we saw the real Marbaan. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong,” said the Newmarket handler.
“Ascot is a horrible place to try to make the running and I don’t think Marbaan is the sort of horse you want to make the running with – all of his best performances have come when he’s been ridden with a little bit of cover.
“He was my one real frustration after Ascot, all my other horses ran well, and I’m just convinced it was because of the way the race panned out.
“The plan is to go back to Goodwood for the Lennox. I’m convinced he’s got the speed for six furlongs, but we’re going to go back up to seven and he has won over course and distance.
“He worked on Tuesday morning, he’s in great order and I know there’s a big performance in him this year.”
Clive Cox looks poised to send Diligent Harry to the Jenningsbet Hopeful Stakes at Newmarket next month on the back of his fine run at Newbury on Saturday.
The five-year-old was beaten a head by Commanche Falls in the Group Three Hackwood Stakes and was subsequently raised 2lb to a mark of 109 by the handicapper.
Though he came with a well-timed run under Richard Kingscote and had his head in front inside the final 110 yards, he was pipped on the line in the six-furlong contest.
Diligent Harry beat Royal Ascot’s subsequent Buckingham Palace Stakes scorer Witch Hunter in the All-Weather Sprint Championships Conditions Stakes at Newcastle in April, and was beaten just over three lengths by Equality in the Group Three Coral Charge at Sandown when dropped to five furlongs on his penultimate run.
“It was a very pleasing run on Saturday and I’m pleased that he has come out of it well as well,” said Cox.
“I think that run at Sandown, trying five furlongs on a stiffer track, the rain came pretty much the last half hour before racing which made the going a little bit different still. I was much happier with the run on Saturday.
“With a bit of luck, the Hopeful might be a possibility. He seems to have come out of the race well and if he continues to give that impression, we will be looking at that.”
Five times a winner and twice runner-up from his nine all-weather starts, Diligent Harry is 0-10 on turf, although Cox feels a good prize deserves to fall his way.
The Lambourn handler added: “He is proven over six furlongs, even though he is lacking that success on the turf, and he has run some mighty races in defeat.
“It would be nice to see him win a decent race. He is back up to 109 this morning, so the handicapper thought it was a good run as well.
“Listed and Group races are certainly within his compass and after winning the All-Weather Final earlier in the year, he has continued to produce top-end results.”
Richard Fahey is now among the leading trainers in the country – but 25 years ago he was still trying to make his way in his new career.
A jump jockey in his youth, Fahey at the time was a dual-purpose trainer based at Butterwick, near Malton and began training in 1993.
It took a while for him to make an impact, though, and he looked a long way from his current base at Musley Bank from where he trains around 200 horses, and sent out a then record-equalling 235 winners in 2015.
Nowadays he is known for the exploits of Group One winners like Ribchester, Perfect Power, The Platinum Queen and current stallion sensation Wootton Bassett.
But 25 years ago all his eggs were in the Superior Premium basket.
A useful two-year-old without making a significant impact, he won a Listed race first time out at three at Haydock before missing most of the summer. He came back to be third in the Ayr Gold Cup at 33-1, hinting that he loved the hustle and bustle of a big sprint handicap.
He failed to make much of an impact in the first half of 1998 before massively outrunning his 40-1 odds when third to Selhurstpark Flyer in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot, just the second time he had been ridden by a young 5lb claimer by the name of Robert Winston.
Winston kept the ride when he won next time out, before Kieren Fallon stepped in for another win at Haydock.
Goodwood came next where he was reunited with Winston, and sent off 14-1 in a 29-runner Stewards’ Cup, he came home a length and a half clear of Ansellman.
“It seems a long time ago, we also had the third that year with Eastern Purple I remember,” said Fahey.
“What I can remember is there was a false rail and it rained a lot, so if you weren’t drawn anywhere near the far side there was a favourable strip of ground.
“I think the first three were all drawn very high (which are low numbers now following a change in 2011), so that obviously helped but Superior Premium was obviously a very talented horse, he went on to win the Cork And Orrery at Ascot (now the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes).
“Another way you could look at it was if he’d got beaten at Goodwood, I was probably a bad trainer!
“He was only 3lb higher at Goodwood than he was at Ascot and he won twice in between. That might have been because I was only a small trainer at the time. You certainly wouldn’t have got handicapping like that maybe 10 years ago, but I do feel in the last couple of years they are being a kinder.
“There was a time if you won a race you would get hit hard, but they seem to have settled down a bit.
“He was a really good winner for us, obviously our first major one and definitely the first highlight of my career. He wasn’t just a flash in the pan, he carried on doing it for a good few years and he was the Saturday horse all trainers need and he helped me a lot.
“We even took him over to Sweden to win a Listed race, to Taby, which has closed down now and whether it was broken I don’t know, but he broke the track record there.”
Despite the distance from his Malton base, Fahey has enjoyed plenty of other good winners on the Sussex Downs.
“Lady Bear was a talented mare, she won the Golden Mile for us there, we’ve had some good winners there,” said Fahey.
“The Platinum Queen won for us there last year, Garswood won the Lennox (2013), it’s a specialist’s track and it’s very nice to have winners. I think you need a horse with pace, that seems to help with the undulations.”
They have not all been good memories, however. Arguably the best horse Fahey has trained to date has been multiple Group One winner Ribchester.
However, he had two attempts at winning the Sussex Stakes and came up just short twice.
“We took him as a three-year-old after he had won the Jersey and he was third, beaten a neck and a short head (by The Gurkha and Galileo Gold),” said Fahey.
“Then when we went the following year, the weather was atrocious. They had had a load of rain, but it was also blowing a gale if I remember.
“I was on my way to the stewards’ room to tell them he was a non-runner, but on my way there someone rang me to tell me Aidan O’Brien had taken Churchill out and they were joint-favourites.
“It wasn’t really the soft ground I was particularly worried about, it was just the general conditions – there was inches of water in the parade ring and a strong wind blowing them all over.
“Here Comes When beat him and I remember going into the toilets after the race, taking my shoes off and wringing out my socks into the sink, that’s how wet it was.”
Kevin Stott has full faith in King Of Steel ahead of his August Rodin rematch but is mindful that the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes is not a two-horse race.
The Roger Varian-trained colt was second under Stott in last month’s Derby, finishing half a length behind Auguste Rodin at huge odds of 66-1.
The grey, who is a strapping son of Wootton Bassett, looked the winner at the two-furlong pole but was eventually collared by the Aidan O’Brien-trained challenger.
Auguste Rodin went on the win the Irish Derby with a rather more laboured performance, whereas King Of Steel was imperious at the Royal meeting when cruising to a three-and-a-half-length win in the King Edward VII Stakes.
As a result the rematch is much anticipated, but the two rivals are not the only big names in a stellar line up for Saturday’s Group One held at Ascot.
Last year’s hero and subsequent Hardwicke Stakes winner Pyledriver will line up, as will 2022 Derby victor Desert Crown – who is set to be ridden by William Buick – and his Brigadier Gerard conqueror Hukum.
Much of the conversation revolves around the clash between this year’s Derby one-two and though Stott is hopeful he can reverse the form, he is still holds great respect for the other contenders.
“It’s probably the Flat race of the season so far, you’ve got all the best horses in there – proven ones and upcoming ones,” he said.
“If it’s a 12 or 15-runner field then it’s going to be really, really exciting. There’s not long left now, he did a nice piece of work this morning and it’s all systems go.
“It’s by no means a two-horse race. There are some very high quality horses in there and especially if we are going to have ease in the ground, there are a lot of horses with very good form on slower ground.
“First and second in the Derby going at it again for the first time since the Derby is obviously a massive thing for everyone.
“You don’t know when you have so many good horses pitched against each other, it’s exciting and it’s very open. Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel are getting a bit of weight from the other horses as they are only three and the others are older and more experienced.”
Stott was visibly disappointed after King Of Steel’s Derby defeat, feeling he could have won had he timed his challenge differently, but having had time to reflect, he is more accepting of how the race panned out.
He said: “I still look at the replay now and again from the Derby and go over it again and again. I’ve got to the stage now where I wouldn’t change anything that I did, we just got run down by the better horse on the day.
“I had no pressure on me, I was just riding him to run well, to see what we had, to see if the home work was backing up in a race.
“Between the two and the three (furlong) pole I was in front by two and a bit lengths and the next thing you know I was screaming for the finish line.
“Unfortunately we just got run down by a very good horse on the day, hopefully we can turn the form around but we have to, first of all, beat some other very good horses in the race.
“It’s not just a race between the two three-year-olds, but I like to think that if it does come down to a battle again from the furlong pole, then hopefully our fella will pull it out.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in the horse, but then again Aidan O’Brien is the master of the world that we live in and even though Auguste Rodin’s win in the Irish Derby wasn’t as visually flattering as the English Derby, he is probably one of the nicest horses that Aidan has trained.”
The final field for the race has yet to take shape and Stott is avoiding getting too attached to fixed tactical plans as the declarations and the going could change the complexion of the contest.
“You can sit down and analyse it and you’ve got plan A and plan B, but within a second that can just disappear and within a second you can have to go for plan F,” he said,
“You go through it all the time, you’re thinking about what’s going to happen and sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.
“Just to be part of a race like this and to ride a horse of this calibre is very exciting.”
The Yorkshire Oaks is the preferred next target for Rosscarbery after she came off second best in a clash with Emily Dickinson at the Curragh on Saturday.
Paddy Twomey’s mare has won three times at Group Three level and last summer came within a neck of claiming Group One glory in the Prix Jean Romanet, narrowly failing to reel in Aristia.
Having finished fourth over 10 furlongs in the Pretty Polly Stakes on her penultimate start, Rosscarbery stepped up to a mile and three-quarters for last weekend’s Curragh Cup – but after travelling strongly to the front, she was oustayed by the hot favourite.
A return to Deauville for a second tilt at the Romanet is not being ruled as the five-year-old’s next objective, but Twomey views the Yorkshire Oaks on August 24, over the intermediate distance of a mile and a half, as the ideal aim.
“She ran great on Saturday over a trip that is probably as far as she wants to go in ground that was more favourable to Emily Dickinson than her – she likes a bit of faster ground,” said the trainer.
“We sort of have the Yorkshire Oaks and the Prix Jean Romanet in mind, that’s why we ran her at the weekend as it fitted in perfectly in our schedule.
“Out of those, the preference is probably for the Yorkshire Oaks. The Romanet is the Sunday before and she was second in that last year.
“I think a mile and a half at York would be her ideal track and trip and very suitable for her, so that’s what we have in mind.”
Simca Mille could bypass Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth II Qipco Stakes if conditions are not suitable.
The Stephane Wattel-trained four-year-old has won twice at Group Two level – at ParisLongchamp and Chantilly – this term, latterly producing an eye-catching turn of foot to land the Grand Prix de Chantilly by an easy three and a half lengths under Alexis Pouchin.
It promises to be a high-class renewal of the King George, which features this year’s Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, along with 2022 Epsom hero Desert Crown and defending champion Pyledriver.
However, with an unsettled forecast and ground that is officially described as good to soft, soft in places on the round course, a decision on Simca Mille’s participation will be made on Thursday morning.
Wattel said: “The ground might be a concern. A final decision will be made on Thursday morning.
“We have prepared toward this race for a long time. I know the competition is very, very high and it will be a fantastic race.
“I don’t mind competing with the very difficult competition – if the horses are better, then they are better – but I want to have the best conditions for my horse to handle correctly, which at the moment is a concern.
“It is going to be a fantastic race and it will be great for the public and fun for all the sportsmen to see such good horses, but for Simca Mille, he needs fast ground and I doubt we will get fast ground.
“It is difficult to put a percentage on it, and I don’t want to say too much about it. A final decision will be made on Thursday morning. I am not the only one (to make the decision).”
Should last season’s Group One Grand Prix de Paris neck runner-up not take his place in the King George line-up, he could head to Germany or stay closer to home.
Wattel added: “He is entered in the Grosser Preis von Berlin (at Hoppegarten on August 13) in Germany, which is a Group One, but I would say I will be very happy, even if it is only a Group Two, he has the Grand Prix de Deauville (August 27), which for a Deauville-based trainer is an important race also.
“He has had fantastic results at Longchamp, so we will keep an eye on the Arc, if the ground is suitable for him.
“My concern is to have too difficult a race in the King George and leave his race there, on ground that is not his optimum.”
Go Athletico has been handed Group One targets following his fine performance in the Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh.
The five-year-old raced 26 times in France, winning on six occasions, before being picked up by his new owners for €165,000 in the spring when he was switched to Ireland and trainer Adrian McGuinness.
The gelded son of Goken has made a fine start to life in the care of his new handler, scooping Listed honours at Cork on stable debut and following that up by finishing second to course specialist Art Power in the Curragh Group Two last Saturday.
Now connections are eyeing a further step up the sprinting ladder for the soft-ground loving speedster and are targeting either a possible Curragh rematch with Art Power in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five Stakes on September 10 or returning Go Athletico to France for a crack at the Prix de l’Abbaye on October 1.
“We got lucky and we happened to get him at the right time,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the horse in partnership with Shamrock Thoroughbreds.
“It is amazing how a horse can have run as many times as him, be five years old yet all of a sudden he’s getting better. We’ve got lucky and he’s a cool horse, I’ve never had a horse like him. He’s a fun horse to watch.”
He went on: “This horse needs a bit of cut in the ground, we got it on Saturday and got lucky, and there is another race at the Curragh coming up in September, the Flying Five. We might have to take on the same horse that won on Saturday again and if the ground comes up soft, we will do it.
“If not, we might possibly take a look at the Prix de l’Abbaye on the day of the Arc.
“It’s only five furlongs and he’s better over six, but in a big field like that, with soft turf and the right draw, you can get lucky.”
Lucas Leiva hopes his former Liverpool and Gremio team-mate Luis Suarez will resist the urge to follow Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to Inter Miami.
Liverpool and Barcelona great Suarez joined Gremio in January, having helped his boyhood club Nacional to the Uruguayan Primera Division title on his return to South America last year.
Suarez has scored four goals in 12 appearances in the Brazilian top flight this campaign, but his future is in doubt amid reports he is Miami's next big-name target.
Miami have already signed Suarez's former Barca team-mates Messi, Busquets and Alba, and Sunday brought confirmation they had traded with the San Jose Earthquakes to gain another international registration slot.
That move has heightened speculation regarding a move for Suarez, and while Lucas understands the draw of MLS, he hopes Gremio can keep the striker.
Asked about Suarez's future, Lucas – who retired in March after being diagnosed with a heart issue – said: "He made a fantastic impact here in Brazil at Gremio.
"I think made the right move. Luis is a world-class player, we don't need to speak about his qualities and what he's doing here in Brazil.
"He's been linked, but I just hope he can stay at Gremio because it's my club and he's my neighbour here!
"I hope he stays a bit longer but MLS is getting attention from every player and from the fans. It's normal that he will be linked with big teams like Inter Miami."
After Messi marked his Miami debut with a dramatic free-kick winner against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, there has arguably never been a more compelling time to follow MLS.
Lucas is among those excited by the league's potential, adding: "MLS is growing every year, people are watching more MLS. If you look back maybe 10 years, nobody would have expected that.
"Americans know how to do these things, so well done to them. Messi going there will just attract a lot of fans and people who will be following the league, so it's great.
"It's great because football should be everywhere in the world because it is a fantastic sport that people love to watch.
"We can see him in another league, not in Europe. In America, it's a great thing for the fans that love football. It's a league that is improving and is growing and getting better every season."
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