Hukum overcame his own lengthy absence to deny last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown in the Racehorse Lotto Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown.
Trained by Owen Burrows, Hukum is now six and his career looked over after he picked up what looked a career-ending injury in winning the Coronation Cup 12 months ago.
The decision was taken to keep him in training and that now looks inspired, as Jim Crowley – who briefly looked boxed in – got Hukum flying late on to win by half a length in an enthralling battle up the Sandown hill.
Desert Crown had been kept off the track by his own injury – for 355 days to Hukum’s 356 – after his famous Epsom success on what was just his third ever outing.
Following his tried and tested route with his top-class older horses, Sir Michael Stoute was looking for a 12th win in the race and connections were happy going into the Group Three feature.
Settled in fifth by Richard Kingscote as stablemate and pacemaker Solid Stone led at a steady gallop, he was set something of a test but breezed into the lead a furlong out only to be reeled in late on by the 5-1 winner.
While Stoute will no doubt be left scratching his head his former assistant Burrows will be dreaming of a big summer.
Betfair cut Hukum to 14-1 from 25s for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Desert Crown now the same price from 8s.
Roberto Escobarr gained his first success since June 2021 when making all the running to win the Racehorse Lotto Henry II Stakes at Sandown.
Trained by William Haggas, the son of Galileo is now six but in his younger days looked destined to be winning races like this Group Two event when taking a Listed contest at York on just his fifth ever outing.
He only made it to the track once in 2022 and was returning from 399 days off when third at Wolverhampton in March.
Fitter for that, he was sent off the 7-5 favourite and Richard Kingscote sent him into an early lead and was never headed.
Nate The Great pestered him all the way to the line, but the winner was always holding him and prevailed by a neck.
Haggas’ charge was cut to 10-1 from 14s for the Northumberland Plate by Betfair.
Elite Status turned what looked a competitive renewal of the Racehorse Lotto National Stakes at Sandown into a procession.
Trained by Karl Burke, the son of Havana Grey – who himself won this race in 2017 – cost 325,000 guineas at Tattersalls Book 2 in October and already looks like living up to his purchase price.
A winner at Doncaster on soft ground on debut, he faced quicker conditions on this occasion but that proved no barrier to success.
Blue Storm grabbed the favoured rail early and made sure the field was quickly stretched, with Charlie Appleby’s On Point very slowly away and losing all chance.
Dapper Valley then had the misfortune of malfunctioning tack which cost him any chance and with Son Of Corballis another outpaced the contenders began to thin out.
With well over a furlong to run Clifford Lee moved Elite Status (5-2 favourite) up to join Blue Storm and the response was electric.
Burke’s colt lengthened smartly and just went further clear with every stride, eventually winning by five lengths with stablemate World Of Darcy running on into second and Hackman third.
Paddy Power make the winner their 2-1 favourite for the Norfolk at Royal Ascot.
The Randox Grand National is to remain at its current start time of 5.15pm, despite the British Horseracing Authority launching a new ‘premier tier’ of racing between 2-4pm on Saturday afternoons.
The period between 2pm and 4pm will be restricted to three meetings, including up to two ‘premier’ cards, with other Saturday fixtures scheduled to start after the window ends or, on occasions, before it opens.
But racing’s “crown jewels” will take place outside the allotted ‘shop window’, with the Betfred Derby another due to be later than 4pm in 2024.
BHA chief executive Julie Harrington and Richard Wayman, chief operating officer, took questions from the press via Zoom following the announcement of the new strategy.
Wayman said of the National: “There will be certain Saturdays of the year, exceptional Saturdays, when the key race is not in the 2-4pm slot.
“In 48 or 49 Saturdays of the year that will be how it works, but there will be two or three others when we’ll have to be flexible and do something different, like for the Grand National and the Derby. We won’t stick rigidly to 2-4pm if the big race of the day is off at 5.15pm, so there will be some flexibility.”
Harington added: “Around the crown jewel fixtures we need to make sure we use our core fixtures to best advantage. So if we know there are people in betting shops on the morning of the Grand National there could be a live fixture for people to be betting on, so they are some of the innovations we are looking to do with the core fixtures.”
One afternoon in July that has caused much wringing of hands in the past is the so-called ‘Super Saturday’ which sees the July Cup at Newmarket, John Smith’s Cup at York, the Summer Mile at Ascot and a fixture at Chester, the latter now looking a prime candidate to be moved to either an earlier or later slot.
When asked if that day would now be a thing of the past Wayman said: “That would be a typical Group One Saturday when there would be three fixtures in the premier window. What would differ compared with currently is that the fourth fixture would not race between 2-4pm, it would have to move outside that window.
“There are financial incentives for some of those racecourses to stage a premier fixture on a different day, a Sunday for example, and that might be attractive and it might not, but if it isn’t it will still be different to what it is at the moment.”
He went on: “Premierisation will happen every Saturday, but most Saturdays there will just be a two-hour window when there will only be three fixtures, up to two will be premier fixtures. On a smaller number of Saturdays we will allow four fixtures in the two-hour window. Premierisation will exist 52 weeks of the year. Roughly two-thirds of Saturdays will have three fixtures in the protected window, we’ll look to do that on the bigger Saturdays.”
The key question among all this, though, is where is the extra money coming from?
Harrington replied: “Anybody who has been around this process for a lot of years realises the next phase is around funding proposals that are normally approved by September time. Underpinning this is higher minimum values for those premier races, we think it’s going to be around 10 per cent of the fixture list.
“We know that our funding is a blending of executive contribution and central funding and those new higher minimum values, I should anticipate, will be in the same way but we now need to work through with our colleagues at the racecourses and the Levy Board about how that is going to work.”
And will courses who lose Saturday afternoon slots be offered compensation?
“It is too early to say,” said Harrington. “The funding process every year is a really complex jigsaw to put together, but rest assured the discussions have already begun but it is underpinned that the premier tier will have enhanced levels of prize-money.”
The lack of quality on a Sunday has long been cristicised, and Harrington said a key aim of the BHA is to improve it.
“In the past racing has tried to get a quality product going on a Sunday before, but we need the whole sport to take a more strategic view. Potentially there will be incentives put in place to fill those slots,” she said.
Wayman added: “There has been a general reluctance for commercial reasons to move to Sundays, but one of the things we see changing in 2024 is the opportunity to stage premier fixtures and all that comes with that, which could involve different funding which may provide greater incentive to move to a Sunday than they have had in the past.
“It might not be sufficient for all courses to race on a Sunday as their business model is just not going to work. However, there are a number of courses who stage some decent fixtures on a Sunday that with further investment could be even better, Pontefract for example.”
Crucially, can the BHA give any guarantees that premierisation will work?
“Like most industry strategies it is based on a set of assumptions, but they have not been plucked out of the air,” said Harrington.
“It has been helpful having open relationships with media rights companies, racecourses and bookmakers around the hard facts of the revenues coming in at the moment. What is absolutely important is that we don’t take a one-year view of this because if you did you wouldn’t do anything. We’ve got to remember the aim is to produce a more attractive product.
“While we may lose some attendance revenue on a Saturday afternoon it is more than offset by growing off-course revenues because we know that we cannibalise our own revenue within that Saturday afternoon slot. We need a multi-year approach and to be brave.”
The Elvis Star Browne Women’s league commenced on Saturday with wins for Queen City and NAGICO Cayon Rockets.
Queen City crushed Garden Hotspurs 7-1 on Sunday at the SKNFA Technical Center in St. Peters.
Kerisha Powell was the star of the day for Queen City as she bagged four goals. She found the net in the 5th, 19th, 33rd and 66th minutes. The other goals came from Azyka Morton (27’), Kymoyan Grant (39’) and Devel Griese (63’).
Lakisha Davis scored a 78th minute penalty for Garden Hotspurs.
In Sunday’s second match, it took a last-minute stoppage time strike from Niclaire Sharry of the NAGICO Cayon Rockets to give the team a 3-2 win over Rams Village Lady Superstars.
Shekola Wilson gave Cayon the lead in the 16th minute before Olujede Bridgewater equalized for Village Ladies eight minutes before halftime. Five minutes later, Wilson struck again to give Cayon a 2-1 lead going into the interval.
The 53rd minute saw Bridgewater grab her second to make it 2-2 before Sharry struck Cayon’s winner in stoppage time.
On Saturday, MCFR United Old Road Lady Jets and Newtown United played out a 2-2 draw.
The side entered halftime locked at 1-1 after goals from Katelyn Forbes (15’) for Newtown and Leranja Wilkinson (31’) for the Jets.
With just under a quarter-of-an-hour to go, Zonia Marshall gave Newtown United the lead before Shinella McCalla equalized for the Jets in stoppage time.
The League continues on Thursday with Bath United playing Queen City at the Nevis Athletics Stadium at 7 pm. Then, on Saturday at 6 pm, Garden Hotspurs will play MFC Old Road United Lady Jets at the SKNFA Technical Center. On Sunday at 6 pm, Newtown United will play Rams Village Lady Superstars.
Bangladesh ‘A’ staged a fight back against West Indies ‘A’ on the third day of their four-day unofficial Test at Syhlet International Stadium on Thursday.
After bowling the West Indies out for 345, Bangladesh ‘A’, trailing by 108 runs on first innings, reached 274-6 at stumps, for a lead of 166 runs heading into the final day of play on Friday.
The hosts owe their position to half-centuries from opener Shadlam Islam, Shahadat Hossain and Irfan Sukkur, the latter being unbeaten on 64 and who along with Nayeem Hasan have so far added 65 runs for the seventh wicket.
The West Indies ‘A’, resuming from their overnight score of 268-6 with Joshua da Silva on nine and Kevin Sinclair on one, took the score to 329, a stand of 63 for the seventh wicket that was broken when Sinclair was dismissed for 32 by Hasan Sakib, who would eventually take all four West Indies wickets.
Akeem Jordan, Anderson Phillip and Jair McAllister all fell cheaply leaving da Silva high and dry on 47. The West Indies ‘A’ captain was visibly irritated when McAllister went for an ill-advised pull shot and was out caught for a duck first ball of the 97th over, to be last man out thus denying his captain a chance to achieve another 50.
Hasan Sakib's four wickets came at a cost of 59 runs.
Trailing by 108 on first innings, opener Shadlam Islam made 74 while helping lay the foundation for the Bangladesh ‘A’ fightback. At 51-2 after losing the wickets of Zakir Hasan for 13 and Saif Hasan for 16, Islam featured in a 56-run third wicket partnership with Mohammad Naim, who was eventually dismissed by Sinclair for 28.
The loss of Naim’s wicket brought Shahadat Hossain to the crease and he and Islam further frustrated the West Indies bowlers while putting on 68 for the fourth wicket.
Sinclair eventually broke through trapping Islam for 74 before dismissing Afif Hossain for four as Bangladesh ‘A’ slipped to 180-5. Sinclair picked up his third wicket when he dismissed Shahadat Hossain 50 with the lead at 101.
That would be the last success for the West Indies bowlers for the day as Sukkur and Nayeem Hasan kept the tourists’ attack at bay until the close.
Sinclair’s three wickets cost 76 runs while Akeem Jordan has so far picked up 2-38.
The 2024 fixture list is set for a shake up after the British Horseracing Authority board approved a number of changes, with a ‘premier’ racing tier to be introduced, along with restricted action at a peak period on most Saturday afternoons and a trial of Sunday evening meetings.
Several “core principles” established as part of British racing’s cross industry strategy are at the heart of the planned reforms, with the aim to grow “the sport’s reach, appeal to new fanbases and better engage existing customers”, with the changes representing the “vital first step in longer-term improvements to the structure, funding and promotion of the racing product”.
Adjustments will be implemented and assessed over an initial two-year period.
A new ‘premier’ tier will be introduced, boasting higher prize-money and top-quality racing, with a two-hour “shop window” period – usually 2-4pm – established on most Saturday afternoons. That period will be restricted to three meetings, including up to two ‘premier’ cards, with other Saturday fixtures scheduled to start after the window ends or, on occasions, before it opens.
Sunday racing has also come under the microscope, with plans to create new ‘premier’ fixtures on Sunday afternoons as well as trialling six evening floodlit fixtures between January and March next year, during a time of the week where “betting activity tends to be strong”.
Those six fixtures will be spread between Kempton, Southwell, Chelmsford, Newcastle and Wolverhampton – the five floodlit UK tracks – with meetings moved from midweek slots.
The BHA is also keen to boost the “core racing” product, which involves moving fixtures to later in the day and “making the most of our core fixtures during major festivals and supporting summer jumping”.
A total of 300 jumps races – equating to around 20 meetings – will be removed across the year, with the summer jumping break increased from 12 to 19 days. There will be no reduction in Flat races, but around 200 races will be moved into the autumn and early winter period from other points of the year.
Joe Saumarez Smith, chair of the BHA, said: “The BHA board endorsed and approved these recommendations because it was clear to us that they were necessary and in the best interests of the sport.
“The information that was presented by the sport’s commercial committee included detailed consideration of both the upside and downside of all proposals. This allowed the board to make its decisions based on the complete picture.
“It is inevitable that not all parties agree with all proposals. But it was for this reason that the new governance structure was agreed by the industry, so that difficult decisions can be made and there can be progress in the best interests of the whole sport.
“The changes will be tested over an initial two-year period and will be closely evaluated to see how well they work, with the aim of permanently adopting the things that have been a success.
“I would like to thank the commercial committee, and everyone who has been involved in this process, for their work to date. It has been a truly collaborative, cross-industry effort.”
Julie Harrington, chief executive of the BHA, added: “When the industry’s leaders came together in autumn last year, we agreed unanimously that innovation in the way the sport is presented is an absolute necessity.
“The core principles approved by the BHA Board were identified as the most time sensitive area and the foundation of our wider approach.
“There is still a huge amount to do as we seek to grow and future-proof British racing, but the development of a fixture list that seeks to attract new fans and grow the appeal of our sport to existing customers represents an important first step.”
Frankie Dettori will link up with Aidan O’Brien at Haydock on Saturday when Little Big Bear heads the eight declared for the Betfred Nifty Fifty Sandy Lane Stakes.
A top-class two-year-old last season, the son of No Nay Never followed up a narrow defeat on debut with four straight victories.
Amongst his winning run was a triumph at Royal Ascot, while he completed his juvenile campaign with a wide-margin success in the Group One Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.
Things did not go to plan when upped to a mile for the 2000 Guineas on reappearance, but he is now returned to six furlongs on Merseyside.
Whereas Little Big Bear competed in the colts’ Classic at Newmarket, Matilda Picotte gave a fine account in the fillies’ equivalent and Kieran Cotter now drops his speedy daughter of Sioux Nation back in trip following her 1000 Guineas third.
Karl Burke won this race last year and relies on Cold Case this time around having accounted for the reopposing 2022 Coventry Stakes winner Bradsell at Ascot earlier this month.
George Boughey’s Al Dasim returns to UK soil following a prolific spring at Meydan, with Royal Ascot winner The Ridler, Richard Hannon’s Shouldvebeenaring and the returning Mill Stream also involved.
A field of 14 has assembled for the Betfred Temple Stakes which is the other Group Two on the card.
Henry Candy’s Twilight Calls was beaten a head in this contest 12 months ago and will be partnered by Connor Beasley for the first time, but has to improve on his Newmarket reappearance in the Palace House Stakes.
Adam West’s Live In The Dream and Mick Appleby’s Raasel finished second and fourth respectively on that occasion, with the latter bringing track and trip form to the table.
However, most of the excitement for this race is generated by the return of The Platinum Queen following her exploits at two.
The Prix de l’Abbaye champion will make her first start for new handler Roger Varian, with usual pilot Hollie Doyle once again in the saddle.
Dramatised is another Group-level winning two-year-old reappearing in the five-furlong event, with James Tate’s Royal Aclaim and recent Bath scorer Happy Romance others to note in a contest possessing plenty of depth.
Roger Varian is counting down the days until the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot with Eldar Eldarov following his hugely encouraging return at York last week.
The Dubawi colt was a nose winner of the Queen’s Vase at the Royal meeting last season and went on to claim Classic glory in the St Leger at Doncaster in September.
He had to concede weight all round on his his four-year-old debut in the Group Two Yorkshire Cup and powered home to be beaten just half a length in second place by St Leger third Giavellotto.
Varian is confident his charge will improve for the run and also views the step up from a mile and three-quarters to two and a half miles in next month’s Ascot showpiece as a positive.
“He’s great, he couldn’t have taken it (the run) better and I’ve been delighted with him this week,” said the Newmarket handler.
“His profile looks good for the Gold Cup and the St Leger form is starting to show its worth now.
“His run at York would excite anyone, whoever’s camp he was in. It was just a good run, he hit the line strong, he gave weight to the field and looks like he’ll improve over a bit further.
“We’re looking forward to it.”
Eldar Eldarov is a 4-1 shot with Paddy Power for the Gold Cup, making him their clear second-favourite behind Andrew Balding’s 3-1 market leader Coltrane.
Jamaica's young Reggae Girlz will have to wait to get their Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship campaign under way, as their opening Group A contest against Canada was postponed due to adverse weather conditions in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
The other Group A fixture featuring reigning seven-time champions United States and Panama was also called off with a new schedule expected to be announced in short order.
Coached by US-based Hugh Bradford, the 20-member squad is hunting an historic spot at the FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup next year after they defeated Anguilla 6-0, Bermuda 2-0 and Honduras by a similar scoreline on their way to the final leg of qualifiers.
They are scheduled to next face United States on Friday at 5:00pm, before closing against Panama on Sunday at 2:00pm.
Meanwhile, Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and host nation Dominican Republic, will do battle in Group B.
After round-robin play, the two best teams from each group will advance to the competition’s knockout stage. The two finalists and the third-placed team will qualify for next year’s World Cup.
Jamaica's best placing in 12 appearance at these Concacaf Women’s Championship was a fourth place finish in 2006, when they lost a third-place playoff to Canada.
Squad: Andrene Smith, Shaneil Buckley, Una Moy Lue, Davia Richards, Liha Williams, Taijah Fraser, Tiny Seaton, Kaitlyn Ennis, Natoya Atkinson, Destiny Powell, Akeila Johnson, Janiel Mignott, Amelia Zanten, Liya Brooks, Avery Johnson, Maya Raghunandanan, Anaiyah Robinson, Njeri Butts, NjerI Lewis, Katie Oakley.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced that following an assessment of a remodeled bowling action, Guyanese fast bowler Ronsford Beaton has been cleared to resume bowling in regional and international cricket.
Beaton’s bowling action was assessed by officials at Loughborough University in England, where it was found to be within acceptable limits.
The assessment was required after Beaton’s action was reported back in March by match officials during the West Indies Championship fourth round match between Guyana Harpy Eagles and Jamaica Scorpions at the Guyana National Stadium.
Following this, an assessment was conducted which found his bowling action to be illegal by officials at Loughborough University.
In line with CWI’s approved process for dealing with illegal bowling actions, Beaton underwent remedial work to remodel his action and video footage was sent to Loughborough University for analysis using an Opinion Report which was conducted earlier this month. The fast bowler has subsequently been cleared to resume bowling.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men's Selection Panel has announced changes to the West Indies "A" Team squad currently in Bangladesh and the West Indies ODI squad set to play against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Sharjah.
For the ongoing "A" Team Series in Bangladesh, left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul will travel to Sylhet as cover for fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who has been ruled out of the remaining matches due to a lower back injury.
Motie, on the other hand, will travel to Dubai ahead of the West Indies' three-match One-Day International (ODI) Series against the UAE at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Although he will not participate in the matches, he will receive treatment from the medical staff with the aim of being available for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, starting on 18 June.
Off-spinner Kevin Sinclair, who is currently with the "A" Team in Bangladesh, will replace Motie in the 15-member ODI squad for the series in Sharjah. Additionally, experienced batter Johnson Charles has been called up as a replacement for Devon Thomas, who has been provisionally suspended from playing cricket due to charges brought by the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit under the Anti-Corruption codes.
Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes, expressed his thoughts on the changes: "We were forced to make some changes to the squads, and this has presented opportunities for players to come in. Sinclair has been in good form all year and has taken that to the 'A Team' series in Bangladesh. Permaul and Charles are experienced players, and they will be able to quickly adapt to the conditions and fit into the environment in Sylhet and Sharjah."
Haynes further added, "Motie is a key part of our plans for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, so we are hopeful he will make a full recovery for that tournament. The decision was taken to have him remain with the squad in Sharjah so he will be closely monitored and receive the best treatment available."
Updated Squads:
West Indies "A" Squad vs Bangladesh "A": Joshua DaSilva (Captain), Alick Athanaze, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Tevin Imlach, Akeem Jordan, Brandon King, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kevin Sinclair, Veerasammy Permaul (cover for Gudakesh Motie)
West Indies ODI Squad vs United Arab Emirates: Shai Hope (captain), Brandon King (vice captain), Alick Athanaze, Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Kavem Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Keemo Paul, Raymon Reifer, Kevin Sinclair, Odean Smith.
Match Schedule:
West Indies "A" Team vs Bangladesh "A":
16-19 May: 1st "Test" at Sylhet International Stadium – Match drawn
23-26 May: 2nd "Test" at Sylhet International Stadium 2 – ongoing
30 May to 2 June: 3rd "Test" at Sylhet International Stadium
ODIs vs United Arab Emirates:
4 June: 1st ODI at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
6 June: 2nd ODI at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
9 June: 3rd ODI at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
Ian Williams’ Enemy returns to Sandown for another crack at the Racehorse Lotto Henry II Stakes on Thursday.
The six-year-old spent his winter in the Middle East and returned significantly richer having won the Dubai Racing Club Classic at Meydan before a second-placed finish in the highly valuable Red Sea Turf Handicap in Saudi Arabia.
He then came home eighth in the Dubai Gold Cup back at Meydan in late March, after which he began his domestic campaign in the Group Three Ormonde Stakes at Chester’s May meeting.
Enemy was fifth behind by William Haggas’ Hamish in the Roodee feature, though Williams feels he fared well considering the testing conditions and will be more at home on better ground in Esher, where Frankie Dettori takes the ride.
“The ground probably got a little bit too soft for him at Chester last time, but he acquitted himself well and remains in good form,” the trainer said.
“Conditions should be more to suit on Thursday.”
Enemy was fifth in the Group Three race last season as Quickthorn prevailed for Hughie Morrison, but the run was luckless and Williams feels the gelding was not shown to best effect.
He said: “I don’t know that it’s not a deeper race but the way that race was won last year, he got a long way out and had a lot of ground to make up, so I think you can put a line through that.”
Elsewhere is Andrew Balding’s Nate The Great, second last season and fifth behind Silver Sonic and Enemy in the Red Sea at Riyadh.
Haggas’ Roberto Escobarr joins the line-up, as do Harry and Roger Charlton’s Sleeping Lion and Hiroo Shimizu’s French-trained Princess Anne.
All eyes will be on Blue Storm as James Tate’s two-year-old takes his chance in the Racehorse Lotto National Stakes at Sandown on Thursday.
It looks a red-hot renewal of the Listed five-furlong sprint, but Blue Storm is just one of an array of precocious youngsters to emerge from the first crop of former sprint king Blue Point.
The form of the colt’s Newmarket debut has been franked at all angles in the subsequent weeks, with the second, third, fourth and fifth all winning in style on their next starts.
And although buoyed by those results and excited to see his charge line up at the Esher track, Tate is refusing to get too carried away having seen the National Stakes scupper dreams in the past.
He said: “We were very impressed with him first time and the form couldn’t have worked out any better. He’s been impressing at home and it’s all positives really.
“Having said that I’ve ran horses in the National Stakes a few times and on paper it looks a strong renewal, so it’s a good job we’re bringing what we think is a good horse in to it.
“We’re happy with our horse and looking forward to Thursday night.”
Hugo Palmer won this two years ago and this time saddles Hackman, who was third behind Blue Storm at Newmarket but now reopposes having advertised his speed to win impressively at Chester, while Charlie Appleby’s On Point is another of Blue Point’s progeny arriving at Sandown having won on the Rowley Mile first time out.
Richard Hannon may be a fair way off matching his father’s impressive haul in this race, but landed the spoils in both 2014 and 2015 and has two worthy contenders once again in Dapper Valley and Love Billy Boy.
The form of Dapper Valley’s soft-ground Newbury win has a solid look to it, while the latter ran on strongly to land the spoils at Musselburgh on debut.
“Obviously we have two very nice horses who both won on their debuts and naturally they will come on a lot for their first runs,” said Hannon.
“I think fast ground will be more to Dapper Valley’s liking.
“Love Billy Boy has a lot of speed and won over a sharp five up north. It’s a very lucky race for David Sullivan (part owner), who has won it a couple of times, and they are keen to take their chance.
“It’s an extremely hot renewal and whatever wins it will be probably amongst the favourites for Royal Ascot if they go.”
Ralph Beckett’s Matters Most finished third to Dapper Valley at Newbury, but the son of Advertise – who cost 500,000 as a yearling – built on that racecourse bow to get off the mark at Salisbury last time and could have plenty more to offer.
“He’s in good shape, we’re looking forward to it and we’ll find out how good he is on Thursday night,” said Beckett.
Irish interest is provided by Tipperary scorer Son Of Corballis, with handler Kieran Cotter keen to get extra experience into the Raven’s Pass colt before a potential Royal Ascot tilt.
“There are limited opportunities for him here in Ireland over five furlongs and we just thought to give him this prep run before Royal Ascot,” said Cotter.
“The plan is to go for the Norfolk with him and we like him a lot, but we just need to get more of a line on him really and I suppose we’ll know more after Thursday.
“We think he’s smart and we’re confident enough to bring him over. He has a good temperament and is a smart sort, but we haven’t had that proper line on him just yet.”
Karl Burke is another handler saddling two runners and both Doncaster scorer Elite Status and Pontefract winner World Of Darcy created taking impressions, while Alice Haynes’ Shayekh completes a strong field of 10 going to post.
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