O’Brien bids to sweep Yorkshire Cup duck aside with Broome

By Sports Desk May 17, 2023

Dubai Gold Cup winner Broome will take on six rivals as he attempts to give Aidan O’Brien a first victory in the Boodles Yorkshire Cup on Friday.

So far, the Group Two York marathon has eluded the master of Ballydoyle, but he possesses a strong hand on this occasion, having seen his Royal Ascot winner thrive for the step up to two miles at Meydan where he downed the reopposing Siskany close to the finish.

Hughie Morrison’s Quickthorn could only finish sixth on that occasion, but was an emphatic 14-length winner on his last visit to the Knavesmire when he claimed the Lonsdale Cup.

Brian Ellison’s Tashkhan was amongst the beaten horses then and will try to improve on last year’s third in this race, while Roger Varian’s St Leger hero Eldar Eldarov has Ascot Gold Cup aspirations and will be looking to confirm Doncaster form over Marco Botti’s Leger third Giavellotto.

A cast of 10 potentially smart fillies go to post for the Oaks Farm Stables Fillies’ Stakes, where John and Thady Gosden’s Queen For You will attempt to build on a taking debut at Ascot.

Charlie Appleby’s Silver Lady also impressed on her racecourse bow, while similar sentiments apply to William Haggas’ Fakhama who triumphed at Newbury in April.

Ralph Beckett’s Juliet Sierra brings Group One form and experience to the table, with Stormy Sea and Orchid Bloom two others of note.

The other Listed action is the Clipper EBF Marygate Fillies’ Stakes that opens Friday’s card, and there could be could be plenty of pace on show as Newmarket one-two Persian Dreamer and Dorothy Lawrence lock horns once again.

The latter represents last year’s winning handler Karl Burke, who also runs Nottingham scorer Got To Love A Grey, while Persian Dreamer’s handler, Dominic Ffrench Davis, is double-handed as well with Treasure Storm, another last-time-out winner amongst the 10 declared.

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  • Ryan believes Room Service can deliver Burradon success Ryan believes Room Service can deliver Burradon success

    Room Service will attempt to deliver a tasty early-season treat to Kevin Ryan when he lines up in the BetMGM Burradon Stakes at Newcastle.

    A winner of a valuable sales race at Doncaster when last seen, connections cannot help but be buoyed by the way that form has been franked by the horses in behind, with the second, fourth and fifth all scoring since and the third, Aidan O’Brien’s Johannes Brahms, already Group Two placed.

    Ryan sees this Listed event as the perfect place to test out the Kodi Bear colt’s capabilities over a mile and, with him holding an entry for the Irish 2,000 Guineas, it will give a good gauge as to whether Classic dreams can begin.

    “It’s a good starting point for him and he’s in good form,” said the North Yorkshire-based trainer.

    “Obviously the all-weather is an unknown but he’s ready to run. The way the ground is at the moment, he likes soft ground, but I don’t really like starting them off on really deep ground, so I just thought we would have a look at Newcastle and see how he goes on that surface.

    “He’s matured the way you would like to see him mature from two to three and we’re very happy with him. We’ll learn an awful lot more on Friday.”

    Room Service is just 1lb below John and Thady Gosden’s Orne on official ratings, but the Horris Hill winner has to concede a 5lb penalty to his big-race rival due to landing that rearranged Group Two last autumn.

    The Al Shaqab-owned Classic entrant has match fitness on his side having appeared both in Doha and when going down valiantly in Lingfield’s Spring Cup recently – and his team are hopeful his class can see him involved in the finish.

    “He’s come out of his race at Lingfield really well and he ran really well from a wide draw there,” said Al Shaqab racing manager Alison Begley.

    “He has to carry a penalty, but we think he has a good chance and we think the step up to a mile will help him. He ran well over a mile in Qatar, so we think returning to that distance will help and hopefully he will run well.

    “He’s top rated in the race and Kevin Ryan’s is 1lb below him with us giving him 5lb because of the penalty, but having said that, Orne is a horse who is improving and he’s done little wrong in his career so far and we hope he will run a big race.”

    A couple of places behind Orne at Lingfield earlier this month was Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Habrdi, who prior to that fifth-place finish had won three on the spin for the Newmarket handler.

    He now returns to the mile trip he was successful over at Chelmsford on his penultimate start, with his trainer confident the colt will be sharper for his Spring Cup outing.

    “He needed the run in the Spring Cup, as we always had half an eye on this race,” said Chapple-Hyam.

    “He had a wide draw and was almost playing catch-up the whole time. He has come forward since then and moving back up to a mile should suit him. He is in a good spot at the moment.”

    Charlie Appleby’s Dubawi gelding Silent Age has impressed in two appearances on the all-weather and now takes a step up in grade, while similar sentiments apply to Karl Burke’s Cuban Tiger, who bumped into a well-regarded stablemate of the Godolphin entrant at Kempton last month.

    Burke said: “I could not be happier with him. He ran really well at Kempton, proving he gets the mile well, and this race looked the obvious next step.”

    There has never been an Irish winner of this contest and Adrian Murray will try to change that when he saddles the raiding Manhattan Dreamer, who opened her account when stepping up to seven furlongs at Dundalk last time.

    Andrew Balding’s Sayedaty Sadaty, Yokohama (John Butler) and David Menuisier’s Chelmsford scorer Louis Quatorze complete the field at Gosforth Park.

  • Fire Demon aiming to burn up Finals Day rivals Fire Demon aiming to burn up Finals Day rivals

    Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy will attempt to go back-to-back in the BetMGM All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Handicap with recent Kempton scorer Fire Demon at Newcastle on Good Friday.

    The Kingsclere handler and his long-time jockey linked up with Desert Cop when the race was run as a conditions event 12 months ago, but look to have a strong hand once again with the six-furlong shootout now taking place as a handicap.

    The Juddmonte-owned son of Dark Angel produced some solid form figures as a two-year-old but has really begun to take shape since dropped back to six furlongs from the turn of the year.

    He has won two of his last three at that distance and arrives at Gosforth Park with connections hopeful of a bold bid.

    “He’s been very consistent and had just one little blip this winter when he ran at Lingfield and Ryan (Moore) just felt the track didn’t suit him that day at all,” said Juddmonte’s European racing manager Barry Mahon.

    “He bounced back nicely on his last start and I think the track at Newcastle will suit him well.

    “He’s going there with a live chance and it’s great prize-money and a nice race – and if we could catch it, then it would be lovely.”

    Those sentiments were echoed by Balding, who added: “It was nice to see him bounce back at Kempton and win well, as he got very unbalanced at Lingfield the time before that.

    “On a conventional track like Newcastle again, I think he goes there with a sporting chance.”

    Fire Demon’s jockey will know plenty about one of his mount’s chief rivals Blue Prince, having ridden him to finish on the premises at Lingfield the last twice.

    Prior to that, David Evans’ Blue Point colt was seen getting the better of Sommelier over course and distance and his handler feels he could make a return to the scoresheet in the north east.

    Evans said: “I thought he was a bit unlucky in the trial at Lingfield. He has come out of it in good order and I think he has a nice chance.”

    Meanwhile, Sommelier has been kept fresh since that half-length reversal to Blue Prince on New Year’s Day, with Marco Botti’s charge meeting his old adversary on much better terms despite having to shoulder the burden of top-weight.

    “His preparation has gone to plan and we are very happy with him,” said Botti.

    “We wanted to bring him here fresh after his run in the trial. It is going to be a tough race, especially carrying top weight, but he has already proven himself at the track.

    “We have booked Rossa Ryan and he has been lucky for us in the past.”

    Karl Burke saddled El Caballo to land this prize two years ago and has two chances this year, with the consistent Media Shooter given precedence over stablemate Bazball by the odds compilers.

    Spigot Lodge number one Clifford Lee agrees and has elected to partner recent Kempton scorer Media Shooter, who was a little over a length adrift of Fire Demon on his penultimate start.

    Bazball, meanwhile, will have to snap a five-race losing run if she is to hit her sprinting rivals for six.

    Burke said: “Bazball is coming off a bit of a break, albeit she has a low weight.

    “Bazball has won at the track and they both have chances, but I think Media Shooter goes there with stronger claims.

    “Media Shooter has performed really well on the all-weather and is probably going to be a bit sharper than her.”

    Sprint king Mick Appleby is also double-handed in the race with G’Day Mate and Daring Legend, as the Oakham handler continues his quest to be champion all-weather trainer for a fifth straight season.

    “I don’t think there will be much between them,” said Appleby. “G’Day Mate has more speed, so it will be a question of whether he gets home over the stiff six, while it was a bit of a rush to get Daring Legend qualified. I think they both have chances.”

    There has never been an Irish winner of this particular Finals Day event, but Andrew Slattery will be bidding to change that with Dundalk regular Tarsus, who arrives off the ferry fresh from a success over all-weather veteran Harry’s Bar last month.

    Slattery said: “Everything seems good with Tarsus. He has surprised us in some ways by how much he has come forward in recent months, although we thought he was a nice horse last year and he disappointed us.

    “Declan McDonogh rode him the last day and said he would stay seven furlongs, so the stiff six at Newcastle should not be a problem.”

  • Fergie enjoying time in the sun with Spirit Dancer Fergie enjoying time in the sun with Spirit Dancer

    Sir Alex Ferguson has said it is “an honour” to have bred a horse good enough to run in a race such as the Dubai Sheema Classic with Spirit Dancer, who is chasing an overseas treble.

    Trained by Richard Fahey, the seven-year-old has been a real late bloomer and a plan hatched after a victory in a Group Three at York has well and truly come to fruition.

    Victories in the Bahrain Trophy and the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia have propelled the Frankel gelding into the highest company and he is now taking on the likes of dual Derby and Breeders’ Cup winner Auguste Rodin and Japanese filly Liberty Island.

    “He’s looking great, I think he’s enjoying it out here actually, who wouldn’t, the climate is fantastic,” Ferguson told the Dubai Racing Club.

    “It’s been success all the way, there’s been improvement every race. We’re honoured to be here, the type of race he’s going to be in, it’s outstanding opposition.”

    It will be Spirit Dancer’s first run over a mile and a half but it is something Fahey has been keen to try for some time.

    Ferguson added: “We’re quietly confident. In fairness, Richard has said all along that he thinks he’s a mile and a half horse. His Frankel pedigree suggests he should be able to cope with it, so we’re hopeful in that respect, but we don’t know.

    “It’s an honour to have a horse in a race of this magnitude that you’ve bred yourself.

    “When he won at York, Richard told us we were going to Bahrain and I said ‘Bahrain! What do we want to go there for?’ – and he said there was a great race there for him, so he’s the architect and we’re not going to argue with what he’s doing.

    “We’ve enjoyed it, we’ve had a few days in Bahrain, a few days in Saudi and now a week here. It’s fantastic.”

    It has been one success after another for Ferguson, who as well as enjoying victories abroad with Spirit Dancer, celebrated a Cheltenham Festival double earlier this month.

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