Loughnane Reveals Plans For Stable Stars

Trainer David Loughnane has pencilled in some big-race engagements for his stable stars Hello You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Go Bears Go (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) in the coming months.

The former, an Amo Racing colourbearer, won the G2 Rockfel S. at Newmarket in September and was not disgraced when fifth in a close finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 5. Also placed in both the G3 Albany S. and G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. earlier last year, she is being pointed toward a 1000 Guineas trial and has been entered in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh in late May.

Another Amo Racing luminary with co-owner P Waney, Go Bears Go took second in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot, before added the G2 Railway S. at The Curragh to his ledger in the summer. Third in the G1 Phoenix S. in August, the bay was fourth in Newmarket's G1 Middle Park S. on Sept. 25 and was a puzzling seventh in the G1 Dewhurst S. on Oct. 9. The colt bounced back with flare in his juvenile finale, missing by a half-length in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar in November. Loughnane is opting to keep Go Bears Go at sprint trips, and Royal Ascot's G1 Commonwealth Cup is an early-season goal. If all goes well, the colt's long-term aim is another trip to the Breeders' Cup, which will be held at Keeneland in 2022.

“Hello You and Go Bears Go have both looked fantastic on their winter holidays, they've grown and strengthened loads and turned into what we hoped they would,” he said. “We always felt they were going to be nicer 3-year-olds and they certainly look like they've developed into that. They're coming along really well and we're really excited for the season ahead.

“They gave us a great times last year, some of our biggest and best days in racing so far and we feel there's definitely more to come and that's great for the team and for everyone involved.

“Hello You will be targeted at a Guineas trial and Go Bears Go, his long-term target will be the Commonwealth Cup and hopefully back to the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year, so we'll just map things out around those.”

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Dubai Warrior Holds Off Regal Reality To Take Betway Quebec Stakes At Lingfield

Dubai Warrior rediscovered his best form to register a fourth course success at Lingfield Park in Lingfield, United Kingdom, in the Listed Betway Quebec Stakes Saturday.

The son of Dansili enjoyed an excellent record at the track for his previous trainer John Gosden, winning three of his four starts including this race in 2019 and the 2020 Group 3 Betway Winter Derby.

Now trained by David Loughnane, Dubai Warrior was last on his debut for the stable in the G3 Diamond Stakes at Dundalk in County Louth, Ireland, in September but shaped much better in fifth behind Pyledriver in the Listed Betway Churchill Stakes at Lingfield Park on November 13.

Richard Kingscote deployed more positive tactics today and positioned Dubai Warrior in behind front runners Garden Paradise and Palavecino in the early stages. The duo was relegated to fifth at the four-furlong pole before making a decisive move widest of all approaching the home turn.

Dubai Warrior, sent off a 13/2 chance, led at the top of the straight and dug in gamely as Regal Reality closed all the way to the line. The winning distance was a nose, with 5/2 favorite Felix two lengths further back in third.

Loughnane said: “Dubai Warrior is a class horse and very good around here. It is brilliant to get a winner on the board for his owner [Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum].

“He is a very easy horse to train and maps out his own races. We don't have to do too much with him.

“He had a setback and then was gelded. He used to get a bit worked up and sweaty before his races but that can be typical of his sire's progeny, but he is a happy horse now and happy horses win races.

“We just think the eye-shields help him put his head down. Richard gave him a great ride and, once this horse gets rolling, it takes a good one to go with him.

“The aim now will be the Winter Derby and then Finals Day itself will be a long-term target. I would think he will come back here for the Winter Derby Trial as well.”

Kingscote said: “It probably wasn't the smoothest race for Dubai Warrior. He needs to get rolling early, which meant I had to get myself out and come too wide.

“I thought coming to the half-furlong pole, my momentum was just finishing and Ryan [Moore] was coming on the second, but Dubai Warrior really stuck his neck out.

“He is a smart horse, particularly around here, and there should be more pots in him going forward.”

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Group 1 Winner Pyledrive To Prep For Hong Kong In Saturday’s All-Weather Churchill Stakes

Pyledriver is the headline act in a quality renewal of the Listed Betway Churchill Stakes at Lingfield Park on Saturday, Nov. 13, one of two Fast-Track Qualifiers on the card.

The popular 4-year-old reappears for William Muir & Chris Grassick having been sidelined since registering a first Group 1 success in the Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs in June, for which he must concede a 7lb penalty to his nine rivals.

Pyledriver is the 7/4 favorite with Betway as he prepares for a foray to Hong Kong next month, with the Marco Botti-trained Felix next in at 4/1. Felix was second in the G3 Betway Winter Derby over the course and distance in February prior to an excellent third behind Lord North in the G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan on Dubai World Cup Night.

David Loughnane is hoping last year's winner Dubai Warrior can rediscover his best form after finishing last on his debut for the stable in the G3 Diamond Stakes at Dundalk in September. Previously trained by John Gosden, Dubai Warrior captured this race impressively 12 months ago as well as the 2020 Betway Winter Derby.

Loughnane said: “Dubai Warrior disappointed us first time out at Dundalk. He has been in good form since and needs to take a step back in the right direction.

“We have gone for the eye shields. He has tried them on at home and they seem to have benefited him. We can probably ride him a bit differently – get him to relax – and hopefully he can finish off strongly.”

A classy line up also includes the Andrew Balding-trained Fox Tal. The five-year-old was fourth in the 2019 G1 Champion Stakes and ran one of his best races this year on the All-Weather when a close third in the G3 September Stakes at Kempton Park.

John & Thady Gosden have two contenders in Doncaster conditions race winner Harrovian and Kestenna, who steps up in trip after finishing fifth in the Listed Coral EBF Fleur De Lys Fillies' Stakes at the track last month.

Unexposed 3-year-old Cu Chulainn moves up in class after winning a Kempton Park novice race on his second start. Three-time All-Weather winner Via Serendipity, Dalanijujo and Quemonda complete the field.

The winner of the 10-furlong Betway Churchill Stakes will be guaranteed a start in the £200,000 Betway Easter Classic over the same distance at Newcastle on Finals Day.

Betway Churchill Stakes – Betway prices:
7/4 Pyledriver
4/1 Felix
5/1 Harrovian
15/2 Fox Tal
9/1 Via Serendipity
12/1 Cu Chulainn
16/1 Dubai Warrior, Kestenna
20/1 Dalanijujo
40/1 Quemondo
Each-way 1/5 1,2,3

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A place on Finals Day is also up for grabs in the Listed Betway Golden Rose Stakes over six furlongs, a Fast-Track Qualifier for the £150,000 Betway All-Weather Sprint Championships.

All eyes will be on Mark Johnston's runner The Last Lion as he returns from a 1,876-day absence following fertility issues at stud. Now a 7-year-old, The Last Lion was last seen out in the G1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket in 2016, when he defeated future champion sprinter Blue Point to give jockey Joe Fanning a first Group 1 victory.

A closely matched field of 12 also includes the last two winners of the Betway Golden Rose Stakes in Good Effort and Judicial, trained by Ismail Mohammed and Julie Camacho respectively.

Exalted Angel posted successive career-best performances over the course and distance last season, taking out the Listed Betway Kachy Stakes in February before going down by a head to Summerghand in the Betway All-Weather Sprint Championships on Finals Day.

Trainer Karl Burke said: “Exalted Angel is really well after a summer break and has been working nicely.

“He clearly handles the track well having put up to good performances at Lingfield last season – it's just a question of whether he is wound up enough to repeat those performances. I am not quite convinced, but he should run well all the same.

“We have saved him for another All-Weather campaign and the main aim is to get him qualified for Finals Day. The fact the final is now at Newcastle is not a problem because he has run well there before.”

There is an international element courtesy of Irish raider Harry's Bar, who is a three-time winner at Dundalk for Ado McGuinness, and Manjeer for French handler Carina Fey.

Misty Grey, a close third behind Exalted Angel in the Betway Kachy Stakes on his latest start, and lightly raced three-year-old Bahrain Pride are other contenders to note.

Betway Golden Rose Stakes – Betway prices:
7/2 Good Effort
6/1 Harry's Bar, Misty Grey
8/1 Bahrain Pride, Judicial
9/1 Exalted Angel
10/1 Fivethousandtoone
11/1 Manjeer, The Last Lion
12/1 Soldier's Minute
16/1 Jouska
20/1 Bimble
Each-way 1/5 1,2,3

Betway's Chad Yeomans said: “It looks a fascinating renewal of the Betway Churchill Stakes, with Group 1 winner Pyledriver the horse they all have to beat. He is the 7/4 favorite with us, which could look a big price in hindsight as he's clear on official ratings.

“The Betway Golden Rose Stakes is also fiercely competitive. Last year's winner Good Effort is solid at the head of the market at 7/2. It's also great to see Betway ambassador Andrew Balding sending Fivethousandtoone to the six-furlong contest. Andrew thought he was a Guineas horse at the start of the season, so it's interesting to see him at this level.”

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Irish Trainer Loughnane ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ With First Breeders’ Cup Runners Go Bears Go, Hello You

David Loughnane is excited about next year for Go Bears Go and Hello You after they ended their juvenile campaigns with excellent performances at the Breeders' Cup.

Go Bears Go was a fast-finishing half-length runner-up to Twilight Gleaming in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar, while Hello You just faded in the last half-furlong when fifth to Pizza Bianca in the Juvenile Fillies' Turf.

Both horses were Group Two winners in 2021 with Go Bears Go taking the Railway Stakes at the Curragh and Hello You the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket.

“It was a great experience and both ran great races. I couldn't be happier with them,” said the Shropshire handler.

As for next year, Loughnane plans to aim Go Bears Go at the Commonwealth Cup and Hello You will begin in a Classic trial.

“I thought going into it five might be a bit sharp for him over there. He missed the break by a millisecond which he's never done before,” he said.

“I don't know whether it was the stalls are wider over there or having a stalls handler in the gate with him that just took his mind off the job for half a second.

“Had he jumped, he'd have won. In four more strides he'd have won, but I couldn't be any prouder of the horse. He ran an absolute belter of a race and it capped off a fantastic year for him.

“Five to six furlongs will be his trip over here next year. I suppose the most logical option would be something along the lines of the Commonwealth Cup.

“We'll see how it goes. He thrived off the whole travelling. There are loads of options, including Dubai at the end of February. He'll go for a nice holiday now and then we'll take it one step at a time. We'll see how he is come January and then we'll make a plan from there.”

Loughnane felt the long trip to California took its toll on Hello You, but has no concerns about her staying a mile next season.

“The journey over there probably took a bit more out of her. She jumped, she travelled, she got a lovely run through the race,” he went on.

“She travelled like a dream and turning for home, I thought how far does she win, then when Johnny (Velazquez) asked her she just didn't go though with it completely. She pulled up a tired horse. It took a lot out of her. She was only beaten a length and a half in a Grade One over there when she wasn't at her best.

“I have no doubt on her day she was probably the best horse in the race. She'll go for a holiday as well now and we'll come back and try for a Guineas trial with her.

“I have no concerns about her getting the mile. I said whatever she did this year was only going to be a bonus to what she does next year.”

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