G2 Middleton Fillies' S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Dual Group 1 winner Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who took the 2022 G1 Prix de Diane with Hollie Doyle aboard, is pointing toward the May 18 G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Fillies' S. at York for her 4-year-old bow.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden for Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud, the bay is in good form, and, if the ground is unsuitable at York, she could be re-routed to the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury two days later.

“She stays in training and has wintered well,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for Nashwa's owner Imad Al Sagar. “She hasn't done much and probably at this stage we're aiming at the Middleton at York and then we would see how we go from there.

“The mile-and-a-quarter races would be her initial targets anyway I would imagine, but I suppose if the ground came up very soft for some reason at York and if the ground was all right at Newbury she might divert to the Lockinge. At the moment though, the plan is to look at the Middleton and Imad is happy with that plan.”

Third in the G1 Oaks at Epsom last spring, she eked out a short neck victory in the Chantilly Classic and made it two top tier races on the bounce with a 1 3/4-length score in the Nassau S. at Goodwood in July. A too-good-to-lose second in the G1 Prix de l'Opera on Arc Day Nashwa ran fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland in November. Trips to France for the G1 Prix Jean Romanet, as well as clashing with males in open Group 1s are on the table for later in the season.

“There's the Prince Of Wales's, Eclipse and Juddmonte if you are being really brave,” Grimthorpe continued. “Otherwise, there are nice races in Deauville and all those nice fillies races all around the Nassau which she won last year as well, so there is a good programme for her.”

The post Middleton Fillies’ S. First Up For Star Filly Nashwa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

It's May, it's sunny, it's the Dante meeting in the county of England known as “God's Own Country” and we have a Sir Michael Stoute Derby plunge horse about to appear. While the kingpin of Newmarket is still prepared to train racehorses, there will continue to be moments like these and this time the bearer of the Freemason Lodge standard is the unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in Thursday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. Bred at Gary Robinson's Teversham-based Strawberry Fields Stud, Saeed Suhail's 280,000gns Book 2 purchase looked a real prospect when winning the extended mile maiden at Nottingham in November won in recent times by Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). At 11-1 that day, it is safe to say the bay exceeded expectations but there will be far less mileage in his odds here after all the hullabaloo which has surrounded him of late. Stoute, who has the chance to equal the record of seven Dante winners set by his friend and rival, the late Sir Henry Cecil, has spoken of a setback which ruled out an earlier run and this trial has only just come around in time.

“Sir Michael is bringing him along very gradually, a month ago you certainly wouldn't have been thinking of winning any Derby but he's coming to hand now,” Saeed Suhail's racing manager Bruce Raymond said. “One thing about our horse is he'll stay very well and whatever he does in the Dante, he'll improve a lot for. He'd have to run well, but if he gets beat it doesn't automatically mean he wouldn't run in the Derby. He will be a decent horse in time.”

Will Experience Count?

While Desert Crown lacks seasoning, at the other end of that spectrum is Nas Syndicate and Tony O'Callaghan's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud and G3 Prix de Conde winner El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), whose defeat of Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and company in the latter contest looks stronger all the time. Trainer James Ferguson missed the chance to saddle a runner in the 1000 Guineas, but he is well on track to be involved in the G1 Cazoo Derby and all bar Highclere's G2 Royal Lodge S. and G3 Acomb S. winner Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) have to improve to get to his level.

“He's the only Group 1 winner in the field and we've beaten the Derby favourite,” Ferguson said. “Stone Age looks progressive and has obviously done very well from two to three, but on paper you've got to be very happy with what we've got here in the yard.”

Jason Hart said of Royal Patronage, “His Acomb win here was good and there was no fluke in it–he has a great attitude and this course plays to his strengths.”

More Thunder Forecast

Night of Thunder (Ire) has already delivered a stunner at this meeting in Highfield Princess (Fr) and he is represented by the favourite in Thursday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Fillies' S. Heading Newtown Anner Stud Farm's duo is the Ger Lyons-trained impressive Listed Noblesse S. winner Thunder Kiss (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), who has been patiently handled by her trainer and gives the impression she is ready to produce something special. She is met by the Stoute duo Ville de Grace (GB) (Le Havre {Ire}) and Noon Star (Galileo {Ire}), with the former narrowly denied in Newmarket's G2 Dahlia S. over nine furlongs May 1, her latest honest and consistent effort. Juddmonte's 'TDN Rising Star' Noon Star is still an unknown quantity, but she has to be better than her workmanlike success in the Apr. 26 Listed Nottinghamshire Oaks.

“Hopefully she'll have progressed, she was off the track for a long while, so you'd hope there would be natural progression from the last run to this one,” Barry Mahon said.

The post All Is Well At York As Dante Leads Thursday’s Card appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post