“It Would Be A Huge Upset Were He To Be Beaten” – Desert Crown Back In The Brigadier Gerard

If there were one race you could have bet that TDN Rising Star and unbeaten Derby hero of 2022 Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) would make his comeback in it would have been the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. which carries Sir Michael Stoute's stamp more than any other in the British Pattern. One of his record-setting dozen successes in the key Sandown staging post was the yard's penultimate Blue Riband hero Workforce (GB) (King's Best), so with all the stars aligning the stage is set for the return of Saeed Suhail's beau ideal on what promises to be an exciting and nerve-jangling Thursday evening.

While most connections of horses that carry this kind of gravitas err on the side of caution when commenting on a comeback after so long off the track, the owner's racing manager Bruce Raymond is having none of it. “I'm more than hopeful. It would be a huge upset were he to be beaten,” he bullishly stated on Wednesday. “Of course, they can all be beaten but I don't expect him to be.”

“Michael is definitely 100% happy with him, he's fine, he's working good and while there's enough improvement to come, he's fit enough to do himself justice,” Raymond added. “We've got a pacemaker in Solid Stone to make sure it's not a crawl. He leads him in all his work and he didn't run at Chester recently just so he could run in this.”

 

 

Is Hukum The Fly In The Ointment?

Another who hasn't been seen since last year's Derby meeting is Shadwell's Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), with his career-best G1 Coronation Cup success looking shortly after to have been his last. Nursed back from the brink by the team at Shadwell and trainer Owen Burrows, the 6-year-old who had the audacity to beat Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) by 4 1/4 lengths at Epsom is not to be underestimated although his participation depends on an inspection of the surface by connections.

“Timing-wise it really works out, it slots in well with the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot as a prep run,” Burrows said. “Fingers crossed he can show his old enthusiasm, run a nice race and get his season on track. Myself and Richard Hills are going to walk the track beforehand, I've been liaising with Andrew Cooper, the clerk, and he normally does a great job. I just don't want to run him for the first time in the year on fast ground and it's an evening meeting, so there's plenty of time throughout the day for it to dry out. We'll just be taking a look to make sure we're happy.”

 

Two Points To Make

Also at Sandown is the Listed National S., where Sultan Ali's Blue Storm (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}) bids to confirm the merit of the form of his Newmarket novice win at the Craven meeting. The James Tate trainee is up against eight other winners among the 10, including Godolphin's fellow Newmarket scorer On Point (Ire), another son of Blue Point (Ire) in a fascinating renewal of the Royal Ascot pointer.

“We were very impressed with him first time and the form couldn't have worked out any better,” Tate said of Blue Storm. “He's been impressing at home and it's all positives really. Having said that, I've ran horses in the National S. 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.”

 

 

TDN Rising Stars Cast Long Shadows

ParisLongchamp also stage a card running into the evening, with the feature G3 Prix Hocquart seeing Stall Nizza's ultra-impressive G3 Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen winner Alpenjager (Ger) (Nutan {Ire}) take on the French middle-distance colts. He split TDN Rising Star Mr Hollywood (Ire) (Iquitos {Ger}) and Sunday's G3 Baden-Baden Derby-Trial scorer Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) in Munich's G3 Bavarian Classic at the start of the month and that form looks red hot. Andre Fabre, whose record stands at seven winners of this, saddles two with Michael Tabor's First Minister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) set to act as barometer of the merit of the pair of TDN Rising Stars he split in this track's Prix de Ferrieres conditions event last month. Pascal Bary will be watching keenly to see if the winner of that, Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}), gets a boost while Jean-Claude Rouget will also be hoping that the Fabre runner shows the third-placed Silver Crack (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}) in a favourable light.

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Derby Winner Desert Crown To Resume In Brigadier Gerard

Last year's G1 Derby winner Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) will make his first start since winning the Blue Riband in Sandown's G3 Brigadier Gerard S. in late May, according to Saeed Suhail's racing manager Bruce Raymond.

Successful in a Nottingham maiden at two, the 4-year-old won the G2 Dante S. at York in his first outing at three before rolling to a 2 1/2-length victory at Epsom. An ankle injury derailed any more starts in 2022, and the Brigadier Gerard will be his first start back. Trainer Sir Michael Stoute has won the Brigadier Gerard 11 times, and if Desert Crown delivers, it would give him an even dozen victories.

Bruce Raymond, racing manager to the owner, said, “He runs in the Brigadier for sure. We have tried to get him on the grass, but everywhere is closed, so we might have to use something on Racecourse Side, I don't know. I can't think it will be any issue.

“But he is in good shape, the horse looks good and all has gone to plan, from what I have been told.”

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Derby Hero Desert Crown Returns To Cantering

Saeed Suhail's G1 Derby victor Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), missing since a minor ankle injury derailed his season after Epsom, is pleasing connections after being returned to light training a few days ago.

“Desert Crown is in good shape,” said owner Saeeed Suhail's racing manager Bruce Raymond. “He was turned out for a bit at Darley. He was there for about eight weeks and it did him really good.

“He came back in around mid-November and I saw him last week. He looks a million dollars–you'd think it was June. He has a beautiful coat, he looks great and started cantering five days before Michael got back from Barbados. He has been cantering away, although not strong cantering. Everything has been OK.”

A winner of a maiden on debut at Nottingham as a juvenile, the bay returned to take the G2 Dante S. at York last May by 3 1/4 lengths prior to his Classic heroics. The G3 Brigadier Gerard S. near the end of May, as well as the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. are likely targets for the 4-year-old.

He added, “I would have thought he would go to the Brigadier Gerard and then the King George. It is the usual route.

“Michael won't say anything, of course. If I ask him, he will say, 'That's for you to guess and me to know!'. So I'm guessing he's going in that direction, but he does look well and we'll just have to see what happens.”

Trainer Sir Michael Stoute would indeed not be drawn on future plans, and said, “It's February. I haven't made any plans and we don't want to get carried away with anything.”

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Intriguing Brigadier Poser On Thursday

There is something for everyone on a frantic Thursday afternoon and evening across Europe, with five pattern races at Baden-Baden, ParisLongchamp and Sandown and four of them condensed within less than two hours. Perhaps the most crucial comes at the latter venue, where the G3 Coral Brigadier Gerard S. sees a pair of colts with big potential in Shadwell's Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and James Wigan and Ballylinch Stud's Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}) measured against Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's solid veteran yardstsick Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). Bay Bridge incites enthusiasm as a member of the Sir Michael Stoute academy and the typical improver by steady increments ended his intriguing 3-year-old campaign with a first black-type win in Newmarket's Listed James Seymour S. Mostahdaf likewise has considerable scope and with an unbeaten record in three starts at Sandown in the Listed Heron S., Listed Fortune S. and G3 Gordon Richards S., he already has a headstart on his high-class half-sister Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) who only really got going at four.

Allez L'Astronome!

Time is running out for inclusion in the Prix du Jockey Club and in any case Al Asayl France's L'Astronome (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is probably one that needs a sterner test than he would get at Chantilly in a fortnight. Not even entered in the Classic, he goes for the G2 Prix Hocquart set at 11 furlongs on Thursday where the emphasis is bent on enhanced staying power. He fits the bill, having won over the same ParisLongchamp track last time Apr. 28 and looks certain to stay further. We all know what Francis-Henri Graffard can do with these homebreds as they build a head of steam, but he has to deal with Gestut Ittlingen's May 1 G3 Bavarian Classic scorer Lavello (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}).

Fine Tuning

Also at ParisLongchamp, the G2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier sees Moyglare's dual G1 Irish St Leger heroine Search For a Song (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) attempt to get back on track after some up and down performances of late. It won't be easy for the homebred, who faces the G3 Prix Gladiateur winner and G1 Prix du Cadran third Bubble Smart (GB) (Intello {Ger}) as the French staying scene takes shape.

In other focal points of the day, last year's G2 German 1000 Guineas winner and G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein S. third Novemba (Ger) (Gleneagles {Ire}) will take some overhauling in Baden-Baden's G2 Kronimus Badener Meile, while Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Apr. 14 Newmarket novice winner 'TDN Rising Star' TDN Rising Star Tajalla (Ire) (Kessaar {Ire}) warms up for Royal Ascot in the Listed Coral National S. at Sandown.

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