Caravel to Skip Royal Ascot, Aim for Jaipur

Quatar Racing, Marc Detampel and Madaket Stable's Caravel (Mizzen Mast), winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, will skip an expected trip to Royal Ascot for the June 20 G1 King's Stand S. and will instead aim for the June 10 GI Jaipur S. at Belmont Park, trainer Brad Cox confirmed Tuesday. The news was first reported by the Daily Racing Form's Dave Grening.

“We just feel it's the right decision with getting her back to the Breeders' Cup,” Cox said.

Purchased for $500,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November sale, Caravel won the GIII Franklin S. before her front-running victory in the Turf Sprint last November. Scratched from the Keeneland November sale just days after that win, the 6-year-old mare returned this term with a determined score in the Apr. 8 GII Shakertown S. and added a win in the Unbridled Sidney S. at Churchill Downs in her most recent start May 5.

The six-furlong Jaipur is part of the Breeders' Cup challenge series and offers an automatic berth in this year's Turf Sprint, which will be held at Santa Anita Nov. 4.

The post Caravel to Skip Royal Ascot, Aim for Jaipur appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Lynam Eyes Group 1 Double at Royal Ascot With Romantic Proposal

Only Choisir (Aus) and Blue Point (Ire) have managed to win the King's Stand and the Platinum Jubilee in the same year but Eddie Lynam has opened the door to his Group 1-winning sprinter Romantic Proposal (Ire) (Raven's Pass) emulating those legendary speedsters at Royal Ascot next month and is eyeing an audacious tilt at the double.

Romantic Proposal showed blistering speed in winning the G1 Flying Five S. at the Curragh last season and, despite treating the Listed Woodlands S. at Naas like a piece of work on her comeback, the star sprinter will not run again before the royal meeting and will be kept fresh by Lynam.

“We were delighted with her comeback and decided to leave it at that with her because we're trying to keep her fresh for Royal Ascot,” Lynam told TDN Europe on Tuesday. 

“She has entries in the King's Stand and the Platinum Jubilee and we're going to bring her over there fresh. We'll run her on the Tuesday, all going well, and then we'll see how she recovers. If we're happy with her, she will take her chance on the Saturday as well.”

Lynam added, “If you mind them when they are young, they can pay you back in spades when they get older, but that's easy for me to say as I have the owners who will let me do that. She was never going to be a 2-year-old and has developed from being a premier handicapper to making the big jump last year at five. 

“You could say that she has improved again judging by that Naas performance as, while it probably wasn't the strongest listed race ever run, she was very impressive.”

Romantic Proposal can be backed at 10-1 for the King's Stand while odds of 16-1 are available for the Platinum Jubilee. According to Lynam, the King's Stand is the preferred target for the mare, who will only back up if her main assignment goes to plan. 

He explained, “I'm not saying she can do the double but it's tempting. I was going to do it before with Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) but I didn't because he wasn't equally as good over six furlongs as he was over five. We won't back her up unless we're happy with her.”

Lynam added, “The King's Stand is the preferred target of the two and it's shaping up to be a real international race. Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) was very impressive in America recently so if he shows that sort of form we could be in trouble as he would be difficult to beat. 

“Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) also has to be respected, as does any Australian sprinter, given the history of Choisir, Starspangledbanner (Aus) and all the rest of them. The Queen looks like she has a good one [King's Lynn (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire})] and Ireland will be well-represented with A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) so it looks a top race.”

Should Romantic Proposal shine on the biggest of stages, she would once again highlight the prowess of Lynam's daughter Amy, who pinhooked the Clipper Logistics-owned star as a foal. 

Amy was also responsible for sourcing Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), who won a Group 2 for her father, and plans on capitalising on the recent run of success by making a go of it as a bloodstock agent.

She explained, “I'm over the moon with what Romantic Proposal has done. From her and Soffia before that, I am hoping to pick up some orders for the yearling sales. I always thought that being a bloodstock agent would be a great job but didn't know if I'd be any good at it. Thanks to the two of them, I might try and give it a go.”

Lynam added, “I bought a brother to Mums Tipple (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) at the November Foal Sale at Goffs last year and the plan is to pinhook him. He's very nice and is the only one I have at the moment but I'd like to try and fill a few orders if I can. I wanted to prove that I was good enough to do it first before I started spending people's money.”

The post Lynam Eyes Group 1 Double at Royal Ascot With Romantic Proposal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Golden Pal Leads Ward Ascot Workers

Wesley Ward worked five of his Royal Ascot contenders over the Keeneland turf Friday led by GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo). He covered five panels in a bullet 1:02.80 (1/8) (video). Winner of the GII Shakertown S. last out Apr. 9, the bay is being pointed at the G1 King's Stand S. at the Royal meeting June 14.

“I thought he had an unbelievable breeze today,” Ward said. “The turf was soggy, and I love to breeze on a deep, soft turf. They come in and out of the works so good. He broke off 10 lengths in front of a 2-year-old filly, ['TDN Rising Star'] Love Reigns (Ire) (U S Navy Flag)–she's no match for a horse like him at this stage of her career–but she had a target. She had a great work (1:03.60) following the fastest horse in the world. He skipped over it–it was unbelievable. That's what you want to see.”

Love Reigns, owned by Stonestreet Stables, scored a 9 3/4-length victory at Keeneland in her Apr. 29 career debut sprinting on turf. She is scheduled to race in the G2 Queen Mary S. June 15.

Stonestreet also owns G1 Platinum Jubilee S.-bound Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (1:04) and Palace of Holyroodhouse S. contender Ruthin (GB) (Ribchester {Ire}) (1:04.80) (video). Campanelle is bidding for her third win at Royal Ascot, following triumphs in the Queen Mary in 2020 and G1 Commonwealth Cup in 2021.

Ward's other Royal Ascot worker was Andrew Farm and For the People Racing Stable's No Nay Hudson (Ire) (No Nay Never) (1:06.40), who is headed to the Windsor Castle June 15. No Nay Hudson won his career debut at Keeneland Apr. 28 on the dirt.

On June 8, they have a direct flight from Indianapolis to London Stansted Airport, “and they land and have a 10-minute ride to Chelmsford Racecourse, where they'll stay for three days until they go to Ascot,” Ward said.

The post Golden Pal Leads Ward Ascot Workers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Oxted On Course For 2022 Campaign

Trainer Roger Teal looks to have plenty of talented runners to look forward to this year, none more so than his stable star Oxted (GB) (Mayson {GB}), who is making good progress toward a return after missing the second half of 2021 due to injury.

Oxted looked a somewhat surprise package when winning the G3 Abernant S. and G1 July Cup in 2020 as a 4-year-old, and the gelding proved those victories were no fluke when returning last year to take the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot and place in the latest renewals of the July Cup, Abernant and G2 Duke of York S. He was benched following last year's July Cup, however, to have a bone chip removed.

“We knew it was there, it was a floating chip, but we had always monitored it and it has never really been too much of a problem,” Teal explained. “But when he hung across the track at Newmarket, we had an MRI scan because the X-rays weren't really showing where it was, and it had moved between the joint, so it was time to take it out.”

“Oxted is back off his holidays and doing a little light exercise at the moment, just tipping away quietly and we will see how he goes over the next couple of months and make a plan,” Teal added. “He has just had a long recovery, as much time as you can give him, and touch wood, that will give him every chance to have a full recovery. He looks amazing. He has come back and he looks like a bull. We are thrilled with the way he looks.”

Teal said Oxted's schedule will not look much different than it has the past two seasons.

“Obviously his main target will be the July Cup and the King's Stand again, probably,” he said. “The Abernant at Newmarket or the Duke Of York that we ran in last year will be his starting point. It will be either one of those two, I should think.”

Teal also has Oxted's 4-year-old full-brother Chipstead (GB) on the books. He capped a seven-race 3-year-old campaign last year with three successive wins over five and 5 1/2 furlongs at Bath and is rated 87.

“Chipstead came good at the back end of last season and the penny finally dropped,” said Teal of the colt. “He had a lot of ability, but his brain didn't really match his ability. But once the penny dropped, he got the hang of it and he came forward and finished the season on a high, winning three in a row, including the Bath Series Final. I went to see him the other day and he looks brilliant as well.”

Another sprinter that Teal is looking forward to for 2022 is Austin Whelan's Whenthedealinsdone (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who won twice last summer at three, including at Glorious Goodwood, after being gelded and who was fifth when last seen in Doncaster's Portland H. in September.

“We are very excited about him,” said Teal. “He had a good season, winning at Glorious Goodwood. It was just unfortunate that the ground went against him in the Portland, but I'm very excited by him. Hopefully, he will progress into a pattern horse this year. He is on a rating of 96 at the moment. He was a big 3-year-old, probably too big for his own good, size-wise. He has just come back from Charlie Vigors's Hillwood Stud and he looks an absolute picture. He was always a big, rotund horse, but he has filled his frame now, and he and Oxted look like two peas in a pod.”

On the opposite end of the distance spectrum Teal has Ocean Wind (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), who in three runs last spring was second to Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) in the Listed Further Flight S. and to Stradivarius in the G3 Sagaro S., and third as the favourite in the G3 Henry II S., since which he has been on holiday.

“Ocean Wind has had a nice long break and is due to come in shortly,” Teal said of the 6-year-old entire. “He is doing some light prep work. I'm not sure what we are going to aim at yet. We will wait until the programme book comes out and then we will start making a plan.”

The post Oxted On Course For 2022 Campaign appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights