Epsom Gallops Morning For Eydon

Listed winner Eydon (Ire) (Olden Times {GB}) will go to Epsom to test his aptitude for the course during the Cazoo Derby Gallops Morning on May 23, Prince Faisal's racing manager Ted Voute revealed. Depending on his results, that will see the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas fourth take his chances in the G1 Cazoo Derby on June 4. Alternatively, he will be re-routed to the G1 Prix du Jockey Club in France one day later.

Voute said, “He'll go on Monday to Epsom and have a little piece of work down the hill and around the turn and into the straight.

“We'll see how he handles the bend and the camber and then the Prince will have a think about what he wants to do after seeing how balanced he is.”

Voute also had an update on Prince Faisal's globetrotting multiple Group 1 winner Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), and he is targeting the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot. Successful in the G1 Juddmonte International S. in August of 2021, the 2020 Prix du Jockey Club hero was fourth in the G1 QIPCO British Champion S. in the autumn. Defending his Saudi Cup title, the 5-year-old entire faded to last of 14 in Riyadh on Feb. 26.

“I said to the Prince the other day that he'd already won the French Derby and he said 'oh well, I don't mind winning it twice,'” Voute added. “Ascot is where we're heading [with Mishriff]. We're just waiting to see whether we'll be ready for then, but it's pretty much the same agenda as last year and we'll just take it one race at a time.

“I'm not sure I really want to take on Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), but if we're going to be a champion then we've got to.”

Also heading to the Cazoo Derby Gallops Morning on Monday are Eydon's fellow Derby contenders Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) as well as Oaks entrant Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

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Pyledriver in Good Order For Coronation Cup Defence

Last year's G1 Coronation Cup victor Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) is pleasing co-trainers William Muir and Chris Grassick ahead of a title defence of that Epsom contest on June 3. The 5-year-old entire, who races for the La Pyle Partnership, won the Listed Churchill S. in November of 2021 and signed off his year when second by a length in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin in December. He was unplaced in the G3 Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia, but improved to fourth in Meydan's G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic on Mar. 26.

“He's in really good shape, I took him to Newbury on Sunday, he went round and worked well and just because I know where he is and I know what he does, that's why I'm really excited, not because he broke any land-speed world records,” said Muir. “I was delighted with it because he has had a break and he has come back and just shown he is exactly where he was before his other races all through the winter.

“He's looked great out the past few days and we now have to just get through the next two weeks and we will be in with a great chance. Things can change with racehorses day by day, but at this present stage he's in good form. He just did what I wanted to see, like out in Dubai and Hong Kong, he just seems to be in that sort of place.”

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Adayar To Miss Coronation Cup; Heads To Ascot

Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) will not return to the scene of his greatest triumph for the G1 Coronation Cup after a bout of coughing held up his preparation for his intended comeback at Epsom on June 3. Last year's Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. winner will head instead to Royal Ascot.

“Adayar was an intended runner some months ago but he just met with a minor setback in that he was coughing so I eased off him for a week,” said Charlie Appleby via a video release on the Godolphin website. “He has done very well in that week but I think we are going to be giving the Coronation a miss, as just fitness-wise I won't quite have him ready in time.”

The trainer plans instead to run Manobo (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who has been beaten just once in six starts when a close second in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup.

He continued, “We had always mooted that we wanted to drop [Manobo] back to a mile and a half. His preparation has gone very well towards the Coronation, he worked this morning and I am very pleased with him. He's definitely an intended runner for the Coronation. Adayar will most likely be heading towards the Prince of Wales's Stakes for the first start of his 4-year-old career.”

Appleby also issued an update on Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who on Saturday will bid to give his trainer an unprecedented hat-trick of wins in the 2000 Guineas, Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Irish 2000 Guineas with three different horses when he lines up for the latter at the Curragh.

“He had his last piece of work this morning and William [Buick] sat on him. He looked great. It's all systems got for the Curragh on Saturday,” said the trainer.

Appleby also has two potential chances to win the Derby for the third time, having left in Lingfield Derby Trial runner-up Walk Of Stars (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Blue Riband Trial winner Nahanni (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at the most recent forfeit stage.

He said, “Walk Of Stars has most definitely come forward mentally for that run at Lingfield. He's a big playboy still but we're most definitely pleased with what we've seen since his run.

“Nahanni hasn't been seen [on the racecourse] since his 'win and you're in' at Epsom in the Blue Riband Trial. Physically, I couldn't be any happier than with how he's done. He's just picking up the gears now and we're looking forward to them both going to Epsom.”

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Harper Happy with Havana Grey’s Bright Start at Stud

No first-season sire has made an impact with his runners on the track quite like Havana Grey (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) has and, for all that Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor Stud is petrified to tempt fate, he agreed that the early signs are hugely positive for their up-and-coming stallion.

Havana Grey was a brilliant 2-year-old himself, winning the G3 Molecomb S. before finishing runner-up in the G1 Prix Morny and G2 Flying Childers S., but it wasn't until the end of his 3-year-old campaign until he recorded his greatest day on a racecourse.

That triumph came when he snared the G1 Flying Five S. at the Curragh in 2018 and, while Havana Grey has clearly injected precociousness into his offspring with 10 individual winners in Europe on the board already, the most of any first-season sire, Harper is confident that the stallion's offspring will progress with racing.

He said, “It's still very much early days and we're keeping our heads down but, for a horse who ran his best race at the end of his 3-year-old campaign, it's particularly exciting that his progeny appear to be very easy to get to the track.”

Harper added, “We speak with trainers all the time and the one thing we hear is of how hardy his offspring are. Things that would have upset or derailed a yearling during its prep last year, the Havana Greys seemed to just dust it off, which was quite impressive. I think we are seeing that by how many have made the track already.

“They are like the kids in the playground who fall down and scrape their knee or bang their head but get back up and keep on running. They have a great attitude. We're very happy at the moment and are just happy that our clients will hopefully benefit from his brilliant start.”

Havana Grey's progeny have amassed eight wins between them in Britain and Ireland but it's Amuninni (Ire), who broke his duck in Italy recently, who springs to mind as Harper illustrated how the stallion's runners progress from their debut.

Harper said, “They seem to come on from their first run. No-one will have watched this, but a perfect example of this was a colt [Amuninni] that we sold at the Silver Sale at Doncaster for £11,000. He wasn't perfect but he was a good strong colt who went out to Italy.

“He was a little bit lost on his first run but was slow out the gates, which they can be, and it all looked a bit much for him first time out. Second time up, he was like a bullet from a gun and he'd have won [by] 10 lengths if he wasn't eased down.”

Harper added, “Karl Burke told me of how they expected Havana Grey to win first time out and he didn't. He surprised them by how green he was first time out but he really progressed. They really do come forward.”

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