Marquand ‘95% Certain’ To Ride Perfect Power On Champions Day

Tom Marquand is “95% certain” to be aboard multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S. on Oct. 15, according to owner Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum's racing manager Bruce Raymond. The colt's usual rider, Christophe Soumillon, will be serving part of his 60-day suspension for elbowing another jockey out of the saddle in a race, during that time period. A dual Group 1 winner as a juvenile, the bay's most recent victory was in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. His latest two efforts were sevenths in the G1 July Cup S. at Newmarket in July and in Deauville's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest on Aug. 7.

Raymond said, “We've hopefully got Tom Marquand booked. William [Haggas] has Jon and Julia Aisbitt's horse [Tiber Flow (Ire) (Caravaggio)] in the race. He may run that, but he might just let Tom off to ride ours.

“Tom is very keen to ride ours and we're 95% certain we've got him.”

Raymond added of the Richard Fahey trainee's most recent effort, “Richard said he'd got a bit sore–not jarred up–just a bit sore.

“Hopefully the weather will break before the weekend, as he could do with softish ground. You never know this time of year. If it came soft, I would be favouring him a lot. Not just because it is Ascot, but because he is fresher than most.

“He is still a 3-year-old, but he is a mature 3-year-old. I've seen him working and he's good and fresh and he's in top shape.”

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Perfect Power In Good Form For Champions Day

Multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) is pleasing trainer Richard Fahey in advance of a start in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint at Ascot on Oct. 15. The Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum runner won both the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S. at two, and also prevailed in the G3 Greenham S. on his 3-year-old bow. After failing to stay in the G1 2000 Guineas, the colt bounced back to take the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. He was seventh in his two most recent starts–the July 9 G1 July Cup and the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville on Aug. 7.

“He's in great form–we're very happy with him,” said Fahey.

“We gave him a little bit of a break and he's been training real good. We've had him away a couple of times, he's in great order and we're looking forward to it.

“He loves Ascot. I thought about going to France, but speaking to Sheikh Rashid we decided to go straight there [Ascot] with him.

“He just doesn't want the ground very firm. He's had quite a few runs on very firm ground and it just wasn't suiting him. A bit of decent ground would be great.”

Normally paired with Christophe Soumillon, Perfect Power's team is hunting for a new jockey after the Belgian's two-month suspension begins on Oct. 14.

He added, “There have been discussions and Bruce Raymond [owner's racing manager] is on with that at the moment.”

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El Kabeir’s Bright Diamond A New Rising Star At Newmarket

There were some choicely-bred fillies in Newmarket's opening British Stallion Studs EBF “Newcomers” Maiden Fillies' S. on Saturday, but one dominant member of the class in Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum's Bright Diamond (Ire) (El Kabeir–Starlite Sienna {Ire}, by Elusive Pimpernel). Sent off at 10-1, the Karl Burke-trained bay who was a bargain €52,000 purchase at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up was at work first under Clifford Lee but responded to power her way to the front approaching the furlong pole. Devouring the rising ground to the line, the relative of the dual group 3 winner Realtra (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) had nine lengths to spare over the Michael Bell-trained Liberalist (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) there, with a neck back to Jalapa (GB) (Expert Eye {GB}), the half-sister to Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

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Ardad’s Perfect Power Takes The Commonwealth Cup

Confirming his position as the chief three-year-old sprinting colt, Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum's Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) came out on top in a highly-competitive G1 Commonwealth Cup on Friday. Successful in the G2 Norfolk S. at last year's meeting, the subsequent G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S. winner had been seventh in the 2000 Guineas following his success in Newbury's seven-furlong G3 Greenham S. Apr. 16 and started as the 7-2 joint-favourite back sprinting. Settled halfway down the field initially by Christophe Soumillon racing far side, the Richard Fahey-trained bay gave his familiar surge to take over from TDN Rising Star Flotus (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) passing the furlong pole and win by 1 1/4 lengths from Flaming Rib (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) who denied Flotus by half a length.

 

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