Raphael Freire is excited to unleash 1,750,000 guineas breeze-up buy Celestial King at Ascot on Saturday, predicting a bright future for the sales-topping youngster.
Bloodstock agent Alex Elliott, on behalf of Amo Racing supremo Kia Joorabchian, saw off Godolphin representatives in the sales ring to acquire the son of Havana Grey for a record fee for a lot sold at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale last month.
Now the Amo team are preparing to do battle with the boys in blue on the racecourse, as their high-value asset faces off against Charlie Appleby’s Newmarket winner Military Code in the Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% Novice Stakes.
Freire said: “He looked very impressive at the breeze-ups and he showed lots of speed there. It hasn’t slowed him down coming to us and it’s brought him forward.
“Surprisingly he was a lot greener than we expected, but we see that as a good thing as it leaves us plenty to work on still and he’s there now and he will run on Saturday with a great chance I think.
“Obviously there are some good horses declared like the Godolphin horse that has won at Newmarket and his experience could play a part but I expect Celestial King to run really well, he has plenty of ability.”
As with all two-year-olds at this stage of the season, an eventual trip to Royal Ascot is very much central to the agenda, with the Freemason Lodge handler keen to give his charge an earlier sighter of the famous Berkshire venue ahead of the summer showpiece in June.
“There is nothing better than to have had a run at Ascot just to show him the place and so he will have been around the track,” continued Freire.
“We will see what the outcome of the weekend is and work with that. We would probably like to have another run before Royal Ascot but this is definitely a nice starting point.”
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