Tag Archive for: Al Asifah

Well-regarded Al Asifah on redemption trail at Yarmouth

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Royal Ascot disappointment Al Asifah bids to get her season back on track in an intriguing renewal of the EBF Stallions John Musker Fillies’ Stakes at Yarmouth on Wednesday.

Following an emphatic victory on her racecourse debut at Haydock in May, the daughter of Frankel made a huge impression in a Listed event at Goodwood the following month, prompting connections to stump up the supplementary fee to add her to the Ribblesdale Stakes just 11 days later.

The gamble failed to pay off, though, with John and Thady Gosden’s youngster finishing a well beaten sixth behind subsequent Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille heroine Warm Heart and she has since been given an extended break to recover from her exertions.

Angus Gold, racing manager for owner-breeders Shadwell, said: “We gave her a nice break after Ascot and she seems in good form, so it will be very interesting to get her back on the track.

“Until she disappoints again, I would say it all just came a bit quick for her in the Ribblesdale. Lots of clever people said she didn’t stay the mile and a half, but for me that wasn’t what got her beaten as she wouldn’t have won at a mile and a quarter either.

“I just think she was very flat on the day. She’s a big, immature filly and while she’s not temperamentally unsound, I think everything just got on top of her a little bit (at Ascot).

“I’m sure she’ll be better in time and we hope she does well enough that we can keep her in training next year.”

Infinite Cosmos is among Al Asifah's rivals
Infinite Cosmos is among Al Asifah’s rivals (David Davies/PA)

Al Asifah faces a far from straightforward task, with Sir Michael Stoute’s Infinite Cosmos making her first competitive appearance since finishing third in the Musidora at York in the spring, while Sapphire Seas is stepped up in class by Charlie Appleby having won her last three starts.

Gold added: “It always is a good race this and a great race to have on the calendar. You have fillies coming back from little niggles and different things, so it will be a good test for her.”

The Shadwell colours will also be carried by Roger Varian’s Mukaddamah, who has been placed in Listed company before – but Gold acknowledges this is a tough assignment for the grade.

He said: “She’s a nice, solid filly and we’ve been trying to win a Listed race with her.

“With the other filly in here I wouldn’t expect her to win this, but we don’t have many options as she doesn’t really like soft ground, so I think they just felt this was the obvious race for her.”



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Al Asifah set to be supplemented for Ribblesdale run

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Al Asifah is set to be supplemented for the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot following her runaway success at Goodwood last weekend.

An impressive winner on her racecourse debut at Haydock in May, the Shadwell-owned Frankel filly successfully stepped up to Listed class with a brilliant display on the Sussex Downs on Sunday.

The possibility of adding her to the field for next month’s Irish Oaks was initially mooted by connections – but after consultation with joint-trainer John Gosden, Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold has confirmed she is now poised to make a swift return to action at the Royal meeting.

He told the PA news agency: “I think it is a definite possibility. She seems to have come out of Goodwood very well and John has been very happy with her since.

“He just felt that she really had an exercise gallop at Goodwood more than anything, she hasn’t lost any weight and so far all the signs are good.

“Obviously we don’t have to supplement until the morning, so we’ll just check her out overnight, keep an eye on her and tomorrow. So long as everyone is happy, then she will be supplemented.”

It will cost the Shadwell team just over £13,000 to supplement Al Asifah, with Gold of the view it is too good an opportunity to pass up.

Angus Gold is excited to see Al Asifah in action at Royal Ascot
Angus Gold is excited to see Al Asifah in action at Royal Ascot (Mike Egerton/PA)

He added: “It’s not the sort of thing you would normally rush to do, but as John pointed out against three-year-old fillies-only there’s not many more options.

“I think she is also in particularly good form at the moment and you never know with horses, so we’re going to try to strike while the iron is hot so to speak.

“Anything can happen, she’s not in the Irish Oaks and it costs a lot to supplement. As John said, she used to tie up as a two-year-old and has problems with high muscle enzymes.

“Touch wood, at the moment she’s in good form so we’ll try to get her there in one piece and see how we get on.”



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Al Asifah scorches Goodwood turf – and could enter Classic equation

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Al Asifah could head to the Darley Irish Oaks on the strength of a facile success in the Listed Weatherbys/British EBF Agnes Keyser Fillies’ Stakes at Goodwood on Sunday.

The Shadwell-owned Frankel filly had scored in impressive fashion on her debut in a Haydock maiden 17 days ago under Dane O’Neill and remained unbeaten with another scintillating run.

Jim Crowley sat motionless as the 4-7 favourite sauntered through the gears to trounce her six rivals by upwards of six and a half lengths in the 10-furlong contest.

Thady Gosden, who trains the three-year-old in partnership with his father, John, said: “She has always looked a classy filly.

“Obviously she didn’t run last year, but won in good style on her first start and she showed her class again today. Hopefully she can continue on her upward trajectory.”

A trip to the Curragh and a step up in trip for the Irish fillies’ Classic may be her next landing spot, according to Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold.

He added: “It was nice. It was fabulous. We haven’t had time to discuss it yet, and we will talk to Sheikha Hissa (Shadwell owner), but a very obvious thing, if we want to be bold, we could talk about supplementing her for the Irish Oaks.

“Timing-wise, it was just a pity she had immaturity issues, her muscle enzymes were a bit high for a while, so they have just gone steady with her and typically taken their time.

“Everything about her, to me, she looks a mile-and-a-half filly from her action.

“Jim very much got that feeling today and the very encouraging thing was he was able to go past them so quickly off a relatively slow pace.

“She is a big, tall filly. She’s (from the family of) Unfuwain. You can argue she’s more a mile-and-a-quarter pedigree, but for me, I’m pretty certain she’ll stay a mile and a half.

“That was only her second win. The important thing is to make her a stakes winner. How we do it, obviously all the options are open. We could easily stay at a mile and a quarter next time, but that’s putting off the inevitable, I think.

“In Jim’s words, she could be even better over a mile and a half. If we had 10 more days, obviously we could consider Royal Ascot.

“She could be very good. If we were able to keep her in training next year and keep her in good form, she could be a filly for all the top mile-and-a-half races next year, so we won’t want to rush her straight back in.

“So, let’s see when the dust settles what everybody feels. If the family are happy to supplement and if John Gosden thinks she is in good form, having made rapid strides in a short space of time, she could go (to the Curragh).”

Meanwhile, Peripatetic was given a well-judged ride by David Egan to take the other Listed race on the card, the four-runner William Hill Tapster Stakes.

The Roger Varian-trained four-year-old, returning to the scene of a handicap success last August, had finished a close-up fourth in the Group Three Pride Stakes at Newmarket on her last run in October.

Egan gradually would up the pace from the three-furlong marker in the 12-furlong contest and having seen off Candleford, the 100-30 chance plenty to spare from the staying-on First Ruler to score by a length and a half.



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