Tag Archive for: Al Musmak

Al Musmak rediscovers top form to strike at Newmarket

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Al Musmak got his career back on track with a clear-cut victory in the Edmondson Hall Solicitors Sir Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket.

Six runners went to post for the one-mile Listed contest, with John and Thady Gosden’s impressive York scorer Lead Artist all the rage to follow up as the 6-4 favourite.

Al Musmak had shown himself to be a smart colt as a juvenile, winning in Listed company at Haydock and finishing second to Ghostwriter in the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes.

However, he failed to beat a single rival on his return in the Dante at York and his latest effort when seventh in the Hampton Court at Royal Ascot was not much of an improvement.

Stepping back in trip from a mile and a quarter to a straight mile, Roger Varian’s charge was an 11-2 shot in the hands of Silvestre de Sousa and dug deep in the heat of battle to beat Australian raider Kitty Rose by two and a quarter lengths, with Lead Artist back in third.

Varian said: “He ran poorly in the Dante in May, but I didn’t think he ran too badly at Ascot in a very hot Hampton Court Stakes.

“He didn’t quite get home and after that we were always going to come back to a mile. He’s really enjoyed the conditions out there, the race set up nicely and he was strong at the finish, so we are delighted to get him back on track.

“Just looking around, unless he stopped, I didn’t think much was coming back at him. The last furlong was a good watch.

“We’ll stay at this trip now and natural progression could be the Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood and we will see how he progresses in the autumn.

“He has some really strong juvenile form and even chased home Rosallion in the Pat Eddery Stakes at Ascot. He won a quite strong Ascendant Stakes at Haydock and then finished second in the Royal Lodge.

“Obviously we were disappointed with his first two starts this year and we thought it was the right thing to stretch him out to a mile and a quarter.

“It wasn’t, but back to a mile suited today. We never thought he wasn’t the same horse, it has maybe just taken a run or two to work out what we are doing.”

Sergeant Wilko (left) on his way to victory at Newmarket
Sergeant Wilko (left) on his way to victory at Newmarket (Joe Giddens/PA)

Sergeant Wilko continued his rise through the sprinting ranks with victory in the Bet Boost At bet365 Handicap under Oisin Murphy.

A winner at Newcastle in March and Leicester in May, Kevin Ryan’s progressive speedster was a 6-1 shot to plunder this £100,000 contest and after racing on the speed from flag-fall, he found plenty for pressure to score by a length from Moswaat.

“He was lovely and relaxed in front, he’s the type of horse that you always think is going a stride too quick but he’s always half backing off the bridle,” said Ryan.

“He’s always going to grind it out, he likes to do it that way. We’ll see where we go, the ground is important to him and Oisin has given him a fantastic ride.

“The plan was always to come here and hope he gets the ground, the next plan is to go to the Stewards’ Cup (at Goodwood), but we will mind him on the ground.”

Murphy, who also hit the target on Giavellotto in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes, completed a treble when Sterling Knight just got the nod in a three-way photo-finish for the closing Blandford Bloodstock Handicap.

The July Festival 2024 – Ladies Day – Newmarket Racecourse
Sterling Knight ridden by Oisin Murphy (right) on their way to winning (Joe Giddens/PA).

Ed Dunlop’s 7-1 chance had just a short head to spare over Tempus, with Twirling a further head back in third.

Murphy said: “The horse is trying a mile, the pace wasn’t that hot for a furlong or so, which helped him. He enjoyed the conditions and he’s in great form.

“It’s a hard place to ride winners and I’d only had one winner from so many rides here so far this year, so I needed to get going here.”

Magic Mild (15-2) opened her account at the third attempt in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes for trainer Clive Cox and jockey Rossa Ryan.

Third on her Newmarket debut before finishing down the field in the Marygate at York, the daughter of Havana Grey bounced back with a one-and-a-half-length success.

“I don’t really know what happened in the Marygate. She just got a little bit upset going across the track that day at a stage where we were still learning about her,” said Cox.

“It was a way-below-par performance but she was far more at home here today. She has been super at home and really came to herself the last couple of weeks. Hopefully we can look forward to more progress from here as well.

“I would hope we can look forward to some nice days with her.”

Classic aspirations on trial as Dante field assembles at York

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A host of big-race ambitions go on trial in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes at York on Thursday.

All bar two of the seven intended starters hold the Betfred Derby engagement, with the shortest in the ante-post market for Epsom being the Charlie Appleby-trained Ancient Wisdom.

A Group One winner in his juvenile year from the Futurity Trophy – a race that is working out well – he represents a Charlie Appleby yard that is already on the Classic scoreboard this season after Notable Speech landed the 2000 Guineas.

The Moulton Paddocks handler did state earlier in the week that ground conditions will dictate his participation, however, with the Dubawi colt well-proven with an ease in the ground.

Like Appleby, fellow Newmarket trainer Roger Varian has enjoyed Classic glory in the early exchanges of 2024, with Elmalka lifting the 1000 Guineas. He has an interesting candidate for Knavesmire honours in the shape of Al Musmak, who could book his ticket to Epsom or the French equivalent at Chantilly.

He was in front of Ancient Wisdom when second to 2000 Guineas runner-up Rosallion at Ascot, and rounded off his two-year-old campaign with a fine effort in finishing runner-up to Ghostwriter in the Royal Lodge, form not let down by the winner in the Guineas.

Varian said: “I’m looking forward to running him and he’s slightly under the radar but his two-year-old form is very strong.

“He finished second to Rosallion at Ascot and that form reads very well. Ancient Wisdom and Roger Teal’s horse (Dancing Gemini) were both in behind that day and that Pat Eddery Stakes reads like a really nice piece of form.

Al Musmak is held in good regard by Roger Varian
Al Musmak is held in good regard by Roger Varian (Tim Goode/PA)

“He backed that up by winning the Ascendant Stakes and he won that convincingly on the line. The second, third and fourth that day came second, third and fourth in the Derby trial at Sandown so that reads well and I would say his Royal Lodge second reads well.

“He’s a solid horse, he’s wintered well and we’ve been patient with him. This has always been his target and we think 10 furlongs at a track like York will suit him.

“I think how he runs will point us in a direction. He’s in the French Derby, he’s in at Epsom and he will have Royal Ascot options. I think he’s a nice colt, with a good profile, who should run a good race.”

Also hoping to keep Classic dreams burning bright is Karl Burke’s Caviar Heights, who built on an encouraging reappearance in the Feilden Stakes when quickly returned to the Rowley Mile for the Newmarket Stakes.

Caviar Heights impressed at Newmarket
Caviar Heights impressed at Newmarket (Adam Davy/PA)

That impressive four-length success was only 13 days ago, but the Spigot Lodge handler was loath to pass up the opportunity to enhance the son of Sea The Stars’ CV on the Knavesmire, with owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum giving the Dante bid his seal of approval.

“Sheikh Obaid was all for it and he goes there with a fighting chance and I think the track will suit him,” said Burke.

“I wouldn’t want it too fast for him, but good ground will be ideal for him. He was good at Newmarket and his form was given a little bit of a boost at the weekend by the horse that won the Lingfield Derby Trial (Ambiente Friendly), that finished behind him first time out in the Feilden.

“He goes there with a fighting chance and it’s a different challenge again, but hopefully he comes through it.”

Cambridge at Salisbury
Cambridge at Salisbury (Adam Morgan/PA)

Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle yard houses the Derby favourite in City Of Troy and although Cambridge is not in the premier Classic, he has been supplemented for this after finishing fourth in the Craven.

“We’ve been very happy with Cambridge since he ran in the Craven and he is another of ours who we are really expecting to improve for stepping up in trip,” said O’Brien, who surprisingly has not won the Dante since Cape Blanco obliged under Johnny Murtagh in 2010.

“We always think the Dante is the best UK trial, but it just comes a little close to the Derby this year at just two and a half weeks. Especially when you factor in the travelling ours have to do, it’s a little close. We are expecting him to run well, though.”

Owen Burrows’ War Rooms and John and Thady Gosden’s God’s Window have both featured in trials already this term and will be hoping to find improvement in Yorkshire.

Economics was a taking winner
Economics was a taking winner (PA)

Meanwhile, William Haggas sends Economics to his home county’s premier track on a fact-finding mission having shed his maiden status in good style last month.

“Whether this is the right move, only time will tell and it looks a very strong race for him,” said Haggas.

“His connections wanted to find out where we stood where him. I think he’s a nice horse and he is probably our nicest three-year-old – or certainly one of them. I don’t think we’ve got anywhere near the bottom of him yet, so we will have a look and see where he fits in.

“He might not be good enough, but he’s a pretty nice horse and he will like the track and he will like the trip as well, so hopefully he will run a nice race.”

Al Musmak aiming to outrun Guineas odds

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Al Musmak will try to defy his outsider status when he lines up in the Qipco 2000 Guineas on Saturday week.

Roger Varian’s son of Night Of Thunder brings smart form to the table with a Listed win in Haydock’s Ascendant Stakes sandwiched by highly-creditable placed efforts behind Rosallion at Ascot and then on his final start of the year when second to Ghostwriter in the Royal Lodge.

A return to the Rowley Mile for the opening Classic of the season has been on the cards ever since, with the Carlburg Stables handler happy to send his colt into big-race action on his first start of the campaign.

“It’s our intention to run Al Musmak in the 2000 Guineas and he’s training nicely at home,” said Varian.

“He’s got some very solid form from last year, finishing runner-up to Rosallion in the Pat Eddery Stakes and winning a strong Ascendant Stakes where the second, third and fourth all run at Sandown in the Classic Trial and we’ll be keen to have a good look at that form. Then he wasn’t beaten too far by the Clive Cox horse (Ghostwriter) when second in the Royal Lodge.

“He’s a 108-rated, strong performer and it’s always been our intention to go straight to a Guineas with him and we’re looking forward to doing that.”

Al Musmak is currently rated a 50-1 shot for the Guineas by the bookmakers and although that may underestimate the strength of his juvenile form, Varian hopes he is capable of finding the improvement required to do himself justice on May 4.

Al Musmak has some smart form to his name
Al Musmak has some smart form to his name (Tim Goode/PA)

“There are a lot of good horses from those autumn races and he’s got solid form,” added Varian.

“He’s 108 not 118, so he needs to improve to bring home a 2000 Guineas. But he’s going into the race fresh, he’s wintered well and he looks a stronger horse – it’s not beyond him to run well.”

Meanwhile, Varian is still to decide if either of his two entries in the following day’s Qipco 1000 Guineas will face the starter.

Both True Cyan and Elmalka were seen in trial action last week, with the former finishing a respectable fourth having struggled for cover in the Nell Gwyn and the latter an eye-catching third in the Fred Darling, flying home in the closing stages to be beaten only half a length.

True Cyan has run twice at Newmarket
True Cyan has run twice at Newmarket (PA)

The Newmarket trainer was pleased with both fillies, especially Elmalka, and a final decision on their Classic participation will be left as late as possible.

Varian continued: “Elmalka finished off really well (at Newbury). She was a bit green and hit a flat spot and I think she would have been nicely on top with another 100 yards, so it was a very good run and we were delighted with her.

“We’ve got no commitment on either at the moment and will see how they both train over the next seven days, then we will be in a better position come the time next week when we have to decide.

“It’s still on the table for both fillies and they were left in at Tuesday’s forfeit stage and have both come out of their races well, but I don’t know yet if either will line-up.”