Tag Archive for: Middle Park Stakes

No grounds for concern at Newmarket with Vandeek

Ed Crisford has no fears about Vandeek running on faster ground in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

The Havana Grey colt, a 625,000 guineas breeze-up buy, already boasts an impressive CV, but all three of his victories have been claimed when there was plenty of cut underfoot.

After opening his account at a rain-hit Nottingham, a smooth success in the Group Two Richmond Stakes at Goodwood was secured on soft going.

The official description was then ‘very soft’ when Vandeek edged out highly-rated French juvenile Ramatuelle at elite level in the Prix Morny at Deauville.

However, Crisford, who trains Vandeek alongside his father Simon, believes switching to a sounder surface this weekend for another Group One assignment will not be an issue.

“He’s in great order,” said the Newmarket handler. “He comes into this on the back of a Prix Morny win and has to have a good chance if repeating that form.

“It’s a good field, as you’d expect for a race of this stature, but I’d say he goes in there with a favourite’s chance.

“It will be the first time he’s encountered ground this fast but he’s a nice-moving colt by Havana Grey, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Aidan O’Brien’s River Tiber reopposes Vandeek after finishing back in third at Deauville, when returning from a two-month absence following his Coventry Stakes win at Royal Ascot.

Stable jockey Ryan Moore told Betfair: “He had a well-publicised setback before the Morny last time, so we were very happy with his third to Vandeek there, beaten just over two lengths.

“He wasn’t at peak fitness and I thought he shaped very well in the circumstances. I would expect him to get a lot closer to the winner here, and I’d say we had a very fair shot at winning this Group One. He’s in good shape.”

Elite Status had landed a Group Three event at Deauville at the end of July but could only manage a distant seventh of nine in the Morny.

Jasour ran too freely early on before fading back to eighth, but had previously shown a nice turn of foot to score by two lengths from Lake Forest in the July Stakes at Newmarket.

After then letting odds-on backers down at HQ, the William Haggas-trained Lake Forest returned to winning ways when beating Johannes Brahms in the Gimcrack at York and appeared to have a bit more in hand than the one-length margin suggested.

His jockey Tom Marquand said: “When I got off him in the July Stakes, I thought it was inexperience that caught us out that day. He went to Newmarket afterwards and things didn’t go right for him in that novice and he got beat.

“I wasn’t on board him in the novice race at Newmarket, but we learnt a bit from that experience and that put us a bit closer to completely working out what he wants.

“He is a really cool little horse that is not flash at home, but I like him as a character, as he is a bit under the radar.”

Task Force heads into this contest with two wins from two outings, having followed up a Salisbury maiden success by staying on strongly to score in Listed company at Ripon.

Ralph Beckett’s colt is certainly bred for the job, being by Frankel out of English and French 1,000 Guineas winner Special Duty.

Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, commented: “He’s a horse who ultimately probably wants a little bit further, but Ralph made a good point in that his mother never raced beyond six furlongs at two and she went on to win two Guineas.

“There’s definitely a bit of speed there and he’s maybe still a little bit immature, so maybe another start at six will do him good before he steps up in trip next year.”

Beckett also saddles the battle-hardened Starlust, who made it three wins from seven outings when getting up close home to beat Seven Questions in the Group Three Sirenia Stakes at Kempton recently.

Coventry Stakes fourth Givemethebeatboys travels over from Ireland again after subsequently finishing third behind Bucanero Fuerte in the Phoenix Stakes for Jessica Harrington.

Sketch was tailed off behind Vandeek in the Richmond but was second favourite that day following a wide-margin front-running success at Newbury on debut.



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Rossa Ryan hoping Task Force can complete Group One mission

Rossa Ryan is eager to test Task Force’s potential when he lines up in Saturday’s Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.

Ralph Beckett’s charge is certainly bred to be a world beater as a son of Frankel out of a 1000 Guineas winner in Special Duty, and he has made an impact in winning each of his two starts to date.

A three-and-a-quarter-length winner on debut at Salisbury in July, Task Force took a jump to Listed level in his stride when coming home a cosy winner at Ripon at the end of last month.

Ryan was particularly impressed on the latter occasion and expects to find out plenty more about the colt when he switches to Group One company this weekend.

He said: “He has done everything right so far and his Listed race at Ripon is working out really well. 

“Quite a lot impressed me about him the last day as his win didn’t really feel like a race, it felt more like a piece of work as he was doing it that easily. 

“I know this is a massive leap forward into a Group One, but he has done everything right and you can’t fault him in any manner. 

“He has a very good cruise control and hopefully he can use that at the weekend. As to what his best attribute is I don’t know yet, but hopefully he will answer a few of those questions on Saturday.”

Ryan also has a second Group One ride to look forward to on the card as he teams up again with Symbology in the Cheveley Park Stakes.

The Clive Cox-trained filly was a York maiden winner in July and has since come up short in three Group races, most recently coming home seventh behind the reopposing Juniper Berries in the Dick Poole Stakes at Salisbury.

While that form leaves her with something to find, Ryan does not think she will be out of her depth in the six-furlong contest.

He said: “Symbology has done little wrong, although the last day things didn’t quite go to plan. She is in good health. It is a very good race and we will see how she goes. 

“On her home work she has shown the ability to be able to perform at this level, but in the Group races she has run in up until now she has just been a bit green.

“Hopefully that won’t be the case in the Cheveley Park.”

The bet365 Cambridgeshire is the other highlight on the card, with 35 runners set to tackle the nine-furlong distance.

Ryan is on a likely longshot in Alan King’s Paradias, but he would not be surprised should the four-year-old outrun his double-figure odds.

He added: “Paradias has been consistent enough and he hasn’t done too much wrong. However, he is off a career-high mark.

“He looked like winning the race the last day at York with me, but he just hung across the track.

“We are dropping back to one mile, one furlong from a mile and a half so we will see how he goes back down in trip, although he has won over it before.”



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Task Force ready for Middle Park mission

Task Force looks set to represent race sponsors Juddmonte in this weekend’s Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket, with Saturday’s Mill Reef hero Array more likely to wait for a possible tilt at the Dewhurst Stakes next month.

The Andrew Balding-trained Array notched his second win from five career starts in Group Two company at Newbury and retains the option of turning out just seven days later for a Group One assignment on the Rowley Mile.

However, while no final decision has been made, Juddmonte’s racing manager Barry Mahon raised the possibility of the youngster instead being supplemented for the Dewhurst on October 14.

He said: “We left Array in to keep options open until we speak with the ownership group, but it’s probably less likely that he’ll run and we’ll see if the owners would like to give consideration to the Dewhurst a couple of weeks later.

“We just said we’d leave him in there (Middle Park) in case there was a lot of rain and the ground came up on the soft side, as he obviously showed he liked that on Saturday.

“He came out of the race so well Andrew just said we’d keep our options open.

“He’s not in the Dewhurst, so he’d have to be supplemented. Once we’ve spoken to the ownership group we’ll come up with a plan.”

Task Force, a son of two Guineas winners in Frankel and Special Duty, impressed on his debut for Ralph Beckett at Salisbury before landing a Listed prize at Ripon and further improvement can be expected.

Mahon added: “He’s an intended runner in the Middle Park. He’s in good form, Ralph is happy with him and he worked nicely on Saturday.

“It’s a big jump from a Listed race to a Group One, but he’s a well-bred horse and we’re hopeful he can make the jump.”

Beckett has a second string to his bow in the supplemented Sirenia Stakes winner Starlust, while Aidan O’Brien has confirmed Battle Cry, Military and Coventry Stakes hero River Tiber, with the last-named colt the obvious candidate as he looks to bounce back from defeat in the Prix Morny.

Vandeek winning the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood
Vandeek winning the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood (Andrew Matthews/PA)

He could renew rivalry with the winner of that Group One contest at Deauville six weeks ago, Simon and Ed Crisford’s Vandeek.

The William Haggas-trained Gimcrack winner Lake Forest and Paddy Twomey’s Round Tower Stakes victor Letsbefrankaboutit also feature among 13 contenders.

Fourteen fillies remain in the mix for the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes, with Relief Rally the potential favourite for the Haggas team.

The daughter of Kodiac’s only defeat in five starts to date came at Royal Ascot when beaten a nose by American raider Crimson Advocate in the Queen Mary, since when she has landed the Super Sprint at Newbury and the Lowther Stakes at York.

Her potential rivals include unbeaten French-trained filly Jasna’s Secret, Donnacha O’Brien’s Porta Fortuna, Aidan O’Brien’s Cherry Blossom and the consistent Soprano from George Boughey’s yard.

A top-class card gets under way with the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes, in which Solario Stakes winner Aablan must be considered a major player for Charlie Appleby.

Aidan O’Brien is responsible for six of the 18 acceptors, with Capulet perhaps the most interesting having pushed stablemate Diego Velazquez close in a Leopardstown Group Two last time.

Roger Varian’s pair of Al Musmak and Defiance are also on the list, as are Ollie Sangster’s unbeaten youngster Per Contra and Beckett’s Macduff, runner-up to Al Musmak in a Haydock Listed event last time in the Juddmonte silks.

Mahon added: “It’s a possibility Macduff will run, it’s not a definite. We left him in there and we’ll see how he is during the week.

“I think we’ve said a few times he’s a big horse and it’s all about next year with him, but he seems in good shape and we’ll give strong consideration to running him.

“The horse that beat him at Haydock looked a very good horse that day, but you’re always hoping on a different day, on a different track and with a different set-up you might get a different result. You should never be afraid to give it a go.”

Greek Order in action at Newbury
Greek Order in action at Newbury (Andrew Matthews/PA)

The Juddmonte team are also responsible for the ante-post favourite for the bet365 Cambridgeshire in Harry and Roger Charlton’s Greek Order.

A winner at Sandown in May and Newbury last month, the three-year-old will look to complete his hat-trick in the prestigious handicap.

Mahon said: “I’m looking forward to seeing him – he was very impressive on his last start.

“You’re always going to need a lot of luck in a Cambridgeshire with plenty of runners, but the ground should be OK and hopefully we get a nice draw and everything goes well.”

The weights for the Cambridgeshire are headed by Daniel and Claire Kubler’s York scorer Astro King, who is 1lb above the King and Queen’s Saga.



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Middle Park victory in Crisford’s sights for Vandeek

Ed Crisford is excited to see Vandeek bid for a second Group One success in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

The Havana Grey colt has won each of his three starts to date, with a successful debut at Nottingham followed by big-race wins in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood and the Prix Morny at Deauville.

Crisford, who trains Vandeek in partnership with his father Simon, is well aware the youngster will have his mettle tested on the Rowley Mile next weekend but is relishing the challenge.

He said: “The Middle Park is a proper championship race and if he was able to win a Group One at Newmarket it would be huge – not just for us but for the owner and the horse himself. It would put him on the board as one of the top two-year-olds in Europe.

“It will be a proper race against proper horses and there will be some new horses coming in that we haven’t faced yet. It is going to be a very good race, but he has gone and won a Group One so he goes there with every chance.

“He is the first Group One winner that me and dad have had and he just has that natural talent. We’ve had some good older horses come through our hands like Century Dream, but Vandeek has that real quality as a two-year-old and that means he should be an exciting three-year-old.”

Vandeek’s top-level win in France came at the expense of Christopher Head’s exciting filly Ramatuelle, who had shown her quality by winning a Group Three and a Group Two.

Vandeek winning the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood
Vandeek winning the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“Looking at the Morny, it was the championship two-year-old race at the time and a proper Group One – you needed to be on your A game to win it,” Crisford added.

“He got caught in a pocket a bit and the French filly Ramatuelle went for it and I thought we might not catch her, but he put his head down and for him to grind her down was a good performance.

“He is still learning his trade and the Morny was the first time he had to race, as up until then he had done it on ability.”

While Vandeek’s wins at Goodwood and Deauville have both come on testing conditions, Crisford is confident a faster surface will not be a problem.

Ed Crisford (left) and his father Simon have an exciting horse on their hands in Vandeek
Ed Crisford (left) and his father Simon have an exciting horse on their hands in Vandeek (John Walton/PA)

He said: “I think good ground, or just on the quick side of that would be fine as Havana Grey’s (progeny) tend to go on that. To be honest, running him on the soft ground has just been the way it has happened.

“The way he moves and covers the ground, I wouldn’t be too worried on better ground and I think he could be a better horse on it as you would see that turn of foot come to the fore.

“For a breeze-up horse he is unbelievable. He is so relaxed and that will put him in good stead for these big events. He doesn’t waste any energy.”

James Doyle will take over in the saddle aboard Vandeek from Andrea Atzeni following the Italian’s recent move to Hong Kong.

Should all go well in the Middle Park, Crisford will consider stepping his exciting colt up to seven furlong for the first time for a crack at the Dewhurst Stakes back at Newmarket a fortnight later.

He added: “He hit the line strong in France and I think he would stay seven (furlongs) standing on his head. He is a big, tall scopey horse who covers a lot of ground.

“We have to take one race at a time and the Middle Park is his next target. If he wins and looks like he is in great order, who is to say he is not going to have a crack at the Dewhurst as well?”



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Middle Park assignment for Ripon winner Task Force

Ralph Beckett’s promising Task Force has the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes in his sights after a flawless start to his career.

The Frankel two-year-old is unbeaten in two outings, taking a Salisbury maiden that has since produced three further winners before moving up in grade for the Listed Ripon Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy Stakes.

In the latter Task Force – who runs in the colours of the Middle Park sponsor – was the winner once again, prevailing by a length and a quarter from stablemate Matters Most with George Scott’s Seven Questions a neck behind that horse in third.

Seven Questions subsequently went down by just a head to the another Beckett runner, Starlust, in the Group Three Sirenia Stakes at Kempton, leaving the form from both of Task Force’s runs looking increasingly solid.

The Group One Middle Park at Newmarket on September 30 is now on the agenda for the well-bred bay, whose dam is the Cheveley Park Stakes and 1000 Guineas winner Special Duty.

“He’s run two great races and the form has worked out well with the race at Kempton,” said Juddmonte racing manager Barry Mahon.

“He’s in good form, the owners have indicated that they’d like to go to the Middle Park with him at Newmarket.

“Ralph is of the same mind, so that’s where we’re headed with him at the minute.”



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Middle Park outing still favoured for Vandeek

Connections are excited to see what Vandeek can achieve next, as his rapid rise through the ranks is likely to see him line up in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes in September.

Trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, the son of Havana Grey only made his debut in late July, but since that successful bow at Nottingham, he has gone on to scoop the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood before providing his Gainsborough Thoroughbreds training operation a first Group One success when plundering the Prix Morny.

That top-level success in Deauville was also just the second Group One triumph for his Bahrain-based owners KHK Racing Ltd after Eldar Eldarov’s St Leger success last season.

Now their latest high-class performer is on course to try to add further riches to his glowing CV and is pencilled in to appear at Newmarket on September 30, where possible opponents could include Aidan O’Brien’s Prix Morny third River Tiber.

“The horse showed to everybody that he is very much on the upgrade. His rise has been pretty quick really and within the space of five or six weeks he has gone from winning a maiden at Nottingham to winning a Group One at Deauville,” said Chris Wall, racing manager for the owners.

“He’s improved and improved and improved with each run and he’s well entered up, but at the moment the plan is to go for the Middle Park.”

Vandeek also holds an entry in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes, again at Newmarket, on October 14 and the way the progressive colt saw out the six-furlong trip on both the Sussex Downs and Normandy coast would suggest seven furlongs would be well in reach.

Vandeek with Andrea Atzeni at Goodwood
Vandeek with Andrea Atzeni at Goodwood (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Wall admits the timing of that typically red-hot event does bring the race into calculations, but for now the focus appears to be on having Vandeek in peak condition for another crack at six-furlong success in the Middle Park.

He added: “There’s two weeks between the two this year and he has shown he can take his races back-to-back fairly quickly. That is what he has done so far this summer and doesn’t hold any horrors for him.

“But we’ll go one race at a time and I would have thought the most likely spot is the Middle Park and then after that we’ll see what we want to do.”

KHK Racing also have Knight in training with the Crisfords and last year’s Horris Hill winner took a step in the right direction when second to Angel Bleu in the Group Two Celebration Mile.

It was Mehmas gelding’s best performance since his unbeaten two-year-old campaign and although future plans are still to be confirmed, a trip to ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend is one possible option.

Wall said: “He’s a horse who is getting back on track. Things hadn’t gone his way in the early part of the season and he was getting very upset and stressed about all sorts of things, so we had him gelded and that seems to have done the trick.

“His comeback run in the Thoroughbred Stakes was satisfactory, it was a solid enough run for a horse that hadn’t run much this year. But he took a big step forward and ran a much better race in the Celebration Mile and it is good to see him getting back to that.

“I think a bit of cut in the ground always helps him, his best form has come with that.

“I’m not sure what Simon and Ed have planned for him yet, but I would have thought something like the Prix Daniel Wildenstein over at the Arc meeting might be a suitable spot for him.

“He’s going to be kept in training as a fun horse to run in all of those sort of races and I think he will fit into that category nicely.”



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