Tag Archive for: Shaquille

Shaquille shooting for July Cup crown

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There is room at the top for a champion sprinter this season and should Julie Camacho’s three-year-old Shaquille land the Pertemps Network July Cup, the odds are he would go a long way to claiming the title.

Winner of six of his seven races to date, he came from a hugely unpromising position to win the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, beating last year’s star juvenile Little Big Bear, despite losing plenty of ground at the start.

That is not the first time he has shown a quirk or two, although it certainly does not slow him down, but he will need to be on his best behaviour when taking on older horses for the first time as he attempts to emulate Muhaarar in winning the Commonwealth and July Cups back to back.

“Shaquille seems to be in great form and has come out of Royal Ascot well. We turned him out for three or four days and he started to get a bit fresh. He cantered on the Wednesday after Royal Ascot and he did a nice piece of work last Saturday and everything seems to be good,” said Camacho, who celebrated her first Group One win at Ascot.

Shaquille (left) sweeps by Little Big Bear at Ascot
Shaquille (left) sweeps by Little Big Bear at Ascot (David Davies/PA)

“He’s lovely at home. Everybody sees him at the races and they think he’s this big, ignorant, horrible animal but he’s not! Paige Harrison, who looks after him at home and rides him at home, says he’d be quite happy to just walk up the six-furlong gallop, he just lobs along.”

Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant, said: “He is a horse who prefers to lead in his work. If you ask him to join a decent horse, he might not get there. He is relaxed and laid back.

“Each time he has raced, he’s got better. We were concerned how he would handle Royal Ascot, but when he first stepped on the track he hadn’t put a foot wrong and he hadn’t broken sweat which I was really pleased about to the point that when Oisin (Murphy) hacked away, I was actually worried he was too quiet but that didn’t reflect in his performance.

“We just hope he is maturing as we are going along. It has been a steady progression in the right direction with him and hopefully that will continue on Saturday.”

Murphy is suspended on Saturday while James Doyle, who rode him to two victories earlier in the season, is at Ascot, so Rossa Ryan comes in for the ride.

“Ascot was the first time he has started slowly in his life. He was first to load and had been sitting there a long time, so got a little bit impatient,” said Brown.

Ryan Moore was briefly in the frame for the ride after Aidan O’Brien raised some doubt about Little Big Bear’s participation. However, the rematch was confirmed on Thursday morning at declaration time.

O’Brien stated at the time everything would have to continue to go in the right direction after he suffered a stone bruise last week, causing him to miss six days of exercise.

Speaking early on Friday afternoon O’Brien said: “At the moment everything is going well with him.

“It hasn’t been ideal, obviously, but we’re happy enough.

“He just missed five or six days last week and we won’t know until he runs how much it has affected him.”

Kinross was intended to be Frankie Dettori's final ride in the July Cup
Kinross was intended to be Frankie Dettori’s final ride in the July Cup (John Walton/PA)

The July Cup was the one Group One in the UK that Frankie Dettori was missing on his CV and in his final year, Ralph Beckett’s Kinross had been identified as his last chance to win it.

Unfortunately for him, the suspension picked up at Royal Ascot means he is unable to retire with a full set of top-level races and he has been replaced by William Buick.

Owner Marc Chan’s racing manager Jamie McCalmont said: “William (Buick) is a more than capable substitute, but it was something we were really looking forward to (with Dettori) and sadly it just wasn’t meant to be.

“If we can get some rain that would increase his chance for sure, it would make a bit of a difference, I think.

“It’s a solid race, there’s three-year-olds racing against six-year-olds and there are a number Group One winners in the race. It’s a solid field.”



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Little Big Bear declared for Shaquille rematch

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Shaquille and Little Big Bear face a fascinating rematch in Saturday’s Pertemps Network July Cup at Newmarket.

The duo, trained by Julie Camacho and Aidan O’Brien respectively, filled the first two places in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, with a length and a quarter separating them at the line.

O’Brien had expressed doubts about the participation of Little Big Bear earlier in the week after a bruised foot saw him miss six days of cantering, but the Ballydoyle colt has been declared for the Group One highlight.

Shaquille was ridden to victory at Ascot by Oisin Murphy, but with that rider suspended and next choice James Doyle committed to ride at Ascot for Godolphin, Rossa Ryan will be in the plate on this occasion.

Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner Khaadem represents Charlie Hills after being supplemented for the race on Monday, with Michael Dods’ Duke of York winner Azure Blue and the Ralph Beckett-trained Kinross other key contenders.

The nine-strong field is completed by Art Power, Emaraaty Ana, Run To Freedom and Vadream.

O’Brien’s City Of Troy heads 10 contenders for the Group Two Superlative Stakes, making a swift leap up in level after winning a Curragh maiden two weeks ago.

Charlie Appleby’s Great Truth, the Richard Hannon-trained Haatem and Hills’ Iberian also feature.



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Shaquille team anticipating late call on July Cup jockey

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A decision on who rides Pertemps Network July Cup favourite Shaquille is unlikely to be made until minutes before declaration time on Thursday morning.

With former champion jockey Oisin Murphy, who partnered him to a remarkable success in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, suspended, James Doyle, who rode him to win his two previous races, had been next in the frame.

However, Doyle is required at Ascot by his principal employer Godolphin so a rider has yet to be confirmed, but it will come as no surprise that trainer Julie Camacho and her husband and assistant Steve Brown have been inundated with offers.

“There has been lots of interest from people interested in riding him,” said Brown.

“We are obviously waiting to see who is available. Oisin (Murphy) wasn’t booked until 9.50am on Thursday when he won on him at Royal Ascot and Martin (Hughes, co-owner and breeder) is quite relaxed about waiting until Thursday morning and seeing who is available.”

One man who may be free is Ryan Moore, with the participation of his intended mount Little Big Bear described as only 50-50 by Aidan O’Brien on Monday.

“Martin used to have horses based in the south in the past and has dealt with a lot of jockeys, so he said we’ll have a conversation on Thursday morning after we have seen who has been declared,” said Brown.

Steve Brown greets Oisin Murphy after the Commonwealth Cup
Steve Brown greets Oisin Murphy after the Commonwealth Cup (John Walton/PA)

“James is going to Ascot to ride for Godolphin, we do know that, which is a shame for us because it made things incredibly easy.

“It has always been a bit of a topic of conversation with this horse as he has run seven times and had four different jockeys, but the guys have managed superbly well and hopefully it will be the same on Saturday.”

When it was put to Brown that Moore may be available, he said: “It’s a possibility isn’t it, but we need to let their situation finalise before that discussion can take place. We’re aware that may be a possibility.”

Shaquille’s remarkable win at Ascot, when he gave away at least five lengths by fly-jumping out of the stalls, was a first Group One success for Camacho and Brown and they have been surprised by the level of goodwill which has come their way since.

Brown said: “It’s a great feeling. Jules was saying yesterday when we were coming down to Newmarket how many good wishes we’ve had since Royal Ascot and how pleased people are for us, as we are small to medium-sized training operation. People have been so kind and that’s been such a nice surprise.

“We are looking forward to Saturday. It will be a different sort of pressure as it looks like we are going to start favourite, whereas at Ascot Little Big Bear was a short-priced favourite and we went there slightly under the radar.

“So it’s different from that perspective, but you’ve got to deal with it and what a lovely position to be and what a great position to be in – to have a favourite for a Group One race.”



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O’Brien casts doubt on Little Big Bear’s participation in July Cup

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Little Big Bear’s participation in Saturday’s Pertemps Network July Cup is rated as only “50-50″ by Aidan O’Brien.

Runner-up to Shaquille in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, the pair had been set to cross swords once more on the July course this weekend.

However, the rematch may have to wait due to a stone bruise to last year’s leading juvenile.

“Little Big Bear is not definite to run as he had a foot bruise last week and he missed six days without doing any cantering,” said O’Brien.

“We might do something in the morning with him to see how he is and whether we decide to run him or not.

“If he does run, we won’t know until he has run how that has affected him. He is not guaranteed to run and we will decide in the next couple of days.

“I’d say it is 50-50 regarding his chances of running.”

Should Little Big Bear not run then Meditate, a winner at the Breeders’ Cup, could have her impending retirement delayed, despite only running in the Prix Jean Prat on Sunday.

“We have to decide whether we are going to retire Meditate or not. It is very possible that she could retire,” he said.

“France at the weekend was a bit of a mess. We thought Andrew’s (Balding) horse (Chaldean) would make the running, but he didn’t and the pace was just very messy so we didn’t get a clear picture with her.

“We didn’t want to carry on too long with her as she is a very high-class filly for the paddocks.

“She is obviously in the July Cup and if Little Big Bear wasn’t going to run we would give her a chance going back over six before she goes as she is a filly that has a lot of speed and was always very comfortable going forward over six furlongs.

“It is all a little bit up in the air, but it is dependent on Little Big Bear what happens to him during the middle of the week.”

As expected, Royal Ascot winner Khaadem has been supplemented.

Charlie Hills stated last week the Newmarket race was the “obvious target” for his surprise Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer, and the £36,000 supplementary fee was paid on Monday.

Julie Camacho’s Shaquille put up a remarkable display to win the Commonwealth Cup during the same meeting having missed the break, but this time he will have to beat his elders.

Another northern raider, the Michael Dods-trained Azure Blue, is also strongly fancied on the back of her win in the Duke of York Stakes over Highfield Princess.

Kinross is in there for Ralph Beckett, but he will have to do without his usual partner Frankie Dettori, who is currently on the sidelines suspended.

Cold Case, Art Power and Run To Freedom are also among the 14 possibles.

O’Brien’s exciting City Of Troy is one of 12 in the bet365 Superlative Stakes.

The Justify colt won easily on his debut, making even the usual reticent Ryan Moore reach for the superlatives.

Charlie Appleby’s Great Truth and the Richard Hannon-trained duo of Son and Haatem are among his possible rivals.

There are 42 left in the bet365 Bunbury Cup, with Saeed bin Suroor’s Shining Blue at the top of the weights.



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Khaadem and Shaquille star in strong cast for July Cup honours

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As expected, Royal Ascot winner Khaadem has been supplemented for the Pertemps Network July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday where he will clash with another Ascot hero, Shaquille.

Charlie Hills stated last week the “obvious target” for his surprise Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer was the midsummer highlight on the July course, and the £36,000 supplementary fee was paid on Monday.

Julie Camacho’s Shaquille put up a remarkable display to win the Commonwealth Cup during the same meeting having missed the break, but this time he will have to beat his elders – as well as confirm form with Aidan O’Brien’s Ascot runner-up Little Big Bear.

Another northern raider, the Michael Dods-trained Azure Blue, is also strongly fancied on the back of her win in the Duke of York Stakes over Highfield Princess.

Kinross is in there for Ralph Beckett, but he will have to do without his usual partner Frankie Dettori, who is currently on the sidelines suspended.

Cold Case, Art Power and Run To Freedom are also among the 14 possibles.

Aidan O’Brien’s exciting City Of Troy is one of 12 in the bet365 Superlative Stakes.

The Justify colt won easily on his debut, making even the usual reticent Ryan Moore reach for the superlatives.

Charlie Appleby’s Great Truth and the Richard Hannon-trained duo of Son and Haatem are among his possible rivals.

There are 42 left in the bet365 Bunbury Cup, with Saeed bin Suroor’s Shining Blue at the top of the weights.



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Shaquille team basking in Group One glory

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Connections of Shaquille are keen to let the dust settle on his popular success at Royal Ascot, with a decision on his July Cup participation to be made closer to the time.

The three-year-old recovered from a tardy start to provide trainer Julie Camacho and her husband and assistant Steve Brown with a first taste of Group One success in Friday’s Commonwealth Cup.

There did not appear to be any fluke about the Charm Spirit colt’s defeat of hot favourite Little Big Bear in Berkshire and Brown admits the success has left the team in North Yorkshire on cloud nine.

“We’re back to reality, but obviously everyone is still on a high and there’s a great feel to the yard, which is wonderful. We’re looking forward to the next chapter, hopefully,” he said.

“We’ll plan to have a proper party at some stage. We had brunch on Monday morning for the staff and thanked them for their efforts and made them understand how important they are in all of this.

“It’s a bit of a whirlwind, but it’s a lovely feeling and one we hope we can replicate again soon.”

Brown reports Shaquille to have taken his exertions well, although he will not return to work until later in the week.

He added: “He’s come back really well, he’s in good form. He’s incredibly straightforward, physically and mentally he’s a very strong horse.

“That’s the one thing I’ve said throughout – we’ve never seen this horse look tired. He came back and he’s enjoyed a few days turned out in his paddock for a couple of hours a day and he’ll probably start some cantering exercise towards the end of the week.

“We like our horses to have a good recovery after they’ve run and Wednesday is physio day so he’ll be checked over to make sure everything is A1 before we start again.”

Brown admits he thought Shaquille had blown his chances of Royal Ascot success after rearing up just as the stalls opened and feels the coolness of jockey Oisin Murphy played a huge part in his recovery.

Steve Brown congratulates Oisin Murphy following Shaquille's Royal Ascot triumph
Steve Brown congratulates Oisin Murphy following Shaquille’s Royal Ascot triumph (John Walton/PA)

He said: “Your natural reaction is ‘this isn’t going to work out’ when you see a horse concede that amount of ground, but Oisin was just perfect on him, wasn’t he?

“He showed a wise head, really didn’t rush him and the performance came from the fact that the jockey was eminently sensible and every move he made was the correct one. I think without that we wouldn’t have won the race, so great credit to Oisin.”

Shaquille will be campaigned exclusively at Group One level for the rest of the season, with Newmarket’s July Cup, the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville in August, the Sprint Cup at Haydock in September and the Qipco British Champions Sprint back at Ascot in October all in the melting pot.

“The July Cup is the next thing on the map. It comes around quite quickly and it’s one of those situations where you’ll know where you are in 10 days time as you’ll learn how looks and how he feels in himself. You can make a more informed decision closer to the time,” Brown went on.

“He’s obviously in it and he’s a leading fancy for the race. There’s three more domestic Group Ones and it might not be the worst thing in the world if you just concentrated on them, but obviously you’ve got the French race in early August as well.

Shaquille and Oisin Murphy return
Shaquille and Oisin Murphy return (PA)

“With any horse you need to be flexible with your thoughts, but those are the four races I think we’ll be looking at and we’ll just try to get him in the best possible shape for wherever he goes.

“I don’t think we’ll be going further afield at this moment in time. He’s still a young horse who is still maturing physically and mentally. I think we need to be sensible and recognise that.”

With Shaquille now a Group One-winning colt, there is bound to be interest from prospective buyers, but Brown revealed no firm offers have been made at this stage.

Brown said: “There’s been two or three expressions of interest in him, but no more than that at this moment in time that I’m aware of.

“I think that’s natural now we’ve moved into that sort of field. At the moment we’re just concentrating on his next race.”



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Camacho ‘speechless’ as Shaquille shoots and scores

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A pre-dawn wake up call and a fumbled start could not prevent Shaquille from securing a landmark success for connections in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

The three-year-old was homebred by his co-owner Martin Hughes and is trained counties away in Norton, North Yorkshire, by Julie Camacho.

He was loaded into the gates a 9-1 chance for the six-furlong Group One, middling odds that began to look far too short as he bounced upwards in his stall instead of outwards and let the field gain lengths on him from the off.

A little mischief has never been beyond the bay, who had only been beaten once prior to the Royal meeting but has looked a handful on both sides of the starter’s rostrum.

The phrase ‘pulled hard’ and ‘took a keen hold’ appear in the descriptions of almost all of his races, but under Oisin Murphy he was able to settle into a rhythm at the rear of the pack as the jostling took place ahead of him.

Shaquille galloping to Group One glory
Shaquille galloping to Group One glory (David Davies/PA)

A few furlongs in he was gaining ground and looked like he might run into a place, but once he began to gun for Little Big Bear, the leader and 10-11 favourite, he dug deeper and deeper still to triumph by a length and a quarter.

The victory is hugely significant for Camacho and her husband and assistant Steve Brown, whose greatest success beforehand was the Group Three honours gained by Judicial, another sprinter, in the Chipchase Stakes and the Coral Charge.

“I watched it on my own, I was very nervous actually. I started to feel a bit sick and very nervous!” she said.

Of his steady start, the trainer added: “I thought well that’s it, isn’t it? He’s blown his chance. I’ve just watched it live and I’d like to go back and watch it properly but he was good, wasn’t he?

“It’s massive, we never thought we’d train a Group One winner, not at Royal Ascot anyway. For Martin (Hughes) it’s massive, he bred him, he’s got his mother at home and his siblings. Dad (Maurice, former trainer) looks after the stud and I’m sure he was screaming at home.

Shaquille (left) under rider Oisin Murphy
Shaquille (left) under rider Oisin Murphy (David Davies/PA)

“When he started to run on I thought ‘oh he’s going to be place, he’s going to run a big race’.

“Then ‘oh my god, he’s going to win!’. I’m a bit speechless actually.”

Camacho, who does not seek out the limelight, reluctantly went up to collect the trophy as Brown pondered how good the horse could be with a neat start and a smooth passage.

He said: “I still maintain that we haven’t brought him racing and seen him do everything right, it’s fascinating. We’re enjoying the journey and hoping for a few more, he’s in the July Cup.

“It’s a good story. You come hoping, don’t you? We’re all dreamers and you’ve got to be in this game. We fed him at three o’clock this morning so he could have a smooth journey down, we didn’t want to bring him overnight as he’s never stayed overnight. We wanted him to sleep in his own bed and he left at quarter past four this morning.

“I think the making of him has been a paddock for him, every evening stables now he’s turned out and it’s just brought such a change about in him.

“He wouldn’t have walked around the paddock like he did before, he just goes out there and puts his head down – it’s made a huge difference to him and though it’s punchy for a colt, I’m so glad we did it.”



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Shaquille swoops late to net Commonwealth crown

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Shaquille produced a remarkable performance to provide Julie Camacho with her first winner at Royal Ascot in the Commonwealth Cup.

The three-year-old arrived on the crest of a wave having won his last four races but all hope looked to have gone when he reared up on leaving the stalls.

Three-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy did not panic though, and by halfway he was back in contention but it remained to be seen if his early exertions had taken their toll.

The hot favourite Little Big Bear hit the front on entering the final furlong but Shaquille (9-1) was creeping into it and when Murphy asked for everything, there was still plenty left.

Camacho, and her husband and assistant Steve Brown, were registering their first Group One victory as Shaquille came home a length and a quarter clear, with 66-1 shot Swingalong in third.

Brown admitted he thought Shaquille’s tardy start would prove costly, but praised Murphy’s patient ride.

He said: “I’m just thrilled, he missed the start by so many lengths and I thought that could be it. It actually suited him, he settled better and Oisin was patient and brought him through stylishly I thought.

“What a lovely performance, he keeps finding a bit so it’s serious stuff now. He’s probably and a six-and-a-half furlong horse, which is perfect for here.

“He just relaxed and raced in a rhythm but all of that was far from the plan! It worked out well in the end.”

Shaquille (left) was too good for Little Big Bear
Shaquille (left) was too good for Little Big Bear (David Davies/PA)

Murphy also felt Shaquille’s chance had gone after giving his rivals a head start.

He said: “(When we broke from the stalls) I was thinking maybe that was the race over. He behaved in there, I had Craig Witherford to help and just as the starter let the stalls open, he went into the air and took his time coming back to the ground, and it’s very hard to do that in a six-furlong race and win.

“I got to the back of Ryan (Moore, on Little Big Bear) quite easily, without having to fully go for him. I had to sustain an effort from quite a long way out, so it really was a tremendous task that he managed to overcome.”

Murphy was taking over from James Doyle, who had ridden Shaquille in his last two starts but was committed to the unplaced Noble Style this time.

He added: “I feel sorry for James Doyle, this would have been his mount today and we are best of friends, so I owe him one.

“Going to the start and everything was important. James said to trust him (Shaquille), that he would give you the feeling that he might run off, but in fact actually he was very well behaved when I did give him his head.

The Prince of Wales greets Oisin Murphy at Ascot
The Prince of Wales greets Oisin Murphy at Ascot (David Davies/PA)

“He’s a very well bred horse, by Charm Spirit and out of a Galileo mare, and he’s quite lightly raced, so it was great to get on him today and thank you very much to the connections.”

Murphy was riding his first winner at this year’s Royal Ascot, having missed last year when he was serving a 14-month suspension.

Asked what it meant to get on the scoresheet, he said: “Sheikh Fahad (of Murphy’s retained owner Qatar Racing) will be delighted because I’ve hit the crossbar a couple of times this week and to win a Group One is a fantastic feeling.”



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Shaquille ready to shoot for Commonwealth gold

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Connections of Shaquille can hardly wait for his big date at Royal Ascot, with the exciting three-year-old reported to be in rude health ahead of his intended appearance in the Commonwealth Cup.

Winner of three of his four juvenile starts last season, Julie Camacho’s stable star picked up where he left off with an impressive comeback victory in handicap company at Newmarket’s Guineas Festival.

The Charm Spirit colt successfully stepped up to Listed class for the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury last month and is now being readied for a tilt at Group One glory on June 23.

Shaquille was also on the mark at Newmarket earlier in the season
Shaquille was also on the mark at Newmarket earlier in the season (Nigel French/PA)

Camacho’s husband and assistant, Steve Brown, said: “He worked well (on Saturday morning) and you’re counting the days – the bubble wrap is on!

“He’s in good shape and we’re not changing anything. We’ll stick to his routine and he’ll have one more strong bit of work and then we’ll leave him.

“He looks good and we’re happy. It’s fantastic to think you’ve got a chance of going down there and being competitive and he’s a horse that keeps finding some improvement.

“We can dream a bit longer and see what comes.”



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Shaquille poised to shoot for Commonwealth crown

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Julie Camacho’s Shaquille is Royal Ascot bound after his smart success in the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury.

The Charm Spirit colt has done little wrong in six runs so far, winning five of those outings and looking to takes strides forward each time.

He began this year with a handicap victory at Newmarket, prevailing by two and three-quarter lengths despite a less than perfect run, and he was then a comfortable victor when making the running in the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury.

Having taken that Listed race by two lengths, another step up in class beckons as the colt is likely to to take his place in next month’s Group One Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant, said: “He taken his exertions well from the weekend, he’s had a few quiet days but he’ll be back in full exercise by the end of the week.

“The next obvious option is to go to Ascot with him for the Commonwealth Cup, we’re pleased with what he’s doing as he seems to be settling into his racing and showing a bit more maturity.

“He keeps finding a bit of improvement, so at the minute we feel as though that’s the right option. We’ll ask him for a little bit more and see what he’s got to say.

“Saturday will be informative at Haydock (the Sandy Lane Stakes), we’ll see what comes out of that.”

Shaquille made all at Newbury
Shaquille made all at Newbury (Steven Paston/PA)

Shaquille, who was bred by one of his co-owners and is by a Galileo mare in Magic, has impressed connections not only in his ability on the track but also with a constitution that seems to thrive on racing.

Brown said: “The fascinating thing with this horse is that he never comes home tired, he always comes home and says ‘well that was OK, what are we doing next?’.

“He had a long day, he travelled down to Newbury and back in a day and within an hour he’d eaten his tea up and he was ready to do whatever you asked of him next.”



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Shaquille nets Carnarvon prize for Camacho

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Julie Camacho looks set to send Shaquille to Royal Ascot for the Commonwealth Cup after a decisive all-the-way win in the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury.

James Doyle’s mount was completing a four-timer after a couple of novice wins last year and a soft-ground success in a decent handicap at Newmarket to open his three-year-old campaign.

Shaquille was clearly fresh and well, having almost dispatched his rider on the chute from the parade ring to the track and bounced out in the six-furlong contest.

He did not see another horse, with odds-on Noble Style restrained in the early part of the race and Desert Cop, who tracked the leader all the way, fending off the reminder to take second.

It was a wonder that an emotional Camacho even saw the winner, she explained: “I’ve only just arrived. We have had a terrible journey down here.

“It means an awful lot, especially since we’ve had such a rough trip down. It was bit hectic. They shut the A34 and we ended up in Oxford, reversing up streets. It should have taken four hours and we left at 8.15am.

“Newbury has never been a lucky track for us. It is very competitive, but we have managed to have winners at other tracks.

“When you are so far wrong in the ratings, you wonder if you should be here, but he showed he does deserve to be.

“He did it well and he’s a homebred, so it means a bit more.”

She added: “He has taken a while to pull him up. At Newmarket he did everything wrong and still managed to win. He must have some engine to do what he did at Newmarket. It wasn’t the plan to make all, but if nothing wanted to go on, there was no point in fighting him.

“We will go home and think about Ascot, but I think the plan will be to go there.”

Aidan O’Brien was thinking in terms of a Derby trial for Bertinelli (9-2), but decided instead to head to the BetVictor London Gold Cup – a decision which proved justified as Ryan Moore’s mount stayed on nicely to land the 10-furlong prize from Bold Act and Exoplanet in a head-bobbing finish.

The Ballydoyle hander said: “It is lovely race to win at a lovely track. It is a great distance for three-year-olds and it’s just perfect – a perfect situation for Ascot, we thought it was a lovely run-in for the horse.

“I’m absolutely delighted. Ryan gave him a beautiful ride.”

Bertinelli (left) winning at Newbury
Bertinelli (left) winning at Newbury (Steven Paston/PA)

Bertinelli could now be set for Royal Ascot, with O’Brien adding: “Ryan was obviously discussing with the lads to see what they want to do, but that would be an option (King Edward VII Stakes), or he could go for the mile and a half three-year-old handicap (King George V Handicap)

“He is a big horse and he’s still a baby who I think is going to be way better next year, so the key to him is not to over-face him this year.

“He is like his dad (Justify), he’s massive, with a big stride. He is a beautiful mover and I’d say he would have really appreciated the ground, but he is a very big horse, so I think we just have to be gentle with him now.

“If we go to Ascot, it will be on the lesser side. I think we should keep the bar as low as we can for him. He’ll fill into his frame.”

Bear Force One (22-1) came with a rattle to land the BetVictor Handicap under a fine ride from Oisin Murphy.

Bear Force One struck gold under Oisin Murphy
Bear Force One struck gold under Oisin Murphy (Steven Paston/PA)

The Roger Teal-trained seven-year-old had won at Kempton over a mile in April, but had a bit to prove on his subsequent showing at Ascot.

However, he relished this quicker ground to score with a bit to spare. Teal said: “It has been a frustrating week at York, but coming nearer to home has helped.

“Oisin has given him a peach, let him go through the gears. He just kept it simple. He doesn’t like getting too much cover, but Oisin let him fill up his lungs and he had enough in the tank to pull away at the end.

“He doesn’t handle the hotter weather so we might put him away and come back towards the backend. He’s a horse who gets affected by the environment – pollen and stuff.

“He can lose his form, as he did last year. So we decided to get him in early, have a spring campaign and then maybe go for the London Mile Final in September.”

William Buick
William Buick (John Walton/PA)

William Buick then enjoyed another victory on the card as he followed up his Lockinge triumph with a win in the Connect It Utility Services Handicap aboard Shobiz.

Trained by Charlie Hills, the 8-1 chance travelled at the head of affairs and battled to a one-length success over the 5-1 favourite, Seamus Durack’s Sir Thomas Gresham.



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Shouldvebeenaring bidding to add further lustre to money-spinning CV

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Shouldvebeenaring goes in search of a fifth career success in the talkSPORT All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Conditions Stakes, as enterprising owners Middleham Park Racing attempt to land a telling blow on All-Weather Championships Finals Day.

The Havana Grey colt found the scoresheet on three occasions as a juvenile and having picked up a £122,950 pay cheque when striking in a valuable sales race at York, soon scooped Listed honours at Ripon.

Respectable efforts in the Mill Reef and then back on the Knavesmire over seven furlongs followed before attentions turned to securing qualification for this £150,000 contest at Newcastle – something he achieved when winning at Southwell in January.

Shouldvebeenaring after winning at Ripon
Shouldvebeenaring after winning at Ripon (PA)

“Shouldvebeenaring looks like going off favourite and it looks like a race that is tailor-made for him on a track which suits being held up,” said Tom Palin of Middleham Park.

“I can see him running a similar race as to when he won the Goffs sales race, weaving through. I think he’s nearly top-rated and he looks to have a good chance, it’s been his target all winter.”

Julie Camacho’s Shaquille heads to Gosforth Park having won three of his four career starts and his only disappointment coming in the Acomb Stakes last summer.

Connections have kept the son of Charm Spirit fresh for a crack at this valuable six-furlong contest and are confident he can make his presence felt.

“We’ve been pleased with him,” said Steve Brown, assistant trainer and husband of Camacho.

“He quite purposely had a break after Wolverhampton which was always the intention. He’s trained well over the winter and has progressed again physically – he’s a nice, big, strong colt.

“He went to Newcastle last week to stretch his legs and have a lie of the land and have a breeze up the track.

“We’re looking forward to it, he’s a few pounds wrong with a few of the horses at the weights, but we still feel he is progressive and we’re interested to see if he can improve further.

“It will tell us which direction we should be going in and we still have an interest in going up in trip at some point – it’s on the agenda. But the stiff six is a good starting point, so we will see how it goes and go from there.

George Boughey is double-handed with recent Listed winner Perdika and Kempton scorer Danger Alert, while Kevin Ryan’s Hello Queen has won both starts so far this term, tasting success over course and distance last month.

Another recent winner in the line-up is Andrew Balding’s Desert Cop, who made huge strides when runner-up on his second start before thriving when dropped back to six furlongs, getting off the mark at the third attempt.

The speedily-bred son of Oasis Dream showed plenty of pace to put the race to bed on that occasion and David Bowe, racing manager for the Oasis Dream gelding’s owner Jeff Smith believes his blistering turn of foot could prove crucial once again.

He said: “He has progressed and I would say the six furlongs would suit him down to the ground, especially on his pedigree.

“His last run was impressive in the way he finished out his race and he looks to have plenty of speed. We’ve been really encouraged by him at home and his home work has been excellent.

“He’s a lovely horse with a very speedy pedigree and we’re hoping the six will be ideal for him.”

New Definition disappointed over a mile at Chelmsford last weekend, but trainer James Tate is prepared to put a line through that effort as he drops the otherwise consistent son of Invincible Spirit back down to six furlongs.

He said: “He seemed to improve for running a sharp seven at Lingfield twice, but the mile at Chelmsford was a disaster because he just got stuck wide all the way round.

“We’re backing him up quickly I know, but this is a stiff six at Newcastle and if Chelmsford hasn’t taken anything out of him hopefully he will be on the premises.

“He’s a very tough type and seems to take his racing well.”

Meanwhile Group One-winning jockey Robert Havlin is looking forward to partnering The X O for the first time.

Jockey Robert Havlin will partner John Ryan's The X O in the talkSPORT All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Conditions Stakes
Jockey Robert Havlin will partner John Ryan’s The X O in the talkSPORT All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Conditions Stakes (Mike Egerton/PA)

Although the outsider of the field, John Ryan’s colt has racked up plenty of experience in the early part of 2023, winning two of his five starts since the turn of the year.

“I rode work on The X O on Tuesday and he gave me a nice feel,” said Havlin.

“I watched some of his races back and, although last time was messy, his performances at Southwell were quite impressive.

“I think the straight track at Newcastle will play to his strengths and, even though he has a bit to find on ratings, connections are hoping for a big run.”

The field is complete by Mick Appleby’s Michaela’s Boy, who was disappointing in France last month but brings course form to the table, and Grant Tuer’s versatile Glorious Angel.



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