Bookmaker Reviews & Sports News

Posts Tagged ‘ed dunlop’

Unbeaten two-year-old Native Khan passed his first serious test in the Alexis Catchpole Celebration Solario Stakes at Sandown.

Ed Dunlop’s grey made waves with an impressive debut victory at the Newmarket July meeting and was ridden confidently by Eddie Ahern, although he had a moment of worry two furlongs from home when stuck in a hole behind horses.

But he squeezed the 6-5 favourite through in good time and he stretched nicely to the front to defeat Measuring Time by half a length.

While there have been plenty of subsequent underachievers among former winners of the Solario, horses like Raven’s Pass and Oh So Sharp went on to great success and Dunlop is now considering a handful of Group One options for Native Khan.

He said: “He did it well considering it was a little bit of a messy race. We were in jail, but Eddie got us out and he will have learned a lot from it.

“He won’t have a heavy campaign, maybe one or two more races, but it will be a big one. He’s in the Dewhurst, the Racing Post Trophy and the Grand Criterium, which as he is French-bred, we will consider.”

Ahern was also impressed, adding: “It wasn’t that easy as there was no pace early on. It was only his second run so I didn’t want to go round the outside. He has a big future ahead of him, he will have learned a lot and he’s a good horse.

“When he was in behind he was travelling really wel. He picked up and went away, but he was looking at the photographers up the hill. If they had come at him he’d have gone again, and the turn of foot he showed at Newmarket you would have seen again had there been some pace on.”

Native Khan was trimmed to 25-1 from 33s by William Hill for next year’s 2000 Guineas.

Richard Hannon has decided against running the brilliant Paco Boy in the totesport.com Summer Mile at Ascot on Saturday.

Hannon stated earlier in the week he would prefer to see some rain before committing to the Group Two.

The fact regular rider Richard Hughes is suspended is also likely to have played a part in his decision.

As a result, 10 will go to post, including Michael Jarvis’ globetrotter Pressing, a winner in Italy last time out.

Dream Eater, third behind Goldikova and Paco Boy at Ascot, Locking runner-up Ouqba and Godolphin’s Alexandros are all engaged.

Ed Dunlop’s Fareer, Jeremy Noseda’s Forgotten Voice and the Chris Wall-trained Premio Loco add further strength in depth.

Dingaan, King Of Dixie and French raider Vertigineux complete the field.

Jeremy Noseda has warned Rebel Soldier is not a certain runner in the valuable John Smith’s Cup at York on Saturday.

The lightly-raced three-year-old is favourite in most ante-post lists thanks to a convincing success over the course and distance last month, but the Newmarket trainer rates his prospects of taking part as no better than 50-50.

“There are various reasons and I’d like to say to anyone please don’t at this stage put anything on him. It’s 50-50 at very best,” Noseda told At The Races.

“My concerns are he is a horse I feel potentially has a big future and we are only just going out on the road to where he could end up.

“To run in this race is, for an inexperienced, quite immature three-year-old taking on those good, hard-knocking handicappers, a big transition. I’m not sure if he’s quite mentally ready.

“There are other issues in my mind. There’s the ground. I don’t know if I want to run him on very quick ground, of which there is a likelihood it could be. He’s a big horse.

“And also at this point I don’t believe I can secure a jockey of the calibre I would like to ride him. That might sound very critical, but it’s just how I feel.”

He went on: “The ‘Magnet Cup’ is a great race and the purse is huge. If it were a £50,000 race I may not have even entered him, or I would be saying he was a non-runner now. There is an attraction to the race, but there are other things involved.

“Unless something changes – ground, jockey availability – it is looking less likely. I will have a chat to Fiona Shaw and Earle Mack (owner). We will talk it through.”

Ed Dunlop reports that Fareer is more likely to head for a Listed race at Chester on Saturday rather than take his chance at York.