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Posts Tagged ‘field’

Tom Queally will ride dual 1000 Guineas winner Special Duty for Criquette Head-Maarek in the Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket on Wednesday.

Queally – fresh from Group One success on the Henry Cecil-trained Twice Over in the Eclipse at the weekend – comes in for the ride after Christophe Lemaire suffered a leg fracture in a fall at Compiegne on Monday afternoon.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, told Press Association Sport: “Tom Queally will ride Special Duty in the Falmouth on Wednesday. It looks a hot race, but she’s in grand form and we’re looking forward to it.”

A high-class field of eight will go to post for the opening day highlight of the July meeting.

Group One winners dominate the field, with Special Duty aiming for a hat-trick after being awarded her two Classic victories in the stewards’ room.

Aidan O’Brien’s Lillie Langtry is looking to follow up her impressive win in the Coronation Stakes, while Lahaleeb will be having her first start for Gerard Butler since being bought by current connections for £1million guineas.

Adding further strength in depth is Sir Michael Stoute’s Strawberrydaiquiri, a gutsy winner of the Windsor Forest at Royal Ascot.

Just touched off in the same race was James Fanshawe’s Spacious and the pair will clash again, with Kieren Fallon taking over in the saddle as Johnny Murtagh is on board Lillie Langtry.

Mick Channon’s luckless Music Show has run well in all the top races so far this season but only has a victory in the Nell Gwyn to show for her efforts, while Mark Johnston’s Rainfall is the most unexposed horse in the field, winning the Jersey Stakes against the colts on only her third start.

The field is completed by Jim Bolger’s Gile Ne Greine, third in the Guineas at Newmarket and second in the Coronation Stakes last time out.

Michael Jarvis admits it is highly unlikely his exciting prospect Opinion Poll will line up in Saturday’s John Smith’s Northumberland Plate at Newcastle.

The four-year-old has hit the target twice in Listed company this season and was due to carry top-weight in this weekend’s feature contest.

He also has an entry in the At The Races Curragh Cup, but Jarvis is not willing to risk his charge on unsuitably fast ground and said: “He probably isn’t going to run anywhere unless the weather changes in the next 24 hours, which looks highly unlikely.”

The trainer continued: “It’s just down to the ground and this horse is well worth waiting for. We’re not halfway through the year yet and there are plenty of races for him, so we’re in no great rush. The rain will come eventually – it always does.”

Jane Chapple-Hyam has two possibles in Macarthur and Tyrrells Wood, although the former seems more likely to take his chance at present.

Both were in action at Royal Ascot last week with Macarthur unplaced in the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap and Tyrrells Wood down the field in the Ascot Stakes.

“I haven’t made my mind up yet, although I’m swinging towards running Macarthur and we’ve got to make a decision about Tyrrells Wood,” said the Newmarket trainer.

“I haven’t put a saddle on Macarthur since Ascot, he’s been turned out in the field to try to freshen him up. I’ll weigh him and see if he’s put the weight back on and make a decision. At this stage I’m targeting him for there.”