Fanshawe expects improved run from Approval in Freer
The five-year-old won at Ascot on Champions Day last year and after a fine return to action in the Yorkshire Cup a lot was expected of her back against her own sex at Haydock.
However, she was never travelling in the Lancashire Oaks and only beat one home.
Fanshawe feels she is just starting to come to herself now, though, and decided to run her in this rather than the Yorkshire Oaks next week.
“She’s just taken time to come to herself,” said Fanshawe.
“Obviously, she’s competing at a slightly different level to last season when she won a handicap off 88 and a Listed race before Ascot. This year she’s had to go straight into Group company.
“She’s taken to time to thrive, but now I believe she is.
“It was nice to see it rain – she’s better with cut – and she’s in good form.
“I just decided to take the more cautious route with her than run her in the Yorkshire Oaks next week.
“She’s starting to look really well again, but we’ll take it one step at a time. She might go to Ascot again, but she must have cut.”
Ed Dunlop feels the race comes at just the right time as he plans Red Cadeaux’s overseas adventures once more.
The popular eight year-old has won over £4million in prize money during a career which has seen him take in races in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and famously Australia.
Red Cadeaux has been second twice in the Melbourne Cup and Dunlop has his sights set on yet another trip Down Under, hoping it will be fourth time lucky.
He has not been seen since running down the field in Japan in May when the ground was very fast but has been pleasing at home in recent weeks.
“He ran well in the race last year (second) and that was with a Group One penalty,” said Dunlop.
“Obviously, he hasn’t won for a while so he doesn’t have that any more so that is in his favour. He’s in very good form. We need to remember that this is his first run after a long lay off, but he does go well fresh.
“His last run was Japan in May and we put a line through that as the ground was very fast and he came back sore.
“This race comes at an ideal time with a view towards going back to Melbourne but it also comes at a time which means we can fit another race in before we go to Australia.
“We’ve entered him in a Group One in Germany and there’s the Irish St Leger he could run in, too.
“The trip is right, it’s a lovely course and I just hope there’s not too much more rain.
“Mr (Gerald) Mosse is kindly coming over to ride him for us.
“It’s a competitive race, though, against some race-fit rivals.”
Gary Moore saddles Triumphant, who was once second to Camelot in the Mooresbridge Stakes in 2013 but he is likely to be seen to better effect with obstacles in his way, according to his dual-purpose handler.
“He can’t get into a handicap as he’s rated 101 and the only place I can give him a run is in this race,” said Moore.
“He was bought really to go jumping, not to be a Flat horse. This is just a start to dust him off.
“We bought him off John Halley and have had him since early June. This horse won over hurdles for him.
“He was Camelot’s lead horse and was second to him on the track once. He shows no signs of being a typical lead horse.
“He’s got his work cut out in what looks a good Geoffrey Freer. It looks more competitive than usual. He’s got a more workable mark over hurdles than on the Flat and he jumps very well at home.
“Unless he shows something convincing tomorrow he’ll go back hurdling afterwards.”
Richard Hannon’s Pether’s Moon finally gained the win his consistent efforts deserved at Goodwood last time out yet despite that he will run in blinkers for the first time. “People say we can’t train middle-distance horses, but we did win the Geoffrey Freer Stakes three years ago with Census, and, hopefully, we have a major player for it this time around in Pether’s Moon,” Hannon said.
