Kachy’s stamina to be tested in Free Handicap
The unbeaten Molecomb Stakes winner showed bundles of speed in two outings over five furlongs last year but a minor setback meant he missed the end of the season.
Kachy starts his three-year-old career over seven furlongs and Dascombe is hoping stamina on his dam’s side of the pedigree will see him stay a mile this year.
“He’s absolutely fine, fit, happy and healthy,” said Dascombe.
“I’m pretty sure he’ll stay - his dam won over a mile and a half.
“Whether we aim at the Commonwealth Cup, I’m not sure, he might get further.
“The whole idea of running him here over seven is to see if we step up to a mile or drop back down to six furlongs.”
Charlie Hills’ Ibn Malik had the misfortune to bump into some of the best juveniles around last season ans has since been gelded.
After winning his maiden, he chased home Hugo Palmer’s Galileo Gold in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, Emotionless in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and was third to Gifted Master in the Autumn Stakes.
“He should handle the ground. It should be OK for him,” said Hills.
“I’m really pleased with how he’s done over the winter.
“He’s done well in his work and is ready for a race.”
Mick Channon’s Scrutineer created a big impression when winning two races in quick succession last autumn but failed to cut much ice in Group One company in France.
Channon has written than run off, though, and expects him to be a major player this season.
“We’re very pleased with how he’s done over the winter and we’re very hopeful, he must be going there with a solid chance,” said Channon.
“You can put a line through his last run, it was a wasted effort.
“The ground won’t matter to him but we know he handles cut and some of the other won’t.
“I’m sure he gets seven furlongs but it’s whether or not he’ll get a mile - we’ll just have to see how he gets on.”
The one filly in the field is Richard Hannon’s Great Page, a Group Three winner last season but unplaced in the Spring Cup on her return to action
“We actually didn’t declare her originally, but because there were only five in it, we decided to have a go,” said Tim Palin, racing manager for owners Middleham Park Racing.
“We’ve also put her in the Fred Darling on Saturday and I mentioned running in both to Richard Hannon, but he wasn’t keen on that idea.
“She’s a Group horse running in a handicap, we hope, but whether she’s trained on, we don’t know.
“We obviously hope she has, and I saw her work at the weekend and she went very nicely indeed.
“We’ll just have to judge her on the track because it looked like she’d come to win the Spring Cup last time but her run petered out.”
Completing the field are Mark Johnston’s Adventurous and William Haggas’ Raucous, third in both the Gimcrack and the Mill Reef Stakes.
