In-form Green faces Group test
Kew Green steps up to Group-race company for the first time when he makes a quick return to action in the Weatherbys Earl Of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket tomorrow.
Paul Webber’s tough eight-year-old failed by just half a length to beat Simple Exchange in a Listed event at Kempton on Saturday.
He will face nine rivals when he goes on a recovery mission in the nine-furlong Group Three contest on the Rowley Mile course.
“We haven’t brought him out quick before but he seemed to take Saturday’s race extremely well. He seems fresh and bouncy at home, which are all his usual signals, so we thought it was worth a crack,” explained Webber.
“I was very pleased with his run on Saturday. Mathematically it was supposedly impossible to beat that other horse having beaten it at level weights two lengths, we were giving it 3lb on Saturday and got beaten half a length.
“This is his first run in a Group race but he’s a brave fellow and he’s won over the course and distance so we thought it was worth a chance.
“You never know when you run them back quickly but as far as we can tell it looks a reasonable thing to do.”
His rivals are headed by Rocamadour, who was beaten only a neck and half a length by Shamardal and Hurricane Run in last season’s French Derby.
Other interesting contenders include Sir Michael Stoute’s progressive handicapper Notnowcato and the lightly-raced seven-year-old Tau Ceti.
The latter won on his first start for Ralph Beckett when he took a 10-furlong Listed race at Newmarket in the autumn.
He was a Group Three winner in France for John Hammond before going to America for the Niarchos family and joined Beckett’s stable last June.
After his victory Tau Ceti was due to start a career as a jump stallion but that has now been put on hold.
“Rocamadour is a proven Group One-performer and Notnowcato is probably not a bad horse either so they would be the two against the field,” Beckett said.
“Tau Ceti is in good shape and has done well over the winter and he’ll run well but I think he’ll come on for the run as well.
“He wants easy ground so we’ll take him where the ground is and I hope we can find a Group Three for him somewhere.
“He’s Group One placed and was pretty good on his day and hasn’t got many miles on the clock.
“He is perhaps not a betting proposition tomorrow but in the future I think we have every chance of finding a race or two for him.
“He’s got a cracking pedigree. He’s a half-brother to Domedriver, and I’m sure he’ll make a jumps stallion, hopefully next year.”
Clive Brittain runs Bahar Shumaal while David Elsworth has both Tucker and 2004 Cambridgeshire winner Spanish Don in the £50,000 (€72,300) heat.
The line-up is completed by the Barry Hills-trained veteran Calcutta, Richard Fahey’s northern challenger Kings Point and Tommy Stack’s Irish raider Tolpuddle.
