Tregoning back with a bang
Marcus Tregoning’s spell in the doldrums ended in scintillating fashion at Lingfield as last year’s Vodafone Derby-winning trainer unleashed another Classic candidate in the shape of Aqaleem.
It may have been nine years since High-Rise graduated from the totesport Derby Trial Stakes to taste success at Epsom, but the layers were suitably impressed by the colt’s four-length success.
Blue Square and Stan James quote the son of Sinndar as a 12-1 chance from 50s, while Ladbrokes are 14-1 and the remainder including William Hill, Coral, totesport and bet365 are 16s.
He was sent off a weak 12-1 shot for this race and after being held up by Richard Hills, Tregoning’s charge quickened down the centre of the course to draw clear in the final furlong.
Hearthstead Maison stood no chance with the winner and took second, with the 9-4 favourite Kid Mambo – who wandered about in the closing stages – a short-head third.
Tregoning, who saddled Sir Percy to victory at Epsom 12 months ago, said: “We hadn’t had a runner for two months until yesterday and I know that one didn’t run very well, but this horse has always shown us great potential.
“My horses are coming back from a long time off but he carries very little condition so it didn’t take us long to get him ready, and he was ready to run.
“He’s got a very good action and I don’t think quicker ground will be any problem to him – it didn’t bother Sinndar at all.”
And Tregoning revealed he was full of confidence, despite a bout of coughing in the yard.
He continued: “I did think he would win. I looked through the field and tried to find something to beat him and I couldn’t – everything was in his favour.
“There is no comparison with him and Sir Percy. Sir Percy was a crack two-year-old and was honed for the 2000 Guineas, whereas he is unexposed.
“I don’t like aiming inexperienced horses at the Derby. That was only his third run and he is still inexperienced.
“I will watch what happens at York and make a decision about Epsom after having a long think and a talk with Sheikh Hamdan (Al Maktoum, owner) and his racing manager, Angus Gold.”
Ralph Beckett was left pondering whether to stump up the £20,000 required to supplement Kayah for Epsom Classic success after she maintained her unbeaten record in the totepool.com Oaks Trial.
The 20-1 shot landed a maiden last autumn on her only other start and stepped up to the mark in great style to take the Listed contest by three-quarters of a length.
Henry Cecil’s Brisk Breeze and Folk Opera appeared to have the race to themselves inside the distance, but the Richard Hughes-ridden winner sprinted past the pair to lead near the line.
Beckett said: “You couldn’t tell much from what she does at home and I didn’t enter in the Oaks or the Ribblesdale as I didn’t think she was up to it.
“I will have to talk to my owner about supplementing her for the Oaks, but you would have to consider it.
“We will see how we go but she would want the ground good or softer.”
Hughes, who picked up a two-day ban (May 23 and 24) for using his whip with excessive frequency on Kayah, initiated a double when Chris Wall’s Wake Up Maggie spread-eagled the field in the totesport.com Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes.
It was only inside the closing stages of the seven-furlong heat that Hughes allowed his mount to stride on and the four-year-old effortlessly pulled clear to see off Leopoldine by three and a half lengths.
Wall said of the 15-8 shot: “I thought she had a chance but I didn’t expect her to win as easily as that.
“Richard said she is so relaxed that she will stay a mile, but I had planned her season around seven furlongs – or even a drop back to six – so I’ll have to have a think!”
Godolphin got off the mark for the domestic season with a short-priced brace initiated as Frankie Dettori guided Blue Ksar (6-4) to a hat-trick of wins in the CPG 21st Anniversary Conditions Stakes.
The Newmarket-based operation had only sent out four runners prior to this meeting, and added to their tally in the lingfieldpark.co.uk Maiden Stakes with Dettori scoring aboard the 5-2 favourite Calabash Cove.
Trainer Saeed bin Suroor said: “It is nice to get the first winner on the board. We have some nice horses to race and they are working very well.”
Market vibes may not have been in favour of Sandrey but Peter Chapple-Hyam’s colt was a cut above and came home with plenty in hand in the totescoop6 Handicap.
The three-year-old was uneasy beforehand but the 9-4 favourite barely gave his supporters a moment of worry, leading over a furlong out and cruising home a length-and-a-half clear under Ted Durcan.
Chapple-Hyam’s travelling head lad Ronan Meehan said: “He has been showing up well on the gallops and we would have been disappointed if he had been beaten.
“Ted liked him a lot and if the ground came up right then he could go to Ascot for a race over six furlongs.”
Binnion Bay (11-2) followed up last week’s win and registered a double at the track as he swooped in the OCS Group Ladies Stakes under Lorraine Ellison.
