Best looking forward to Abbaye date
John Best has confirmed juvenile sprinting sensation Kingsgate Native on target for the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp.
After finishing second on his first two starts at Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood, the Mujadil colt defied his relative inexperience to inflict defeat on his elders in the Nunthorpe back in August.
Best is now looking forward to attempting a sensational double in the October 7 contest – providing there are no mishaps and the ground is not too deep in Paris.
Kingsgate Native needs to be supplemented, but Best said: “We’re still planning on going to the Abbaye.
“The only thing that will stop us is if something goes wrong, but thankfully he has been a very sound horse so far.
“Mujadil’s tend to go on the soft but my concern would be that although he’ll probably go on it, the pure strength of the older horses might catch us out on soft or heavy.
“If it’s good to soft or better, I think we’ll definitely be there,” he told At The Races.
Coral make Best’s stable star the 4-1 ante-post favourite in their market for the five-furlong event, with fellow juvenile speedster Fleeting Spirit next in the list at 7-1.
“Connections of both two-year-olds have suggested they will be supplemented for the Abbaye,” said Coral’s David Stevens.
“With both showing terrific form over the minimum distance and two-year-olds treated favourably in the weights, the pair could take all the beating at Longchamp.”
Hoh Mike is set to form part of the three-year-old challenge as Michael Bell reaffirmed his desire to run the Intikhab colt.
“He’s had a very good year and providing the ground is not too firm in the Abbaye, he should run very well,” Bell said.
“It’s always a tough race but I would say he’s going into the race in good form and we’d hope he’ll give a good account of himself.
“He was actually in at the 48-hour stage at Newbury last Saturday but the ground was very firm so we didn’t run there.
“This has always been his principal target all year and we just didn’t want to jeopardise it.”
One horse who will not be making the trip across the English Channel is Linda Jewell’s Rowe Park.
Having begun the year with defeat off a handicap mark of 65 on the all-weather, the four-year-old has improved by leaps and bounds and won a Group Three event on Saturday.
However, connections have elected to run in Newmarket’s G4S Rous Stakes next week instead of stumping up the required fee to supplement for the Abbaye.
“After lengthy discussions with the owners, we decided we are not going to send him to France,” Jewell said.
“We don’t think he’ll be ready to travel so we’re not going to supplement him and we’ll now go to Newmarket on the 4th (October).
“There’s a Listed race there, in which he’ll have a penalty. He’ll then have a rest and we’ll plan things for next season.”
