Last week at Punchestown the National Hunt season ended, and we won’t see most of our old jumping friends again until there are brown leaves littering the pavements.
So, like it or lump it, Flat racing takes centre stage and here are 10 horses to keep an eye on this summer.
Jonquil
Age: 3
Trainer: Andrew Balding
Andrew Balding continued to build momentum last season and although he has suffered an early blow this year when one of his biggest owners, Qatar Racing, removed all their horses from his yard, he is already prominent near the top of the trainers’ table.
The improving Jonquil could develop into a very decent colt in the coming months.
Transferred from the Michael Stoute’s yard on that trainer’s retirement, Jonquil won the Greenham Stakes at Newbury impressively on his stable debut. He was raised a whopping 21lbs on that performance and should contend at the highest level up to a mile.
Calandagan
Age: 4
Trainer: Francis-Henri
Graffard
Few racehorse trainers have a law degree, but Francis-Henri Graffard is an exception.
Based at Chantilly, Graffard has developed into one of France’s leading handlers in recent years and is the principal trainer for the late Aga Khan.
Two of his stars from last season, Goliath and Calandagan are both geldings and as such ineligible for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe so their campaigns will include British and Irish middle distance Group 1 contests.
Calandagan ended last season with a rating of 125 following an easy win at Royal Ascot and runner-up efforts in the Juddmonte and Champion Stakes last autumn.
First up this year will be the Coronation Cup at Epsom in June and then the King George at Ascot the following month.
Native Warrior
Age: 4
Trainer: Karl Burke
Karl Burke has become a powerhouse in the north of England in recent seasons and the Middleham-based trainer hit two ‘personal bests’ last season with a total of 121 winners and over £4m (€4.7m) in prize money.
Native Warrior, a son of the increasingly influential, and expensive, sire Wooton Bassett, had a busy time last year, running seven times and although he got his head in front only once, in a mile maiden at Nottingham, he showed up well at a couple of the high summer festivals.
With a competitive handicap rating of 92, the wily Burke should be able to find plenty of opportunities for him in the coming months.
Rosallion
Age: 4
Trainer: Richard Hannon
Ten years ago, Richard Hannon sent out 195 winners from his base near Marlborough in Wilshire. Last year the total had dropped to 86.
The affable Hannon insists that the dip in quantity has been compensated by an increase in quality and, in the case of Rossalion, he has a point.
The Blue Point colt developed into a brilliant miler last season, winning the Irish Guineas and the St James’ Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot before a lung infection finished his season.
Hannon resisted the temptation of an autumn campaign last year and believes that the long break has done Rosallion the world of good.
A candidate for champion miler, he thrives best when the words ‘good’ or ‘firm’ are found in the going description.
Estrange
Age: 4
Trainer: David O’Meara
Fermoy native David O’Meara is another trainer in a hurry to add quality to quantity and last year surpassed a century of winners for the 12th time in succession. He will be hoping that Estrange, a grey daughter of Night Of Thunder, has the ability to
develop far beyond her current official rating of 100.
Unraced as a two-yea- old, she won well on her debut at Goodwood in August and took a late-season listed race at Doncaster in November. Her only defeat came on unsuitably quick ground at Yarmouth and should be competitive on easy ground at distances up to a mile and a half.
Oliver Show
Age: 5
Trainer: George Boughey
Still only 33, George Boughey is an ambitious young trainer who has recently upgraded his real estate significantly through the purchase of Craven House Stables at Newmarket from Godolphin.
His ascent to the top ranks of Flat trainers looks set to continue this summer and his No Nay Never gelding Oliver Show should help with the climb.
The five-year-old was only beaten an unlucky nose when second to Godwinson in the Lincoln in March and looks set to play a part in many of the high-value festival handicaps over a mile, starting with the Brittania Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.
He goes well when fresh and will be competitive off a rating of 99.
Seagulls Eleven
Age: 3
Trainer: Hugo Palmer
Seagulls Eleven is an appropriate name for a horse in the ownership of current and former Brighton football players.
Headed up by James Milner, the syndicate plan to ‘take each race at a time’ with their horse but he should give them some fine days out through the summer.
Battle-hardened from five runs as a two-year old, his CV includes a solid third to Scorthy Champ in the National Stakes at the Curragh last September.
Seagulls Eleven perhaps lacks othe class of sire Galileo Gold, a dual Group 1 winner in 2016, but he could net a couple of opportunities his owners in the lower divisions.
Catalina Delcarpio
Age: 3
Trainer: Paddy Twomey
Given that Paddy Twomey bred Group 1 winner, Tagula, when he was 13 years of age it is unsurprising that he has found a seat at the table of the top Irish trainers.
He looks like he has a top filly in Catalina Delcarpio who should be competitive in the best mares’ middle-distance contests.
Unraced at two, she made an eye-catching debut when winning over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown in early April and followed that up with a Group 3 second at Navan three weeks later.
An expensively purchased yearling at £400,000 (470,667), she looks the type to mature and improve with time.
Jan Brueghel
Age: 4
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
Aidan O’Brien has a strong team of stayers at Ballydoyle this year and it should be a ‘gimmee’ for the brilliant Kyprios wherever he turns up which should leave ample leftovers for stamina-laden stablemates such as Jan Brueghel when he stays home.
Unraced at two, he improved steadily last year, but to O’Brien’s displeasure he was denied a crack at glory in the Melbourne Cup when scratched by the local stewards. Beaten into second on his recent seasonal reappearance over an inadequate distance of 10 furlongs at the Curragh, he will do better over longer trips.
The Lion In Winter
Age: 3
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
The Lion In Winter is named after a film about an early
version of the British Royal family and O’Brien is convinced his horse will have a regal summer too.
By the great Sea The Stars, he was unbeaten in two starts as a juvenile and spent the winter as the ante-post favourite for last week’s 2000 Guineas but wasn’t yet fit enough to run.
In the second of his two races he won the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York where he beat the Guineas winner Ruling Court by two lengths, so O’Brien’s hopes are strongly endorsed by the formbook.
He could be the marquee middle distance colt of the summer and has an entry next week in the Dante Stakes at York.
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