Kingman, Rizeena stake claims for 2014 Guineas

Kingman, ante-post favourite for the 2000 Guineas, duly lived up to expectations when justifying short odds in the four-runner Solario Stakes at Sandown, and is now a best-priced 5-1 for the colts’ Classic. Clive Brittain’s Rizeena upset both Tapestry and Kiyoshi in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh, and all three share pole-position for the fillies’ Classic at 8-1.

Inevitably, the success of Kingman, who runs in the Khalid Abdullah colours, drew comparisons with the mighty Frankel, much to the annoyance of trainer John Gosden. He is anxious to play down the hype and stressed that his colt, while an exciting prospect, has not beaten anything of note yet.

However, we should be a lot wiser after Kingman dips his toes into Pattern waters for the first time – and deep ones at that – as his next race looks like being the G1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere at Longchamp on Arc day.

Kingman was very professional at Sandown and he has wonderful laid-back attitude. I hope and think that he is the real deal and will continue to believe it until Paris at least.

Brittain might be approaching his 80th birthday, but he can still deliver the goods at the top table, and he was comparing Rizeena with Pebbles and Sayyedati, his two 1000 Guineas winners from yesteryear, after she had beaten the best that Aidan O’Brien and Charles Hills can offer on the plains of Kildare.

We could well also see Rizeena in Paris as the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac is a race that has been pencilled in, though Brittain observed that his stable-star has such a blistering change of pace that dropping back to 1200m for the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket would not be a problem.

Both big winners were ridden by James Doyle, who last week was appointed retained rider for Abdullah’s powerful Juddmonte team, so what better way to celebrate a job he considers “every jockey’s dream”.

Doyle could be riding Al Kazeem in the Arc if the ground is on the soft side of good, and he won’t have lost any sleep when he watched a replay of Germany’s King George winner Novellist making heavy weather of coming through his dress-rehearsal for Paris in the Grosser Preis von Baden in his homeland on Sunday.

However, Novellist’s trainer, Andreas Wohler, expressed himself satisfied, despite the fact that the 30-100 favourite had to be rousted along to get the better of stablemate Seismos, who was principally in the race as pacemaker.

Wohler said: “The messy pace did not suit us, but this was just the trial and it is what happens in five weeks’ time that matters. Novellist was only 85% straight after his break since Ascot, and he’ll be spot on for the Arc, in which Johnnie Murtagh will be back in the saddle.”

****

THE FUGUE has paid for two holidays in the Lester household – courtesy of last year’s Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood and last month’s Yorkshire Oaks on the Knavesmire – but she might well have cleared off the mortgage had she got any lucky in the Oaks and Breeders Cup.

On Saturday The Fugue mixes it again with the colts in the G1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, and, though she got a bloody nose when she took on the boys at Royal Ascot and again in the Eclipse at Sandown, to quote Maggie Thatcher “this lady, she ain’t for turning”, and John Gosden’s filly is a confident choice to take her revenge.

Bookmakers make Aidan O’Brien’s Juddmonte International winner Declaration of War favourite, but, although he won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and ran well in defeat in both the Eclipse and the Sussex at Goodwood, he might well have been flattered by York as neither of the principals, Al Kazeem or Toronado, ran their race.

The Fugue, who had come back from Sandown with mucus in her throat, having worked brilliantly on the run up to the race, bounced right back to her best on the Knavesmire, winning the G1 for fillies by an emphatic four lengths.

The key to The Fugue is the ground – she loves it rattling fast, and, with no sign of rain and temperatures still up in the mid 20’s she looks like getting perfect underfoot conditions.

Jim Bolger plans to run his Irish Derby winner Trading Leather, who ran well behind Declaration of War at York, while Coolmore could also saddle last year’s Derby winner Camelot and maybe even this season’s Epsom hero Ruler of the World, but whatever turns up I’ll be on The Fugue. Our winter holiday in Cape Town is riding on this one!

We should not oppose LETHAL FORCE in Britain’s G1 this week-end, the Haydock Sprint Cup.

Lethal Force has been bought this week by the Cheveley Park Stud, so will stand as a stallion at Newmarket next year which is great news for British breeders as, apart from French superstar Moonlight Cloud, who beat him in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last time, there is not a better sprinter in Europe.

Successful in both the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket, Lethal Force lost nothing in defeat in France, and trainer Clive Cox is going into the race full of optimism as he can also boast the second-favourite in Reckless Abandon, last year’s Prix Morny and Middle Park winner, who has been finding life tough against the older horses this season. A one-two for Cox is the suggested Exacta.

Richard Hannon has had a quiet time in the fast lane recently, but he can bounce back this week-end as I like the chance of his MONTIRIDGE in the G3 Superior Mile at Haydock on Saturday as well as PETHER’S MOON in the valuable Heritage Handicap at Ascot, while he can also take the G2 Topkapi Challenge at Turkey’s international meeting on Sunday, courtesy of PRODUCER.

Finally, a “dark one” for Lingfield today in the Gosden-trained newcomer MINNALOUSHE, a Lawman colt who might be straight enough to win the maiden first time out.