Jaber Abdullah’s Feilden S. winner ATLANTIC WAVES (Sadler’s Wells) enjoyed a spin around Epsom
racecourse Thursday morning ahead of his tilt at next Saturday’s Vodafone Derby
(Eng-G1). Trainer Mark Johnston was pleased with the colt following his exercise
under big-race rider Joe Fanning.
“I am delighted that we brought him here,” he told PA Sport. “It is very,
very soft, but he’s gone fine on it. He just tried to jump the first track and
looked at the second one, but by the time he got past that he was fine. It was a
new experience for him and I am glad that we did it.”
The Middleham-based conditioner is expecting a bold show from the bay colt,
who beat subsequent English Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) third Olympian Odyssey
(Sadler’s Wells) in the Feilden, but remains realistic.
“I really don’t know if he can win,” he added. “He’s not a ridiculous
outsider — he is a live contender, but he is an inexperienced live contender
and it’s not usual for me to be making the jump from listed race to Group 1.
It’ll be in the lap of the gods, but we’ll find out next Saturday just how good
he is.”
Jockey Robert Winston has been linked with Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith and
Michael Tabor’s Chester Vase (Eng-G3) winner PAPAL BULL (Montjeu [Ire]) after
partnering the colt in a pre-Derby workout on Wednesday. Although trainer Sir
Michael Stoute has yet to get the go-ahead from the owners to run in the Derby,
he was hoping that the May 11 trial victor would be supplemented on Monday at a
cost of £75,000.
“I thought it was a good trial at Chester and he is doing well,” he told PA
Sport.
Stoute also has Gainsborough Stud’s Dante S. (Eng-G2) runner-up Best Alibi
(King’s Best), so Winston was not confirming the partnership on Thursday.
“Papal Bull is a lazy type of horse at home — that’s just his character,”
the rider explained. “Kieren (Fallon) says ‘you haven’t seen the best of him
yet’, but Michael Kinane is first choice in Group 1s, so I wouldn’t say he’d be
likely to be my ride yet. Just to have a ride in that race would be an
invaluable experience for me.”
Stoute stated that Best Alibi would not run if the ground was soft.
Epsom’s Clerk of the Course Andrew Cooper announced that the official going
was soft after heavy recent rain on the Downs.
“Our aim is to produce good ground and I certainly wouldn’t be ruling that
out even with it being soft now,” he said.
Anthony Pakenham’s SIR PERCY (Mark of Esteem [Ire]) faces an all-important
workout this weekend to determine whether he runs in the Derby. On the easy list
since returning sore from his second in the English Guineas, last year’s Vintage
S. (Eng-G2) and Dewhurst S. (Eng-G1) winner has come to hand in the last few
days.
“We seem to have got around the problem and got it right,” trainer Marcus
Tregoning explained. “We’ve lost a bit of time, but he’s a very athletic and
agile horse who keeps himself fit in everyday exercise, so hopefully it won’t be
too much of a problem. It will be a good bit of work and Martin (Dwyer) will
ride him.”
Trainer Sir Michael Stoute has confirmed that John Greetham’s SHORT SKIRT
(Diktat) would line up in next Friday’s Epsom Oaks (Eng-G1). Following the homebred’s
defeat of Alexandrova (Sadler’s Wells) in last Wednesday’s Musidora S. (Eng-G3)
at York, her connections had cast doubt on her participation in the
mile-and-a-half classic, but Stoute revealed that she would take her chance
alongside His Highness the Aga Khan’s Pretty Polly S. winner RIYALMA (Selkirk).
“At this stage we are going to run the Musidora winner Short Skirt with
Michael Kinane on and we are going to run the Pretty Polly winner Riyalma with
Christophe Soumillon on her,” he told PA Sport on Thursday.
Ballymacoll Stud’s Swettenham Stud Fillies’ S. winner SCOTTISH STAGE
(Selkirk) may wait for the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) (Fr-G1) at Chantilly on
June 11, he added.
“With Scottish Stage, we are going to make a late decision — she is also in
the Diane, which would give us another nine days. I think she has come on for
her run and in fact she is starting to thrive now, but I would have to say that
she is doubtful for Epsom at this stage.”