It should have been a week of building expectation for those surrounding The
Queen’s CARLTON HOUSE (Street Cry [Ire]), but instead the lead-up to Saturday’s Derby
(Eng-G1) has been marred by tension and tenterhooks. Now apparently fully over
the “twisted ankle” that kept his connections in a state of anxiety, the
Dante S. (Eng-G2) winner will get down to the business of tackling Epsom and the hopes of
a nation in this 232nd renewal of the Blue Riband.
His trainer is already
renowned for his handling of five past heroes, including two of this race’s most
visually striking in Shergar and Workforce (GB) (King’s Best), but to saddle a first
Derby winner for the reigning monarch would be the ultimate feather in Sir
Michael Stoute’s cap.
“He has a got a grand temperament, good balance, is a very
good mover, an easy horse to train and has a good turn of foot,” the head of
Freemason Lodge said at last week’s “Breakfast with the Stars” morning before
the setback. “I am very hopeful that he has the right credentials — I just hope
he is good enough. So many people do want him to win; unfortunately these things
don’t often happen.”
The Queen’s Racing Manager John Warren spoke of the lead-up to the Derby with
Carlton House, and it was a case of sheer relief that the Queen’s colt will be
in the line-up.
“It has not been one of the easiest weeks for the team at
Freemason, Sir Michael and his amazing crew,” Warren told PA Sport. “But I think
all is on track now, it’s very positive. It started off with that small filling
in the joint, which X-rayed nice and clean, and now everyone is really happy.
He’s done a nice couple of canters and a bit of light work. Ryan (Moore) has
ridden him, and we’re all on for tomorrow.
“Obviously, the Queen has been through
this, and the trainer has been through injuries just before a race as well, so
it’s not new territory. But it’s territory that one would prefer to do without,
to be honest. I think now the emphasis has moved away from the issue and into
the excitement of the event. Owning racehorses and breeding racehorses is really
what this is all about, and Epsom is the pinnacle of all of that.
“Of
course, the Derby is the big race at the moment and, with Investec behind it is
really brilliant for the industry and the sport, but we also hope Carlton House
will keep going on and be fantastic horse for the Queen to enjoy, considering
that she has put 59 years of thought and process into a sport we all love. So it
is fingers crossed.”
While a win for The Queen would provide a watershed moment in this race’s
ongoing legacy, to a lesser extent so would a first victory for one of France’s
great trainers Andre Fabre. Having tried — fruitlessly — to capture this classic
on nine occasions, including with the Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) hero Pennekamp
in 1995, the ruling power of the French training ranks is back for another tilt
with a major player in POUR MOI (Montjeu [Ire]).
Another part of a strong
hand for the Coolmore combination of Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick
Smith, he looked impressive when winning the 10-furlong Prix Greffulhe (Fr-G2) at
Saint-Cloud May 7 and when galloping at the Breakfast with the Stars morning
nine days ago. Along with the Greffulhe third VADAMAR (Dalakhani) he
bids to end a 35-year drought for his country’s representatives in this race.
“I
am sending love to him and intend to be unpopular in beating Her Majesty’s
horse,” her conditioner said in his customary playful manner. “In the Greffulhe,
he had the conditions he needs, as he had a good pace and was able to be
switched off. He has the right pedigree, the right conformation and, hopefully,
the ability.”
Pour Moi is due to be partnered by the 19-year-old sensation
Mickael Barzalona, who has taken Britain by storm as well as France this term
and he said, “Obviously, the track is not flat, but if you have a good horse it
does not really matter. He has matured with each run and I am hopeful.”
There is a sense of confidence from the Ed Dunlop stable that NATIVE KHAN (Azamour [Ire]) can add to the two Oaks
(Eng-G1) victories the stable has celebrated
at Epsom. One of the only two colts to make any impact late on in the April 30
Two Thousand Guineas dominated by Frankel (Galileo [Ire]), he bids to follow on
from Sir Percy and New Approach in improving on a placed effort in
that Newmarket classic.
“He is maturing very well and we’ve had a trouble-free
run since the Guineas,” Dunlop said of the colt, who was successful in the Craven S.
(Eng-G3) at Newmarket April 14, having won the Solario S. (Eng-G3) at Sandown and
finished fourth in the Racing Post Trophy (Eng-G1) at Doncaster last term.
“The vibes
are right, and when I asked (jockey) Olivier Peslier immediately after the
Guineas if he would stay a mile and a half, he said yes. His sire won the King
George, but there is also speed on the dam’s side, so we are not going to know
until the day. The way he is relaxing at home, he will give himself every
chance, and he does travel well. We want to win and we don’t want anybody else
to win apart from the Queen.”
Kieren Fallon, who was reportedly to take the mount on Native Khan before
jumping instead to RECITAL (Montjeu [Ire]), was Friday given the go-ahead to
ride the Ballydoyle colt. Native
Khan’s owner Ibrahim Araci had gone to court seeking an injunction, which was
declined by the High Court. The judge did grant Araci permission to appeal.
Michael Kerr-Dineen’s PISCO SOUR (Lemon Drop Kid) earned his spot here with a
gutsy third behind Carlton House and SEVILLE (Galileo [Ire]) in the Dante,
which was a step up from the best of his two-year-old form. That included a
second in the 500,000 Tattersalls Millions Two-Year-Old Trophy at Newmarket in
October and an eighth placing in the Criterium International (Fr-G1) at Saint-Cloud at the
end of that month.
“We think he’s progressed and we’re taking out all the
positives we can, so that’s why we’re going for the Derby,” trainer Hughie
Morrison told PA Sport. “Strictly on the form-book, we might have won one of the
trials at Chester — we didn’t get there because the ground was pretty fast. The
Dante was a kind of afterthought, because we were running out of options.
“The
pedigree says he should get the trip. There is speed there, but also lots of
stamina. His full brother won a 2 1/2-mile novice hurdle, so that suggests
to me it should be well within his capacity.”
Another with outside claims is
Bjorn Nielsen’s MASKED MARVEL (Montjeu [Ire]), who took the listed Cocked
Hat S. at Goodwood May 18. That trial, which was formerly known as the
Predominate, threw up the subsequent blue riband hero Troy in 1979 and he
warrants respect from John Gosden’s stable.