Star Date off the mark

Star Date got off the mark last weekend in a 1m1f maiden race at Ripon. He done so in very impressive style and earned his owners the £10,000 RP Yearling Bonus. He travelled very nicely throughout the race and when the button was pushed he showed a good turn of foot along with obvious stamina. The confidence boost will have done him the world of good and he has come out of the race in very good shape. We did have a plan in mind for him to go to Mussleburgh for some high value races but we have to be a little bit careful now due to the quick ground so we will assess things nearer the time before we make a decision. If not, we could have a look at a £40,000 handicap at Epsom. 

Prince Alzain ran disappointingly at Newmarket after getting very worked up before the race. It was the first time he had been stepped up to that distance and he pulled very hard under Ryan Moore during the first half of the race before burning himself out. The positive to take away from that is that we now know for sure his ideal trip is between 7f and 1m. The race hasn’t taken anything out of him thankfully and he has been fresh and well at exercise this week along with enjoying a few hours a day in the paddock with Jack Sullivan. We have a few options for him at Epsom next week so we will see how he is and if the race suits.

We had been really looking forward to running Zaina in the Height of Fashion stakes at Goodwood this week after the soft ground had ruled her out for some time. Unfortunately, for some reason she over heated in the race and became very dehydrated. She was attended to by on course vets who stabilized her and she was then moved to the equine hospital in Arundel to be given fluids overnight. 

We are very pleased to report that she is now fine and came home in one piece although she did give us all a fright. We will give her all the time she needs to recuperate and I’m sure she will let us know when she’s feeling 100% again. 

Bint Alzain is heading off to Newbury this evening for her first run on the grass. She has done pretty well on the all weather in the last few months so we would like to see how she fair on the turf. We have dropped her back to 7f as she pulled very hard in her last start and the 7f at Newbury is a nice sweeping one so it will give her all the time in the world to get into gear. Raul Da Silver will claim 5lbs off her back and we are looking forward to seeing how she gets on.

Cala Santanyi will be making the long journey to the softer ground and runs at Carlisle on Monday. She has been in great form at home and has really progressed well from 3 to 4 years. Regular rider Luke Morris will also be making the journey so hopefully she makes it worthwhile for him!

Debutant The Way To Be will be running in the 1m2f maiden at Windsor also on Monday. He has been a bit slow to come to hand but has put in some OK pieces of work lately and will only get better from gaining racing experience.