3 minute read
Trainer Gerard Butler is looking forward to seeing Prince Alzain return to turf for the 10-furlong £33,000 Listed poptelecom.co.uk Fairway Stakes (2.15pm), one of the highlights of an eight-race card on Newmarket's Rowley Mile tomorrow, Saturday, May 19.
The progressive Street Sense colt made three eye-catching appearances on the all-weather over the winter, following up a comfortable maiden victory at Wolverhampton in November with an impressive success in a conditions race at the same course the following month.
He kicked off the current season with another pleasing display as he went down by a length to the well-regarded Talwar in the Listed International Trial Stakes on the Polytrack of Lingfield Park on April 14.
Butler revealed: “We have always aimed to return Prince Alzain to turf after he ran at Lingfield. He was declared to run in the Dee Stakes at Chester but he is a very correct, good-actioned horse and I didn't want to compromise his chances on the ground up there. We decided to wait for this race and I am very hopeful of a good run.
“The plan was to run him in the UAE Derby but unfortunately he got an abscess in his foot, which scuppered that option. He didn't have the best of preparations going into the Lingfield race, so his run there was more than satisfactory.
“His sire Street Sense won the Kentucky Derby, while his mother won over a mile, so he is bred for this distance. We actually entered him in the US Triple Crown but we couldn't get enough runs into him because of his abscess.
“If everything goes well this weekend, we will look at running him in the King Edward VII Stakes or the Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot.”
A fascinating renewal of the poptelecom.co.uk Fairway Stakes also includes the Sir Henry Cecil-trained Noble Mission. A full-brother to the world's greatest horse Frankel, the Galileo colt showed that he too has been blessed with at least some of his sibling's ability with a cosy neck verdict in the Listed Qatar Racing Newmarket Stakes at the QIPCO Guineas Festival earlier this month.
In-form handler John Gosden has declared Thought Worthy, who was runner-up to Imperial Monarch on his seasonal return in the Group Three Classic Trial at Sandown on April 28.
The five runners are completed by the Roger Varian-trained Farhaan, who was fifth in the Group Two Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes over the Rowley Mile in September, and Rugged Cross, who captured a valuable York maiden on his latest appearance in August.
A field of seven goes for Saturday's other Listed contest, the £33,000 poptelecom.co.uk King Charles II Stakes (3.20pm) over seven furlongs, including last season's Group One Emaar Middle Park Stakes fourth Balty Boys and 11-length maiden winner The Nile.
Saturday's card also features the six-furlong £40,000 coralchampionsclub.co.uk Sprint Trophy (2.45pm), for which 20 horses have been declared, while a field of 14 is set to line up in the £30,000 Cheap Broadband @ poptelecom.co.uk Handicap (3.55pm) over a mile and six furlongs.
The racing starts at 1.40pm with the seven-furlong £8,000 poptelecom.co.uk Handicap (18 runners).