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The six-furlong Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, held at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile, tends to produce a very good colt for the future and this year’s renewal is expected to be no different.
Connections of Vandeek will be hoping to emulate last year's winner Blackbeard by completing the Prix Morny-Middle Park double, an achievement which was also completed by the French-trained Earthlight in 2019.
Simon and Ed Crisford's colt has gone from strength to strength this season, winning a six-furlong Nottingham maiden back in July before claiming the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
The son of Havana Grey was very impressive in the Prix Morny, making smooth headway from the rear of the field with one-and-a-half furlongs to run and getting up to deny Ramatuelle (in receipt of a fillies' allowance) by a short neck. The only question mark would be the ground – he has never encountered a surface quicker than good-to-soft.
Aidan O'Brien has won the race three times since 2017 and has another strong chance in the shape of River Tiber. Unbeaten in his first two outings in Ireland, the colt justified favouritism in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes to beat Army Ethos by a neck from the far side of the track and was not seen again until the Prix Morny in late August.
Connections made it clear that the colt had suffered a minor setback in the lead-up to the French Group 1 and although River Tiber kept on well for third, he shaped like a colt not at his best. The O'Brien team undoubtedly expect their Wootton Bassett colt to be closer to Vandeek this time around.
The inexperienced Task Force represents the race's sponsors Juddmonte and takes a considerable step up in grade from his easy success in the Listed Ripon Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy in late August.
With Guineas winners on both sides of the colt's pedigree, he appears to be a Classic prospect for next year and shaped like there was considerably more improvement to come at Ripon, becoming a little unbalanced when asked for an effort. In a race of battle-hardened colts, he may be vulnerable to one or two at the top of the market.
Clive Cox will be hoping that Jasour can get back on track following a very disappointing effort in the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville.
He took an early lead under Rossa Ryan but failed to pick up when asked at the one furlong marker, fading dramatically to finish eighth of the nine runners. It is fair to assume that the Group 2 July Stakes winner did not enjoy the very soft ground on that occasion, and a return to better form is expected on a good-to-firm surface (2-2).
Of the outsiders in the market, Karl Burke's Elite Status is probably over-priced at current odds of 33/1. Third in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, he won the traditional Morny trial race, the Group 3 Prix de Cabourg at Deauville, before finishing a well-beaten seventh in the Group 1.
Similar comments apply about his performance as Jasour – although the colt's Cabourg victory came on soft ground, he would probably have preferred a sounder surface. A place would not surprise from a yard who continues to produce top-level juvenile winners.
WIN: VANDEEK
DARK HORSE: ELITE STATUS
