Farraaj features among 37
excellent entries for the £100,000 Group Three coral.co.uk Winter Derby over 10
furlongs on Polytrack at Lingfield Park on Saturday, March 22, details of which
are revealed today.
The five-year-old was
third in the 2011 Grade One Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in America and, in one
of his two races at three, took the Listed Churchill Stakes over 10 furlongs at
Lingfield Park.
He returned to the course
and distance with a decisive half-length success over Robin Hoods Bay (Ed
Vaughan) in last year's renewal of the coral.co.uk Winter Derby.
He subsequently
disappointed in the Grade One TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar, USA, on Polytrack
in August, but trainer Roger Varian has reported him to be on target to defend
his Winter Derby crown.
Chris Wall has entered
another Winter Derby winner in the shape of Premio Loco, who got the
better of Cai Shen (Jamie Osborne) in 2012, while fellow Newmarket
trainer David Simcock could run improving five-year-old Castilo Del Diablo
as the new All-Weather Championships continue.
The son of Teofilo was
beaten by Modernstone (William Knight) in a three-runner, 12-furlong
conditions race at Lingfield Park on January 17, but had previously denied that
rival in the £45,000 coral.co.uk Handicap, also over 12 furlongs at Lingfield
Park, on January 4.
Castilo Del Diablo also
holds an entry in this weekend's £45,000 Listed coral.co.uk Winter Derby Trial
over 10 furlongs at Lingfield Park
Simcock revealed:
"The coral.co.uk Winter Derby is an option for Castilo Del Diablo and we
will test the water in the trial on Saturday.
"The drop back to 10
furlongs would be a concern because he is not the quickest horse, but he
certainly enjoys the Polytrack.
"You would like to
think there is bit more to come as he is relatively immature horse. We took
headgear off him last time but we will reapply that and I would imagine it will
be the cheekpieces. We will change it as variety seems to be the spice of life
with this horse."
There are some classy
globetrotters among the entries for the coral.co.uk Winter Derby including
Group One Hong Kong Cup seventh Grandeur (Jeremy Noseda) and Mull Of
Killough (Jane Chapple-Hyam), who was last seen running in Australia, where
he took part in two Group Ones, in November.
The eight-year-old
finished down the field in the Group One Cox Plate, but bounced back with two
good efforts in handicaps, including when beaten a length into fourth in the
Group One Emirates Stakes at Flemington.
Chapple-Hyam reported:
"Mull of Killough is in the coral.co.uk Winter Derby and the Godolphin
Mile in Dubai. He has been invited to Dubai and we have accepted, but you never
know what is around the corner in racing and we have the Winter Derby as a
back-up.
"He has wintered
great and put on 33 kilos when he got back from Australia, so I am very
pleased. He has done one piece of work and is gearing up now.
"He held his form
well in Australia, especially in those handicaps under big weights, and he is
always there or thereabouts. He doesn't disappoint.
"You have got to see
what you get invited to in regards to the international races, but we would
love to go to Singapore again and I would not mind a little trip down to
Deauville in August."
The Irish-trained entry
for the coral.co.uk Winter Derby is the 2011 Group One Dewhurst Stakes hero Parish
Hall (Jim Bolger), who landed the Group Three Diamond Stakes on Polytrack
at Dundalk in early October, while Cagnes-Sur-Mer Listed victor Calvin
Williams (Elie Lellouche) and Vodkato (Stephane Wattel) are the two
French-trained entries.
Other notable entries
include the John Gosden-trained pair of Dick Doughtywylie and Gatewood,
who finished first and second in the Listed Coral App Download From The App
Store Quebec Stakes over the course and distance in December, Polytrack
specialist Chookie Royale (Keith Dalgleish) and lightly-raced
four-year-old String Theory (Marco Botti). The full entry list is
detailed below.
Kate Hills, the ARC
Director of PR and Communications, commented: "The coral.co.uk Winter
Derby is a very significant race within the All-Weather Championships and we
are delighted with the quality of the entries for the £100,000 contest, many of
whom will be aiming for All-Weather Championships Finals on Good Friday."
The winner of coral.co.uk
Winter Derby is guaranteed a free start in the £200,000 Coral Easter Classic
over the same course and distance on All-Weather Championships Finals Day, Good
Friday, April 18, at Lingfield Park
No comments:
Post a Comment