Desert Hero, who generated huge interest last season with his Royal Ascot win and St Leger third for King Charles and Queen Camilla, is being primed for another Royal Ascot challenge in June.
The William Haggas-trained son of Sea The Stars has been gelded over the winter, meaning he will carry the royal colours in a potential globetrotting career for the foreseeable future rather than be considered for stud duties.
Haggas said: ‘The King is looking to run him for a while and he should be a very handy horse for them. We took a long-term view and gelded him and I think it has done him good. He was never really flush last year but he has matured a lot. He seems to be a strong horse.
‘We are planning the first half of the season around the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. He will run once or twice before but I don’t know where yet.’
After the St Leger run of Desert Hero, who added the Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood to his win in Royal Ascot’s King George V Stakes, there was talk of a Melbourne Cup challenge and Haggas said a run in Australia is still likely.
Desert Hero, who generated huge interest last season with his Royal Ascot win and St Leger third for King Charles and Queen Camilla, is being primed for another Royal Ascot challenge
King Charles (right) and Queen Camilla (left) cheering on day three of Royal Ascot last year
Haggas, who has enjoyed significant success at the Sydney Carnival staged at this time of year, added: ‘It is very possible Desert Hero will go to Australia at some stage. Whether that is Melbourne in autumn or Sydney at this time next year I don’t know. We have a ‘have horse, will travel’ attitude.’
Haggas is a awaiting the arrival in his Newmarket stable of a two-year-old sister to Desert Hero by Fastnet Rock.
The trainer said: ‘She is a big filly in pre-training. She is coming but is not here yet.’
Haggas runs Montassib in the Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster today, one of a big team of older horses. They include Wiltshire, bought from the Freddie and Martyn Meade stable for 92,000gns last season. He will start with a run in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury.
Haggas said: ‘Our son Sam was very keen on us buying him — he does it for a living. He has been gelded as well and has done well. Six furlongs is the right trip for him and we would like to prepare him for the Wokingham Stakes (at Royal Ascot).’
William Haggas (pictured above) is a awaiting the arrival in his Newmarket stable of a two-year-old sister to Desert Hero by Fastnet Rock
NEXT CHAPTER TO TROY STORY AND APPLEBY’S BIG PLANS…
Unbeaten City of Troy could take in US Dirt races after he attempts to win the 2,000 Guineas and Derby, according to trainer Aidan O’Brien.
The brilliant winner of Newmarket’s Dewhurst Stakes was given a rating of 125 after his juvenile season by a team of international handicappers, 1lb less than the mighty Frankel at the same stage of his career.
Paddy Power make City of Troy the 4-6 favourite for the 2,000 Guineas and 7-4 favourite for the Derby. But with his sire being US Triple Crown winner Justify, options are open to him across the Atlantic.
O’Brien said: ‘The plan is to go straight to the Guineas. If that went well, then he could go for the Derby, and if that went well, there’s a chance he could go to Saratoga for a dirt race, the Travers Stakes. It will be interesting.’
O’Brien has a busy early season lined up for his dual Derby and Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Auguste Rodin starting in the Dubai Sheema next Saturday. That will be followed by the Tattersalls Gold Cup closer to home at the Curragh on May 26 before the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he faces a clash with Roger Varian’s Champion Stakes winner King of Steel.
Unbeaten City of Troy could take in US Dirt races after he attempts to win the 2,000 Guineas and Derby, according to trainer Aidan O’Brien
RICHARD HANNON hopes to get a prep run into his 2,000 Guineas hope Rosallion but it depends on ground conditions. The son of Blue Point is 7-1 second favourite.
Rosallion, who has yet to race beyond seven furlongs, won last season’s Prix Jean-Luc Legardere but suffered his only defeat on soft ground in Doncaster’s Champagne Stakes.
Hannon said: ‘I will see what the ground is like. Normally mine need a race beforehand. There are only two weeks between the trials and the Guineas but there was only two weeks between Doncaster and the Legardere.
‘I am very happy with him. He has grown and done extremely well. The mile doesn’t worry me — he is very relaxed.’
MICK APPLEBY-trained Big Evs has been ruled out of the six furlong Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, with his team keen to stick to five furlongs with the speedster for the time being.
Appleby said: ‘He will stick to five furlongs to start and will get an entry for the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.’
Big Evs finished last season with victory in the Grade One Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and that meeting is in Appleby’s sights again.
The trainer said: ‘Last year he was working well with the good horses like Annaf and Raasel and holding his own against them as a two-year-old. He will still have the speed of last year and if he has strengthened up could be even better.
‘If he progresses again, then that Breeders’ Cup at the end of the season would again be the plan.’
After wins in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia this winter which took his career earnings to £1.7million, Richard Fahey’s Spirit Dancer, owned and bred by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, will chase the $3.5m first prize in the Sheema Classic next Saturday.
WILL IT BE WILLIAM THE THIRD AFTER JOCKEY SHAKE-UP?
William Buick is odds-on favourite to win his third champion jockey title but there looks to be a serious rival on his tail in Rossa Ryan.
Buick rode 135 winners in 2023 during the championship season between 2,000 Guineas day at Newmarket in May to British Champions day at Ascot in October but Ryan rode the most winners during the calendar year, reaching the double century for the first time as he ended with 202.
There has been quite a merry-go-round in the Weighing Room over the close season. Following Frankie Dettori’s switch to the US, Kieran Shoemark has effectively been riding as No 1 jockey for the John and Thady Gosden stable. He will partner Emily Upjohn in the Sheema Classic at next Saturday’s Dubai World Cup meeting.
After nine years with Godolphin, James Doyle is now the retained jockey for Qatari-owned Wathnan Racing.
William Buick (pictured above) is odds-on favourite to win his third champion jockey title but there looks to be a serious rival on his tail in Rossa Ryan
Doyle will also ride for Roger Varian, whose Newmarket stable star King of Steel will be the mount of David Egan after his appointment as No 1 jockey to owners Amo Racing.
Three-time champion Silvestre De Sousa, back on board his 2022 winner Johan in today’s renewal of the Lincoln Handicap, has returned in Britain as a freelance after an unhappy stint in Hong Kong which ended with a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules.
Rhys Clutterbuck has been appointed stable jockey to the expanding Dylan Cunha Newmarket stable. He has two rides for his boss at Doncaster — Zminiature (1.50), Dirtyoldtown (2.25).
