 |
|
| Sumita Pawar |
 |
Owing to the fast ground at Ascot, Hukum skipped the Royal meeting in favour of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
As the ground became firmer throughout the week, trainer Owen Burrows made the decision to pull Sandown's Brigadier Gerard champion out of the Hardwicke Stakes.
Although last year's King George hero Pyledriver won the race, connections decided not to take the risk with Hukum. Nonetheless, Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold is eager to compete against the Hardwicke winner in the 12-furlong.
Hukum's King George Quest
“Hukum will run if and when we get some rain,” said Gold. “It was a touch-and-go situation yesterday.
“We were longing to run him, but Owen just felt in the end that while we could run him and he could win it, he might come back a bit sore after it and we’d all look silly.
“We kept him in training and spent a lot of time getting him right again after his injury last year and he just felt it was too big a risk. It is frustrating but sensible.
“Very much the idea is King George. If the ground was good or even if it was good to firm, we might have to take a chance. That’s the big day. We will see how we are going nearer the time.”
Burrows is preparing his Prix d’Ispahan champion Anmaat for the Coral Eclipse next Saturday, but he has decided to skip the race with Prince of Wales's Stakes victor Mostahdaf.
Gold said, “We had a winner which was a very important winner. Touch wood, Mostahdaf has come out of it very well. I spoke to John Gosden yesterday and he says he is bouncing.
“John is absolutely right and said that we know this horse is good fresh. He has run plenty of horses back two weeks later, thinking you have had plenty of time, and they come out and run flat.
“Particularly as we have done that with Al Asifah, I think we will be sitting still with Mostahdaf and hopefully get him to York in the same form in August.”
He added, “The Eclipse is off the cards for Mostahdaf. We still have Anmaat in, ground permitting. Hopefully, we will go there with him if he’s in good form and conditions look suitable.”
Al Asifah Falls Short At Ascot
Al Asifah, a talented three-year-old filly who won her first two races, including a Listed 10-furlong event at Goodwood recently, will not be racing after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Ribblesdale Stakes on Thursday.
Despite being supplemented for the Group Two race, which was her first attempt over 12 furlongs, and racing wide, Al Asifah failed to respond when jockey Jim Crowley urged her on.
Gold said, “Everyone has different opinions on Al Asifah, but she was just flat to me.
“Jim said he was never really happy with her, never really comfortable. I see all the experts saying she didn’t stay – she wouldn’t have won at a mile and a quarter.
“I don’t care what anybody says, at Goodwood she ran right through the line and here she was struggling from two out.
“She had only had two runs before, but she was just a bit more on her toes before. It was only 11 days after her previous run and everything has happened quite quickly for her. It could be a combination of things, but for me, she didn’t run her race.
“When you see how she picked up and ran through the line at Goodwood, she didn’t pick up and run anywhere at Ascot. It was fairly obvious it wasn’t the same run.
“We’ll give her a break now and get her back in the autumn. I still think she will be a very nice filly. We haven’t even discussed targets. We will give her some gentle downtime, three weeks or so, then bring her back and take it from there.”