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| Sumita Pawar |
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On day three of the Boodles July Festival, Julie Camacho, her husband, and assistant trainer Steve Brown are eagerly anticipating Shaquille, their stable star, as he aims to secure another Group One victory in the prestigious July Cup which is part of the QIPCO British Champions Series
The 3YO Charm Spirit colt, is currently regarded as the firm favourite for the US$785,000 six-furlong contest.
Last time out in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, Shaquille secured his stable in Norton, its first Group One success by defeating Little Big Bear by a length and a quarter, despite a slow start.
Shaquille Takes On New Challenge
Speaking on a Zoom call organised by The Jockey Club today, Julie Camacho said, “Shaquille seems to be in great form and has come out of Royal Ascot well. We turned him out for three or four days and he started to get a bit fresh. He cantered on the Wednesday after Royal Ascot and he did a nice piece of work last Saturday and everything seems to be good.”
Steve Brown added, “He will have a final check over today as Wednesday is vets’ and physios’ day but he looks in great shape and we’re very happy with him. I think he looks physically better than he did at Ascot – he has strengthened again.”
Brown is not overly worried about Saturday's contest being the first time Shaquille takes on older horses.
He continued, “I wouldn’t say it’s a concern and it’s the next logical step for him to take on older horses. Obviously, he gets an allowance and is a big, strong colt. Physically, for all he will be probably be a nicer horse next year, he is a big strong fella who holds condition well.
“We are relaxed about it. At home, we felt this was the next step after Ascot and we’ll see how it all works out.”
Having a first Group One winner has filled the yard with immense pride, and being the favourite for the Pertemps Network July Cup adds a certain level of pressure, but it is a favourable position to be in, according to Brown.
He said, “It’s a great feeling. Jules was saying yesterday when we were coming down to Newmarket how many good wishes we’ve had since Royal Ascot and how pleased people are for us as we are a small to medium-sized training operation. People have been so kind and that’s been such a nice surprise.
“What a lovely position to be and what a great position to be in – to have a favourite for a Group One race.
“To win any Group One is amazing and the July Cup carries a lot of heritage and history with it. Some great horses have won it in the past, have gone on to make good stallions. The main thing for us is to get him there in A1 so he can be at his absolute best.
“We love it when these good horses show up and show their best – I think the Eclipse last Saturday was the best four-runner race I’ve seen in my life, it was fantastic. It’s exciting and we are still at the stage of what could and what might be with this horse.”
The identity of Shaquille's jockey is still uncertain, but it is not a matter of great concern for the connections.
Brown continued, “There has been lots of interest from people interested in riding him! We are obviously waiting to see who is available. Oisin (Murphy) wasn’t booked until 9.50am on Thursday morning when he won on him at Royal Ascot and Martin (Hughes, joint-owner alongside Michael Kerr-Dineen) is quite relaxed about waiting until Thursday morning and seeing who is available.
“Martin used to have horses based in the south in the past and has dealt with a lot of jockeys, so he said we’ll have a conversation on Thursday morning after we have seen who has been declared. It has always been a bit of a topic of conversation with this horse as he has run seven times and had four different jockeys but the guys have managed that well and hopefully it will be the same on Saturday.”
Brown believes that Shaquille's slow start in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot was an isolated incident and that there were mitigating factors involved.
He concluded, “Ascot was the first time he has started slowly in his life. He was first to load and had been sitting there a long time so got a little bit impatient. When he jumped out slowly he lost ground but the way the race was run at Ascot it worked out. The way I think the race will be run on Saturday, you might to race quite handily and he doesn’t want to be missing the break. He can lead if he has to and is a real six-and-a-half-furlong horse who really lengthens well.”