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| Staff Writer |
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Azizam produced an eye-catching debut performance at Hamilton on Wednesday, overcoming greenness to secure an impressive maiden victory that has put Royal Ascot firmly on the agenda.
The Kate McGivern-owned son of Havana Grey swept aside his rivals with a commanding two-and-a-half length success under Sam James. Trainer Karl Burke's assistant James Cowley was pleased despite the colt's inexperience showing throughout the contest.
"There was plenty to like about that. Sam said the race didn't go to plan. He did things the wrong way round, was stuck on the wing and ran green, but when he hit the front, he soon clued up and away he went," expressed Cowley .
The victory-maintained Burke's exceptional record with 2YOs this season, with his strike rate now standing at 36 per cent from 33 runners, having saddled 12 winners already.
"He'll come on in leaps and bounds and was learning on the job. There's plenty of improvement to come. He hasn't done anything to really shout 'wow' but you can't knock him. It's the time of year where we're building the Ascot team and it's coming along nicely," Cowley added.
Meanwhile, Sardinian Warrior has enhanced his Royal Ascot credentials following an encouraging performance in the Prix d'Ispahan at ParisLongchamp. John and Thady Gosden's 4YO finished just a length behind Andre Fabre's Sosie, who is now targeting the Coral-Eclipse.
Racing manager Jamie McCalmont, representing owner Marc Chan, believes the nine-furlong distance stretched the gelding's stamina and a return to one mile could unlock further improvement.
"It was a good move to go there. What we learned in doing that was a mile is definitely his trip," McCalmont explained. "The winner is a top-class horse and to be beaten only a length by a horse of that class when we probably ran out of gas, I think it was a lot better run that it looks.
"Normally I have a bit of a meltdown after finishing second as I often think we've been unlucky, but on this occasion, we were unlucky when Andre Fabre supplemented the winner on Thursday – that's when it got unlucky!"
The Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot remain under consideration, with connections monitoring the horse's recovery before making final plans.
"We'll see how he comes out of the race, the Queen Anne is not set in stone at this point but it is very tempting," McCalmont concluded.