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Racing News |
Kite Wood on Target for St Leger
07/09/09
Simon Crisford, the Godolphin racing manager, talked about Kite Wood, the 5/2 joint favourite, and 16/1 chance Mastery at the Ladbrokes St Leger media event at the Landmark Hotel in London today.
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“I think next year he will be better than this year but he is developing into a really strong, powerful galloper - we haven’t seen any gears yet and hopefully on Saturday we might see some.
“I think the ground will work against him and I don’t think he will be the favourite on Saturday. He is a much better horse with some cut in the ground. He was a big baby last year and this year certainly when he ran in the Derby he washed out. His last two starts have been good but he still has a long way to go.
“I think he deserves to be favourite, but I wouldn’t be backing him at the price. He is not a 2/1 chance. I will be disappointed if he is not in the frame - he is a really nice horse.
“Mastery is a really tough and solid contender and he is at a backable each-way price. He is not as good as Kite Wood but gives his best every time and he will love that fast ground.
“The Italian Derby he won was not a great race. His third in the Grand Prix de Paris was rock solid but I took a view that it was a substandard Grand Prix de Paris.
“He is going to need to do better than that. The Ladbrokes St Leger is one of the great races of the season - it is the oldest Classic. It is definitely one of the highlights of the year and it would mean a lot to us to win it for a fifth time. We have not won a British Classic since Rule Of Law won the 2004 Ladbrokes St Leger.
Lord Grimthorpe, racing manager for Father Time’s owner Khalid Abdulla, said: “Henry (Cecil) has won the Ladbrokes St Leger four times and is the greatest Classic trainer of his generation.
“Father Time has actually blossomed since his third in the Ladbrokes Great Voltigeur Stakes. He has done really well and I looked at him the other day and he looks as well as he has ever been. He has come on and done everything right since his last race.
“We decided not to supplement Manifest because he has no experience outside maidens and we will give him a bit more time and experience.
“Henry has always been positive about the Ladbrokes St Leger for Father Time who travelled and quickened well to win a fast-run race at Royal Ascot which was pretty exciting - we know the calibre of horse he can beat. Obviously, we are going into unknown territory with the extra couple of furlongs but Father Time is in good nick.
“If you are an owner-breeder like Prince Khalid, Classic racing is the one area in which you are looking to achieve stallions. We have had Dansili, Father Time’s sire, and Passage Of Time, Father Time’s sister, so we know the family well.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien, interviewed over the phone, believes that both Age Of Aquarius, who was promoted to 5/2 joint-favouritism for Saturday’s race with Ladbrokes, and 5/1 chance Changingoftheguard will be suited by the likely ground in Saturday’s race.
“Age Of Aquarius handles fast ground well, has a high cruising speed and we think should get a mile and a half-plus well. We’ve been looking forward to the race since he ran at Longchamp,” said O’Brien. “As everyone saw he ran in the Epsom Derby after Lingfield and then had had a break before he went to Longchamp for the mile and a half race. We always thought he was a horse that would be suited by the Leger from a little while back.
“Changingoftheguard ran a real good race in the Ebor. He was a horse we liked earlier in the year but he disappointed when he got beaten in a maiden at Chester and then one at the Curragh and I suppose for one reason or another he ended up a lower-rated horse than we thought he was. He went to a handicap at Down Royal and won nicely and then he thought he would have a good chance in the Ebor off his mark.
“But at York, he reared in the stalls and ended up further back than Johnny (Murtagh) wanted. The pace was slow and Johnny had to bide his time and weave his way through a whole bunch of horses to come second and just got beat.
“He came out of York very well and we think that he’s progressing. If the ground is nice we would hope he’ll run a real good race.
“Age Of Aquarius has gone forward with every run and is not as exposed as Changingoftheguard, who has been running in handicaps. He will love a big galloping track and faster ground. The two of them want good or faster ground.
“We have also left in Von Jawlensky, who is most likely to go to the Curragh, and Rockhampton, who could run in the Ladbrokes St Leger if we need him. What everybody wants is a nice good pace to make it fair for everyone and in an ideal world we wouldn’t want to have to run pacemakers.
“Johnny (Murtagh) has not decided yet whether he’ll be riding at Doncaster or the Curragh. The National Stakes is on at the Curragh the same afternoon and the DFS Champagne Stakes, in which we could run Viscount Nelson, is also at Doncaster so we will just have to see.”
Trainer John Oxx, who won Saturday’s Tattersalls Millions Champion Stakes at the Curragh with Sea The Stars, is all set to bid for another big-race success a week on with Mourayan set to line up in the Ladbrokes St Leger.
“The ground has been a bit fast on a couple of occasions for Mourayan, including in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial. At least he will be better able to deal with it, if the ground is on the fast side on Saturday,” said Oxx in a telephone interview.
“He’s been very consistent and we want to run him because I think it’s the race for him and it would take a fair bit to stop him taking part on Saturday.
“He’s not an impressive home worker but his work has been consistently good by his standards recently and he looks really well in his coat and he’s in as good form as he’s been all year, probably better. The plan has always been to run him in the Ladbrokes St Leger.
“It’s the obvious race for him and I always thought through the winter that he’d be placed in the Derby and then go on and be a Leger horse. He was just lacking the gears for the Derby but, although he hasn’t tried the trip, he should stay and he’s a tough horse.
“On his latest start, he was beaten at Leopardstown by a good filly in Profound Beauty, who I think has been a bit under-rated. He’s come forward for the run and I’m hopeful that he should run a good race.
“It will be a couple of days before Mick (Kinane) decides whether he’ll ride at Doncaster or the Curragh the same day. It’s a 50-50 call and if Mick doesn’t come over I’d think Fran Berry will ride. He was going to ride the horse in the Irish Derby until Mick became free when Sea The Stars didn’t run.”
Local owner Jack Hanson, who was represented in the 2006 Ladbrokes St Leger by runner-up The Last Drop and the 2007 race by seventh-placed Celestial Halo, is likely to have his colours carried this year by Above Average, a 100/1 chance.
Charlie Hills, assistant to his trainer father Barry, admits the High Chaparral colt will have to show improvement on Saturday.
“He has to turn some form around from this year’s previous runs including with Kite Wood at Newmarket’s July Meeting,” said Hills. “He should definitely stay well but we would like to see some rain. He seems very well at home, he’s working well and his owner Jack Hanson is keen to run so we look forward to seeing him run.”
