In-demand Philippart de Foy looking for notable jumps success
While his future is going to be largely Flat-based as the principal trainer for Amo Racing at Sir Michael Stoute's former yard, he has shown his versatility by winning three in a row with D Day Arvalenreeva, who heads for the Unibet Same Race Multi Summer Handicap Hurdle.
'She's in very good shape, delighted with the filly. She's done very little wrong since switching to handicaps,' said De Foy.
'This race has been a target for a long time and the faster (the ground) the better for her.
'Obviously she's a course and distance winner, it's a big step up in grade, but I couldn't be happier with the way she's going into the race.'
Olly Murphy's Sir Galahad has an even better record, winning four out of four since joining from James Ferguson.
'He's been trained for the race, he needed the extra run to qualify, but he's in good form, looks progressive and he's got an unusual profile,' said Murphy.
'He's on an upward curve and is full of confidence. He's taken to hurdles really well, he's got confidence since taking a hurdle and with a bit of luck, he'll run very well.'
Fergal O'Brien's Castel Gandolfo won the race last year and got back to winning ways over course and distance last month.
'We went more or less the same route. I think he's run in it the last four years so it was always a plan to run it,' said O'Brien.
'We ran him at Bangor and Johnny (Burke, jockey) said 'he's just a totally different horse going right-handed', especially right-handed with a rail, so he said he feels much better at Market Rasen than he does anywhere else. Right-handed around Rasen does suit him.'
O'Brien also runs Oslo off bottom weight, the mount of Liam Harrison.
'Oslo is fine. I'd like him to take a step forward, he's been running very well for us on the Flat, he got brought down at Bangor last year and I'm not sure if he's got over that yet when it comes to jumping hurdles,' he said.
'We'd like to see him to finish off his races a bit better, and if he does, he could be a player as well.
'They are both good, they will try their best and fingers crossed.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
28 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
New Celtic star opens up on being compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic aged just 16 – and how he recovered from early setback
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HE was once tipped as a bigger prospect than a self-proclaimed football god. So Benjamin Nygren could easily have allowed those comparisons with Sweden superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic to keep him awake at night. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of Sweden's best ever players Credit: Getty 3 Benjamin Nygren was compared to Zlatan as a teenager Credit: Getty Instead, the school kid closed his eyes when his head hit the pillow, and started visualising dreams of his own making. The new Celtic midfielder was just 16, and in first team at Gothenburg, when his coach told the world he was more advanced than the legendary Ibra was at the same age. Yet there was never any danger of Nygren's ego getting out of control. He said: 'Yeah, I noticed those stories. But I always just tried to focus on my football. I made my debut at 16, but it wasn't until I was 17 that I started to do well. 'I just started to have focus. When I was younger, I always had big dreams. 'That was to play for the Swedish national team and play in the biggest competitions for both my country and club. 'I have always had that dream. And that's the thing I am chasing every day. 'I am working as hard as I can to go as far as possible. I was at high school at the time of my debut. 'It was a huge thing, of course, but I always had that view in front of me when I was a young kid. I think most kids who play football have the same dream. 'But when I was very young I had a clear view that I wanted to be a professional football player. Shock scenes as Celtic and Ajax fans clash during Como Cup friendly tournament in Italy 'When anyone asked me what I wanted to be I would always say a professional football player. 'They would then say, 'But what if you don't become a football player?'. 'But I would reply, 'I WILL become a football player'. 'I've always had that focus and clear view in front of me and have been working so hard from a young age to fulfil it — I knew I could do it.' Nygren, 24, knows having that same single-mindedness is vital if he's to be successful at Celts. In his opinion, it's impossible to make the grade at the highest level of sport without it. He added: 'I agree. For me, mindset is one of the biggest parts of being in sports in general. That's all sports, including football. 'Maybe at 16 I had a good mental focus. But I have also learned a lot in the eight years since then, and that includes the ups and the downs. 'It's been very healthy. Everyone who is in sports knows how important the mental part is. 'Of course, you need to put in the work also. But focus is really important.' Nygren hasn't had it all his own way. He joined Belgian side Genk for £4.5million after less than 20 top-team appearances for Gothenburg. But things didn't work out as well as he hoped. There was a loan spell in the Netherlands with Heerenveen, before Nordsjaelland snapped him up. It was there that he got back on track, with the Hoops pouncing when they realised he was out of contact at the end of this year and available at a cut-price fee of around £1.7m. Nygren said: 'I have learned a lot through the years. That first time I played in front of a big audience was in Gothenburg when I was 16. 'That's a club which also has a lot of fans and very good fans. I had a really good relationship with them. 'I have played in front of big crowds many times, even though I am still pretty young. I've learned a lot during my years.' Nygren speaks with real confidence. But it's not to be confused with arrogance. It's just like he's got an older head on his young shoulders. Coming to the champions of Scotland doesn't seem to have fazed him in any way. He added: 'It's been very good so far. I've only got very good first impressions of everything, the staff, the players and the whole organisation — as well as the fans. 'It's been easy to settle in, and I've just tried to focus on my thing and showing my qualities and how good I am. 'I always feel confident of bringing that to all of the training sessions as well as the games I play. 'That's something I want to show so it's been really good and I am happy to be here.' Nygren is also close friends with fellow Swedish international Jordan Larsson — the son of a certain Hoops legend Henrik. He said: 'The last time I spoke with Jordan was when we were away with the national team a month ago. 'Of course, I know about his dad — the King of Kings, right? 'I have seen many YouTube clips of him scoring a lot of goals for Celtic. 'I haven't met Henrik, but Jordan is an amazing guy and he is also doing very well in his football career.' Copenhagen striker Larsson has been linked with Celts down the years, mainly because of the family connection. Nygren added: 'Yeah, and it's never too late, you know! 'But that's not my job. That's for the sporting director.' 3 Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Kia Joorabchian removes several horses including ‘spectacular' £4.6million Frankel filly from Ralph Beckett yard
They're going to AMO's No1 trainer instead THEY'RE OFF Kia Joorabchian removes several horses including 'spectacular' £4.6million Frankel filly from Ralph Beckett yard Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KIA JOORABCHIAN has moved several horses away from Ralph Beckett — including the unraced £4.6million Frankel filly named Partying. The AMO Racing chief has shipped a number of his string from Kimpton Down Stables to Freemason Lodge where his new trainer Kevin Philippart De Foy has recently moved. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 New AMO Racing trainer Kevin Philippart de Foy has taken delivery of a number of former Ralph Beckett-trained horses, including a record-setting £4.6million Frankel filly Credit: PA It is the second high-profile move to take place in the sport in a few days after a number of horses, including serial Cheltenham winner Ginny's Destiny, left Paul Nicholls for arch rival Nicky Henderson. Joorabchian has left former Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me with Beckett for now, but has moved on the majority of his horses previously with the Arc-winning handler. De Foy sent out his first runners since his switch to Freemason at Leicester on Wednesday and has also recently received Ghostwriter, who was with Clive Cox. The £2m purchase was red-hot favourite for the Princess Of Wales's Stakes at the Newmarket July meeting earlier this month. But had to be withdrawn after rearing over when being saddled ahead of the 1m4f Group 2 won by Charlie Appleby's El Cordobes. The Belgian trainer recently issued an update on the four-year-old colt, saying: "Everything is fine with Ghostwriter and hopefully he'll be back soon." But it is Partying who is real headline-grabber. She was the most expensive yearling sold in the northern hemisphere last year and is out of the Royal Ascot-winning Shamardal mare Aljazzi. Joorabchian's right-hand man Alex Elliott helped strike the decisive blow at the Tattersalls Book 1 sale last October. And he said at the time: "She's a Frankel filly with that kind of physique from that kind of family. "We've seen Ylang Ylang from the same farm on the same Shamardal cross – we just need history to repeat itself! "I keep saying to people horses will pay you back. "It was a good bit more than we thought we'd have to pay but when Kia and his partners decided that they wanted the filly, they wanted the filly. "She is a spectacular filly, it is a spectacular price, and there's a spectacular bunch of horses here. "I'd like to say I was a cool customer when all that was taking place, but that would be a fib – I have never been in that rarified atmosphere before." De Foy moved to the now-retired Sir Michael Stoute's former base recently after being appointed AMO No1. Speaking of his decision to take on the trainer, who he called a 'perfect fit', football superagent Joorabchian said: "Kevin is a fantastic horseman who understands our goals and shares our ambition. "Having known and worked with him for several years, it makes this transition even smoother. "We know his character fits and our ideas align perfectly. "We believe he's the right person to take the operation to the next level, and we're excited about what's ahead with him leading the team at this historic yard." While De Foy added: "I am deeply honoured to have been entrusted with the responsibility of taking over at Freemason Lodge and training such an exciting string of horses for Amo Racing. "This is a major milestone in my career, and I'm incredibly grateful to Kia and the team for the opportunity. "Amo Racing's investment and ambition in the sport are truly inspiring, and I look forward to playing my part in what I hope will be a very successful journey together." FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Robin Propper finally set to compete Rangers transfer exit
Propper had been heavily involved under Philippe Clement at [[Rangers]] but fell out of the first-team picture after the Belgian boss was dismissed. The centre-back had been heavily linked with a return to Twente, the club he left to join Rangers. Reports last week had revealed a contract stand-off due to his contract terms offered at Twente being less than his Rangers wages. However, as reported by The Rangers Review, the issues have now been resolved, with sources confident the move will go through. Read more: Russell Martin confirmed a transfer offer had been accepted for Propper with the defender set to return to Twente in the near future. It comes after Twente technical director Jan Streuer threatened to move on from Propper unless a deal could be agreed after a protracted process. He said: "All sorts of factors beyond your control (dictate transfers). Just before last season, our captain Robin Propper left at the last minute. "We really missed him. Rangers bought him. A top Scottish club. You can't compete with them. "Now there's a new manager at Rangers, he might play less. Then he might be able to return. "But he'll want to wait and see first if he actually plays less. We have to decide: do we wait for that or do we see what happens next?"
