Burdett Road to test Gold Cup claims at Sandown
Owen said: 'We're 100 per cent looking forward to seeing him back on the Flat and he comes off a great season over hurdles.
'We've given him a little bit of a freshen up, his work has been good and he's fit and raring to go. He's got a Gold Cup entry at Royal Ascot and this will be his trial.'
Burdett Road has won at Royal Ascot in the past (David Davies/PA)
There was a change to the Gold Cup picture when Coolmore announced the retirement of Aidan O'Brien's dual winner Kyprios on Tuesday, but Owen retains plenty of respect for the division as he looks forward to an exciting spell on the level with his admirable five-year-old.
Owen added: 'The Gold Cup has opened up a little bit but will still be a very competitive race and that is the aim. Hopefully a good run tomorrow and then we can bounce into the Gold Cup.
'He's a horse we can hopefully travel with later in the season if he clicks back on the Flat. He looks to have matured a lot and we hope he can run a big race.'
Also looking to put himself in the Gold Cup equation is John and Thady Gosden's Trawlerman, who has a fine record at Ascot and was only a length adrift of Kyprios when second in last year's Gold Cup.
He finished fifth in the Dubai Gold Cup in April and his training team hope this outing will have him fully primed for his main assignment next month.
Trawlerman (right) has been a standing dish in tip staying contests (John Walton/PA)
'He ran a solid enough race over in Dubai and he has come back from that very well,' said Thady Gosden.
'He has obviously had a little freshen up since then and he is going here ahead of a trip to the Royal meeting.
'It makes sense to give him one run before Ascot as it will sharpen him up and it will bring him on in terms of fitness as well. Hopefully he can run a nice race and go back to the Ascot Gold Cup in good order.'
Al Nayyir was further behind Trawlerman in eighth in Dubai but trainer Tom Clover is inclined to put a line through that performance as he makes his first British start of the campaign.
Clover said: 'It didn't really happen for him in Dubai, they went no gallop that evening and he over-raced and couldn't make up ground off a slow pace.
Al Nayyir is one of Tom Clover's stable stars (Mike Egerton/PA)
'I think it's only fair to put a line through that and he's come back and is looking well and training nicely.
'We're taking on some nice horses and you can make a case for any of them and you'd love to think he's up to winning at this level. We're looking forward to getting him out.'
Al Nayyir is another with a ticket to the Gold Cup waiting to be stamped, but his handler is minded to take one step at a time despite having already contemplated his charge's suitability for an extra half-mile at Ascot.
Clover added: 'We'll get Sandown out of the way first and if he goes well, then we can think about the Gold Cup afterwards.
'If he goes well here we'd have to have a serious think about it and I would love to see him racing over a distance. If you take out his runs in the Middle East this winter, last year he was very strong at the line and my feeling is he is a horse who would stay well.
'It would be lovely if we do get to the stage we can think about the Gold Cup and although the extra half-mile would be an unknown, he has certainly been strong at the finish in his races and it would be interesting to see.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Max Verstappen issues fresh statement amid backlash over actions at Spanish GP
Max Verstappen has admitted he was wrong to slam into George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix. In the latter stages of the race, the Dutchman lost his temper and appeared to deliberately hit into the Mercedes of his British rival. When asked after the race if he had done it on purpose, Verstappen was unapologetic and simply replied: "Does it matter?". But now, having slept on it, the Red Bull racer has taken to social media to admit that he crossed a line – though he did not apologise. He wrote: "We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, until the safety car came out. Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened. "I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you in Montreal." Verstappen had been angered after a safety car restart with six laps to go, when he felt two other drivers initiated contact with his Red Bull. One of them was Charles Leclerc and the other was Russell, who the Dutchman felt had forced him off at turn one. Shortly after, Verstappen was advised by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to cede his place to Russell, Red Bull clearly worried that their driver had left the track and gained an advantage by staying in front of the Mercedes. That prompted a furious response over the radio from the four-time Formula 1 champion. He then slowed down and appeared to be complying with that request, until he then suddenly sped up again and banged wheel with Russell's Mercedes. The stewards were unimpressed and, though they did not disqualify Verstappen as Nico Rosberg wanted, they handed him a 10-second time penalty which dropped him to 10th place in the final classification. That meant he scored just one point and lost significant ground to rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the title race. Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky's new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192. As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+. Perhaps even more pertinently, three more penalty points were placed on his racing licence. He now has a tally of 11, meaning one more before any of his current points expire – two of them will become void at the end of June, after the next two races – will incur an automatic race ban.
Leader Live
9 hours ago
- Leader Live
Slow start costs Kind Of Blue at Chantilly
The Wathnan Racing-owned Group One-winner was sent off favourite on seasonal bow in the five-furlong heat, but he lost any chance of taking a hand in the finish as he was unsettled in the stalls before losing significant ground to his rivals when the gates opened. James Doyle's mount was eventually beaten a total of six lengths by the winner Monteille, finishing last of the nine contenders, but Fanshawe tried to take the positives out of a somewhat disappointing trip to France. Disaster for Kind Of Blue who trails in last on his reappearance… Monteille capitalises on his misfortune to land the Group Three Prix du Gros-Chene at Chantilly! 🇫🇷 — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 1, 2025 He said: 'It wasn't the plan and he just completely missed the break. 'Looking at it from a positive angle, he's been out, had a run and blown the cobwebs away. All being well, we'll go to Ascot. 'It wasn't ideal but at least he's got a run under his belt. We'll make sure it doesn't happen again.' Kind Of Blue was left unchanged by Coral at 7-1 for his mooted Royal Ascot target of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. Monteille was making just her second start for trainer Mario Baratti and showed a tremendous attitude to finish strongly off the quick fractions set by eventual third, the Czech speedball Ponntos. The winner finished sixth to new Wathnan recruit Lazzat on her return and having enjoyed the drop back to five furlongs, she could now have a trip to the Royal meeting on her agenda having been trimmed to 25-1 from 80s by Coral for the King Charles III Stakes. 'She was very unlucky in the Petit Couvert where she never saw daylight and would have been in the first three and might have won,' said John Hammond, racing manager for winning owner Gerard Augustin-Normand. 'She was over the top last autumn and needed her first run back. She looks like a filly that is coming to herself and has a good shape about her. 'She is in the King's Stand at Ascot (King Charles III) so it is now a possibility, let's see.'
Metro
10 hours ago
- Metro
Reason Gary Lineker's final interview with Mohamed Salah was 'scrapped' revealed
Gary Lineker's interview with Mohamed Salah was due to air after his BBC exit (Picture: PA) The alleged reason for Gary Lineker's final blow from the BBC ahead of his exit has been revealed. Lineker, 64, bowed out of presenting Match of the Day last month after 26 years at the helm. It was initially claimed that the sports pundit was due to interview Liverpool star Mohamed Salah before his exit, but the BBC has scotched reports that the reason they put a stop to the interview was because they feared discussions would turn political. The broadcaster has now made it clear that 'the only reason' the interview was cancelled was because of when it was due to air. A source allegedly told The Sun: 'The plan was for the interview to be shown across the BBC the weekend of Gary's final Match of the Day. 'That would include on Football Focus the day before, as well as online and on social media.' Last month, Lineker signed off from hosting Match of the Day after 26 years (Picture: Nick Potts/PA Wire) But 'out of nowhere, it got cancelled' by Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski, who took over the role from Barbara Slater last April. 'Some people think they didn't want Gary and Mo to talk about Gaza,' said the source. 'Salah has spoken out in his support for Palestinians living in Gaza, and Gary has made his feelings clear too.' Bosses reportedly feared the ongoing war would 'come up naturally in conversation'. Consequently, the BBC preferred to 'axe' the interview rather than 'risk possible editorial issues'. 'They'd only just overcome one storm, so to face another would have been a nightmare.' It's reported there is 'no love lost' between the pundit and the BBC's Director of Sport (Picture: Ash Knotek/Shutterstock for AWEu) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page But when contacted for comment, a BBC spokesperson told Metro that the interview was actually scrapped for a different reason. 'The only reason the interview was cancelled was because it was planned to air after Gary's last match of the day, and it would be wrong to suggest anything else,' they said. It comes after a source also previously told The Sun that Lineker was 'well-liked' among his co-stars ahead of his departure. Lineker's final MOTD aired last Sunday, which he fronted alongside pundits Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, with whom he also presents the Rest Is Football podcast. He announced his departure from the BBC following a row after he shared a post about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult. Lineker, the BBC's highest-paid presenter on a £1.4million salary, issued an unreserved apology over the Instagram Story, as it was confirmed he would leave his presenting role at the Beeb early and would no longer front coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season's FA Cup. Lineker fought back tears in his final MOTD sign-off (Picture: PA/BBC) 'On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references,' he said in a statement at the time. 'I very much regret these references. 'I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.' Lineker deleted the post 'as soon as [he] became aware of the issue.' In his final sign-off from the highlights show, he struggled to speak through tears. Lineker described his time on the programme as 'utterly joyous' as he thanked his co-stars and those working behind the scenes. 'Let me take this opportunity to thank all of the other pundits I've had the pleasure of working with over the last 25 years. You've made my job so much easier,' he began. The footie icon said it was a 'privilege' to front the highlights show for so long (Picture: Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images) Lineker continued: 'Also, a huge thank you to those you don't see at home. The work that goes into making this iconic show is a huge team effort, from the editors to the analysis team to the commentators to the producers to the floor managers to the camera operators to the PAs to the subs. Thank you, all. You're the very best. 'Rather like my football career, everyone else did all the hard work, and I got applauded. 'It's been an absolute privilege to have hosted Match of the Day for a quarter of a century; it's been utterly joyous.' Reflecting on his final show afterwards on his podcast, Lineker admitted he 'struggled' to 'keep it together' when a montage of his career highlights was shown. Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates, and Mark Chapman will replace the Leicester-born star and share the presenting role from the next Premier League season, with Lineker wishing them 'all the very best when they sit in this chair'. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. Arrow MORE: Race Across the World star dies in car crash aged 24 Arrow MORE: When is the Ballon d'Or 2025 and what are the odds on the winner? Arrow MORE: Doctor Who fans notice glaring issue with Billie Piper's shock return
