Kieran Shoemark eager to seize Almaqam opportunity
That form has been franked by the length-and-three-quarter second Ombudsman, who has subsequently landed the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot and narrowly went down by a neck in the Eclipse.
🥊 Almaqam vs Ombudsman!
Classy performance from Almaqam to land the G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes @edwalkerracing | @oismurphy | @Sandownpark | @StarSports_Bet pic.twitter.com/4IZPZgd8xq
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 29, 2025
Almaqam is the odds-on market leader for the Group Two contest and Shoemark is thrilled to have the opportunity on a horse he describes as the 'real deal'.
'I'm really looking forward to riding him and I thought he was really good the last time we saw him at Sandown,' he said.
'I know it's been a little while since we've seen him, but that has solely been down to the drying ground and it looks like he should get some easier conditions on Saturday and it's great to get the ride on him.
'He looks very exciting and we all know the form of Ombudsman has stacked up well, so he looks the real deal this year.
'I got the call to ride Almaqam in the Prix d'Ispahan, but there were a few complications as I received a suspension for my ride on Luther in the French 2000 Guineas.
'Ed was umming and ahhing over whether to run Almaqam in that and when Sosie was declared he decided not to and headed to Sandown, where I was suspended so I couldn't ride and Oisin (Murphy) picked up the ride. He's not available this time as he's riding in the King George so things have worked out and it's good to finally be united with him and hope things go well on Saturday.
'He's the best horse at Ed's and I've been riding a lot for Ed and riding winners and when you build up that association, you always want to be riding the better horses in the yard.
'I had a breeze on him the other morning and he felt great. He's extremely uncomplicated and you can see that in his way of racing and he looks very straightforward and it's really exciting.'
Bay City Roller hopes to make a breakthrough as a three-year-old after two runner-up finishes in the Heron Stakes at Sandown and Prix Eugene Adam at Saint-Cloud this season.
George Scott is excited by the New Bay colt, who capped an unbeaten juvenile campaign with victory in the Champagne Stakes on St Leger day, and admitted his training ultimately forced his hand to move forward at the Knavesmire.
'I feel like he deserves to run in this race and I have been conscious to not run him with firm in the going description,' the Eve Lodge Stables trainer said.
'But I now feel like if we don't take our chance on good ground, then we could end up not running all summer.
'He really has had an amazing preparation for this race and there really will be no excuses for him.
'We will give him some leeway as it is his first time against older horses and only second start at a mile and a quarter. You would expect he has got another 18 months running in these races against these types of horses and I'm sure he's bound to acclimatise as he gets older and stronger.
'But in terms of how you want a horse to train, he's been training perfectly and has given me no negative signs, so we're looking forward to it.
'It will be fascinating to see him up against the horses representing the English and Irish Derby form and see where he lies amongst the Classic generation.
'Obviously then as well there is this wonderful older horse in Almaqam at the head of the market, who is arguably one of the best older horses in Europe, so we're cautiously optimistic and it's going to be really interesting.'
Stanhope Gardens, fifth in the English Derby, lines up for Ralph Beckett, while Jessica Harrington has decided to head to York instead of the King George at Ascot with Green Impact, who was sixth in both the 2000 Guineas and Irish Derby.
The Jack Channon-trained Certain Lad has course and distance credentials, Royal Champion goes for Karl Burke and Richard Fahey's Ecureuil Secret completes the seven-runner field.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
14 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Zavateri defies penalty with Vintage performance
A surprise winner of the July Stakes at Newmarket, he was still a fairly generous 8-1 for this Group Two affair, mainly due to the fact he was carrying 3lb more than such promising types as Humidity and Dorset. Charlie Bishop still had five in front of him with two furlongs to run, but when the gap came he shot through it and while immediately challenged by John and Thady Gosden's Morris Dancer, he stuck his neck out and had his head in the right place on the line. The Ed Walker-trained Do Or Do Not placed yet again in third. 'After Newmarket I didn't know where to go because when you have a 3lb penalty it's damn hard,' said Johnson Houghton. 'It was either come here or wait until Doncaster, but so glad we did. He had to win his race twice after cutting through them like a knife through butter. 'I put him in the Mill Reef this morning, but that's out of the question now as we will head for the Dewhurst with the Jean-Luc Lagardere as a back up. 'He's never had to tough it out at home, but he did today. What a dude he is, just a lovely, lovely horse. 'Dad (Fulke Johnson Houghton) trained (2002 Dewhurst winner) Tout Seul when I was around, and he was brilliant, but this one would be better, I think. There's nowhere to go now before the Dewhurst so we'll have to wait for that.' Bishop added: 'It's a massive performance with a penalty. We're getting closer, step by step (to thinking about the 2000 Guineas), I don't know how much more racing he'll have this year but the Dewhurst will be where we work back from, after that then I think we can talk about the Guineas. He's seen the seven out extremely well today, headed and rallied and was strong at the line.'
Rhyl Journal
14 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Galaxy gets Goodwood Eyecatcher honours
Trained by David Menuisier, Goodwood Galaxy was a relatively cheap purchase at 45,000 guineas as a yearling but hails from the family of last year's Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel and had made a winning debut at Salisbury late last month. Swiftly hiked to Group Two company, Goodwood Galaxy was last approaching the final furlong but stayed on with real purpose to beaten just over two lengths by winner Zavateri, offering plenty of hope for the future at this seven-furlong trip and beyond.
Leader Live
14 hours ago
- Leader Live
Cercene taking distance test in Nassau Stakes
The experienced Irish handler has always thought of his star performer as a stayer in the making, but having excelled at a mile has so far been kept to no further than eight furlongs. However, after Cercene's thrilling victory at the Royal meeting, Murphy now scratches his long-held itch to move up in distance, where he is confident the daughter of Australia can hold her own once more in elite company. 'We were very happy with her since her last run and we'll find out how we get on up in trip, so it will be a learning curve,' said Murphy. 'She's so relaxed, we always thought she would be a mile-and-a-half filly but she proved us wrong by being so good at a mile. We've options we could try over those distances before the season ends, so we're looking forward to running and we're fortunate we have her. 'We have her in the Matron Stakes just in case she doesn't get the trip, but if she does it opens up more options for us and I do think she will stay. 'This is another test and another Group One. She's been third in a Guineas and won at Royal Ascot so she deserves to take her chance and plenty will be revealed by Friday.' If Cercene is to add a second Group One to her resume, she will have to crack the Ballydoyle duo of Whirl and Bedtime Story who will bid to give Aidan O'Brien a sixth victory in the 10-furlong feature, having also taken home the spoils with Opera Singer 12 months ago. Bedtime Story showed the ability that made her such an exciting juvenile last term when second in the French Oaks last month. However, it is Oaks runner-up Whirl who will carry chief Coolmore hopes having downed Andrew Balding's subsequent King George second Kalpana in tremendous fashion to claim the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. 'She's a very straightforward, honest filly, she's so uncomplicated it's not funny,' said O'Brien. 'It was the obvious race for her and it isn't over facing her, it's baby steps her way and that's why she's coming here. We've been very happy with her since the Pretty Polly.' Balding takes another crack at Whirl, this time with See The Fire, who was thwarted by a neck in this race last year and reverts to competing against her own sex after a fine third behind Ombudsman in the Prince of Wales's Stakes. 'She has started this year in fabulous form and was very impressive in the Middleton, winning a Group Two in easy fashion. And then we thought she ran a super race at Ascot against the boys in the Prince of Wales's Stakes,' said Balding, ahead of a race that guarantees a spot in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar. 'As a three-year-old we didn't see the best of her until we got to the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood where she was narrowly beaten. Then she went on and won the Strensall Stakes against older colts at York. 'There is evidence to suggest she is improving all the time, and she certainly looks to have done physically. She is an exciting filly, and hopefully the best is to come.' John and Thady Gosden's five-time scorer Running Lion completes the line-up, running at this distance for just the second time since her second in last October's Prix de l'Opera.
