Pride of Arras team 'entitled to keep dreaming' as second derby date looms
Pride Of Arras could continue David and Vimy Aykroyd's brilliant summer when he bids for Classic redemption in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday.
The Yorkshire-based owner-breeders have been making their presence felt this term, with Pride Of Arras claiming the Dante to ignite Derby dreams in May, while Amiloc maintained his unbeaten record in style to give connections a day to remember at Royal Ascot.
Trained by Ralph Beckett, Pride Of Arras may have subsequently disappointed when sent off at 4-1 at Epsom following his Knavesmire heroics, but his team are refusing to be downbeat ahead of a trip to Ireland this weekend and a second shot at Classic glory for the talented son of New Bay.
"He's come out of Epsom well, we're just still scratching our heads why he ran so badly," explained Patrick Cooper, the Akyroyd's racing manager and also the nephew of David Aykroyd.
"It's a bit of a mystery, he obviously didn't handle the hill and Rossa (Ryan, jockey) was easy on him once he knew he couldn't participate in the finish, but we still don't know truly what went wrong, so we can go to the Curragh and hopefully find out more there.
"We have to take the defeat and the kicking when you get one and it is just one race, albeit perhaps the greatest race of them all, and you have to move on to the next one.
"Hopefully we get the horse back who showed us how good he was in the Dante, he was impressive that day and we're entitled to keep dreaming."
Connections also have further big days to look forward to with the exciting Amiloc after he took his unbeaten record to a perfect five out of five in last week's King Edward VII Stakes.
Rated just 1lb inferior to his stablemate in the owners' pale blue and white quarters after his victory at the Royal meeting, the gelded son of Postponed is being lined up for a return to Ascot and a step into even deeper waters for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes on July 26.
"The handicapper only has a pound between them and he doesn't have rose-tinted spectacles like the rest of us and that's how he sees it," continued Cooper.
"With Amiloc we just don't know where his ceiling is and he just keeps pulling out more every time we run him.
"We're sort of aiming at the King George which would be another step up and we'll see closer to the time. It's next door, the race is worth a fortune and he's a course and distance winner, so it's kind of obvious.
"He's a gelding so he will lose his unbeaten record at some point. Hopefully it's not King George day, but we'll just try to go one step further and if we have to step back in grade afterwards then so be it."
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