Latest news with #SodexoLive!PrincessMargaretStakes
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Unbeaten Tony Bloom-owned star Venetian Sun set big target as form receives major boost
The Brighton FC chairman's horse has won all three of her races, including the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot. The form was boosted on Saturday when fourth-placed Fitzella took the Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes under Oisin Murphy Tony Bloom's unbeaten filly Venetian Sun is back from a break and being primed to take on the colts in the Group One Prix Morny at Deauville. The speedy juvenile has swept the board against her fellow juveniles this season, running out a convincing winner of the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot. She then justified short odds by fending off Royal Fixation by a neck in Newmarket's Group Two Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes earlier this month. Back home in North Yorkshire, trainer Karl Burke chose to give Venetian Sun a few easy weeks and she is now building up to her first run at the highest level on August 24. The Ascot form received a major boost when fourth-placed Fitzella took the Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes on the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes undercard. "She is back cantering and we are looking ahead to the Prix Morny," said Burke, whose star horse is owned by Brighton FC chairman Bloom and Ian McAleavy. "It was a bit of an afterthought to go for the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes. She has been in great form since and I expect her to handle the journey to France OK. I think she's bombproof." Burke also has one eye on the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh in September, a race Aidan O'Brien has claimed ten times. "I have been impressed with his horse True Love and I think she is a bigger danger to my filly than any of the colts I've seen," he added. After finishing three lengths behind Venetian Sun at the prestigious royal fixture last month, Fitzella (9-4f) returned to winning ways under Oisin Murphy. Quickly away from stall five, she made all of the running and kept on well to hold the challenges of Staya and Bella Lyra. "She's the fourth horse to run out of the Albany and she's the third one to win a Group race and the other one won a maiden, so it looks like a pretty strong renewal," her handler Hugo Palmer said. "She's tough, game, good looking, well-bred. I said we would go seven (furlongs, next) whatever happened here."
Powys County Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Scott confident Staya can go the distance at Ascot
Staya takes the 'natural next step' in returning to Ascot for the Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes. An impressive winner at Yarmouth on debut, George Scott's talented daughter of Havana Grey was not beaten far when fifth in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot before returning to winning ways when obliging favourite-backers in Sandown's Listed Dragon Stakes earlier this month. She now steps up to six furlongs as she returns to Group company and Scott said: 'I thought this was the natural next step for her, back up in grade and she proved she enjoyed the track at Royal Ascot when she was a bit green and just rolled around a bit under pressure. 'She's given us every indication she's a filly who wants to go an extra furlong, she's a filly who loves to drop her head early and relax rather than be an out-and-out speedball. 'She's got a great attitude and the stallion really seems to breed that into his progeny. She's quite unique as she's quite bolshy and strong-minded, but at the same time really willing in her work and she's definitely got a little bit of swag about her. 'We're looking forward to seeing how she acquits herself and she's been training beautifully since the Dragon, but it's really up to her now.' Ahead of Staya at Royal Ascot was Charlie Clover's Flowerhead, who outran huge odds of 100-1 to finish first of those on her side of the track and second to Aidan O'Brien's True Love. She is another stepping up in trip on her return to the Berkshire track, with connections hopeful she can excel at her new distance. 'If her Queen Mary form is anything to go on, if she gets the trip, I expect her to be competitive,' said Clover. 'It's obviously her first run at six furlongs, but the Queen Mary suggested it would suit and the jockey was very keen to try it as well. We've since tried her at home over that trip and the data was very promising. 'Course form plays a factor and she ran very well there, so it definitely helped persuade us towards this race and to go back to Ascot.' Jack Channon's Sukanya and James Tate's Daneh Of Dandy both take their chance at a higher level after winning well on debut, with the latter trying to follow in the footsteps of 2019 winner Under The Stars by following up a minor success at Ripon in this Group Three event. 'It looks a shot in the dark at this stage, although we have done this before and like our last winner of this, Under The Stars, she won a novice at Ripon,' explained Tate. 'Yes, it's a big ask and she is very much unproven. We hadn't really revved her up at all before her first start and usually when they win first time out but are as green as she was, they can take a real step forward and that is the hope despite it being an unknown.' Midnight Tango finished second in Newmarket's Empress Stakes last month, with Richard Hughes' Bella Lyra and David Loughnane's Amberia not far away in third and fourth on the July course and also representing that smart piece of Listed form. Hugo Palmer's Albany Stakes fourth Fitzella will bid to go a few places better over the same course and distance after winner Venetian Sun advertised the form in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes, while Eddie and Patrick Harty's Irish raider Arugam Bay rounds off the field of 10, with Dance To The Music a non-runner.
