Latest news with #StLeger
Rhyl Journal
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Merchant looking to bank another big race for Highclere
Always held in high-regard by trainer William Haggas, the Highclere Thoroughbreds-owned three-year-old excelled when landing the King George V Stakes and after connections resisted the temptation of an Ascot return and a daring King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes tilt, now climbs the ladder into Group Three company on the Sussex Downs. 'The Gordon was always the plan and the next logical step for him and a horse of his profile,' said Highclere's Harry Herbert. MERCHANT takes the King George V Stakes for @TomMarquand and trainer @WilliamHaggas. Congratulations to connections. — Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 19, 2025 'He comes into it – according to William – in really good form and he's been working well at home. 'It's one step at a time with him and we will see how he gets on but we would be very hopeful of a big show as he's a fast-improving horse and one we think the world of.' The last four winners of this have gone on to contest the St Leger and although his team are refusing to rule out a Classic tilt, it could be an audacious trip to Paris that comes calling in the autumn if Merchant continues his rapid progression through the ranks. Herbert added: 'The St Leger is certainly possible it's just whether we want to go the mile and six route or whether we stick to a mile and a half. 'It will all depend on how he progresses and if he happens to win the Gordon Stakes we would then all being well head to the Great Voltigeur (at York, August 20) and if he happened to win that then the conversation would be do you go for the St Leger or have a crack at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. 'I think it's wide open at this stage and of course there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge still. But William and I have been discussing it for a while and I'm not certain the St Leger would be the right move for this horse, although I hate to say that now when we're nowhere near that point. 'Hopefully all goes well at Goodwood and once that is out of the way we can go from there.' Eve Johnson Houghton has already made her mark in the juvenile Group races this week and will bid for Super Sprint compensation with Havana Hurricane in the Markel Richmond Stakes. The Royal Ascot winner narrowly missed out on a huge bounty when beaten a short head at Newbury but now returns to six furlongs, the distance over which he went down fighting to Charlie Appleby's reopposing Maximized in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom. 'It would be exciting to make it a Group Two double for the week,' said Johnson Houghton. 'He's in great form, he's done nothing wrong and I think six furlongs will really suit him now we know to hold on to him for a bit longer. 'We obviously kicked too soon at Epsom, but we learned from it.' Clive Cox has bided his time since with Coppull since finishing third in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting but with the form looking smart, is hopeful he can show the required progress in a race the Lambourn handler has won with Golden Horde (2019) and Supremacy (2020). 'I was really pleased with his effort in the Coventry and I just wanted to give him a little bit of time as he's still developing,' said Cox. 'He's done nothing but please so far and this is another big step, but we really like him. 'It's nice to be heading to these races with horses in form.' Disappointing in the Coventry was Archie Watson's Underwriter, but after being returned to Ayr for a confidence-boosting win since, attempts to go one better than owners Wathnan Racing's The Strikin Viking who was touched off in this race 12 months ago. 'We took him back up to Ayr and he was impressive there on debut and again the other day, he just had a complete blip for whatever reason at Royal Ascot,' said Wathnan's Richard Brown. 'We couldn't find any reason for the poor performance at Ascot so we went back up to Ayr with a penalty and he showed us what he could do. 'It's a step up in class, but we'll find out where we're at.'
Leader Live
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Merchant looking to bank another big race for Highclere
Always held in high-regard by trainer William Haggas, the Highclere Thoroughbreds-owned three-year-old excelled when landing the King George V Stakes and after connections resisted the temptation of an Ascot return and a daring King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes tilt, now climbs the ladder into Group Three company on the Sussex Downs. 'The Gordon was always the plan and the next logical step for him and a horse of his profile,' said Highclere's Harry Herbert. MERCHANT takes the King George V Stakes for @TomMarquand and trainer @WilliamHaggas. Congratulations to connections. — Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 19, 2025 'He comes into it – according to William – in really good form and he's been working well at home. 'It's one step at a time with him and we will see how he gets on but we would be very hopeful of a big show as he's a fast-improving horse and one we think the world of.' The last four winners of this have gone on to contest the St Leger and although his team are refusing to rule out a Classic tilt, it could be an audacious trip to Paris that comes calling in the autumn if Merchant continues his rapid progression through the ranks. Herbert added: 'The St Leger is certainly possible it's just whether we want to go the mile and six route or whether we stick to a mile and a half. 'It will all depend on how he progresses and if he happens to win the Gordon Stakes we would then all being well head to the Great Voltigeur (at York, August 20) and if he happened to win that then the conversation would be do you go for the St Leger or have a crack at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. 'I think it's wide open at this stage and of course there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge still. But William and I have been discussing it for a while and I'm not certain the St Leger would be the right move for this horse, although I hate to say that now when we're nowhere near that point. 'Hopefully all goes well at Goodwood and once that is out of the way we can go from there.' Eve Johnson Houghton has already made her mark in the juvenile Group races this week and will bid for Super Sprint compensation with Havana Hurricane in the Markel Richmond Stakes. The Royal Ascot winner narrowly missed out on a huge bounty when beaten a short head at Newbury but now returns to six furlongs, the distance over which he went down fighting to Charlie Appleby's reopposing Maximized in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom. 'It would be exciting to make it a Group Two double for the week,' said Johnson Houghton. 'He's in great form, he's done nothing wrong and I think six furlongs will really suit him now we know to hold on to him for a bit longer. 'We obviously kicked too soon at Epsom, but we learned from it.' Clive Cox has bided his time since with Coppull since finishing third in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting but with the form looking smart, is hopeful he can show the required progress in a race the Lambourn handler has won with Golden Horde (2019) and Supremacy (2020). 'I was really pleased with his effort in the Coventry and I just wanted to give him a little bit of time as he's still developing,' said Cox. 'He's done nothing but please so far and this is another big step, but we really like him. 'It's nice to be heading to these races with horses in form.' Disappointing in the Coventry was Archie Watson's Underwriter, but after being returned to Ayr for a confidence-boosting win since, attempts to go one better than owners Wathnan Racing's The Strikin Viking who was touched off in this race 12 months ago. 'We took him back up to Ayr and he was impressive there on debut and again the other day, he just had a complete blip for whatever reason at Royal Ascot,' said Wathnan's Richard Brown. 'We couldn't find any reason for the poor performance at Ascot so we went back up to Ayr with a penalty and he showed us what he could do. 'It's a step up in class, but we'll find out where we're at.'
North Wales Chronicle
16 hours ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Merchant looking to bank another big race for Highclere
Always held in high-regard by trainer William Haggas, the Highclere Thoroughbreds-owned three-year-old excelled when landing the King George V Stakes and after connections resisted the temptation of an Ascot return and a daring King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes tilt, now climbs the ladder into Group Three company on the Sussex Downs. 'The Gordon was always the plan and the next logical step for him and a horse of his profile,' said Highclere's Harry Herbert. MERCHANT takes the King George V Stakes for @TomMarquand and trainer @WilliamHaggas. Congratulations to connections. — Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 19, 2025 'He comes into it – according to William – in really good form and he's been working well at home. 'It's one step at a time with him and we will see how he gets on but we would be very hopeful of a big show as he's a fast-improving horse and one we think the world of.' The last four winners of this have gone on to contest the St Leger and although his team are refusing to rule out a Classic tilt, it could be an audacious trip to Paris that comes calling in the autumn if Merchant continues his rapid progression through the ranks. Herbert added: 'The St Leger is certainly possible it's just whether we want to go the mile and six route or whether we stick to a mile and a half. 'It will all depend on how he progresses and if he happens to win the Gordon Stakes we would then all being well head to the Great Voltigeur (at York, August 20) and if he happened to win that then the conversation would be do you go for the St Leger or have a crack at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. 'I think it's wide open at this stage and of course there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge still. But William and I have been discussing it for a while and I'm not certain the St Leger would be the right move for this horse, although I hate to say that now when we're nowhere near that point. 'Hopefully all goes well at Goodwood and once that is out of the way we can go from there.' Eve Johnson Houghton has already made her mark in the juvenile Group races this week and will bid for Super Sprint compensation with Havana Hurricane in the Markel Richmond Stakes. The Royal Ascot winner narrowly missed out on a huge bounty when beaten a short head at Newbury but now returns to six furlongs, the distance over which he went down fighting to Charlie Appleby's reopposing Maximized in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom. 'It would be exciting to make it a Group Two double for the week,' said Johnson Houghton. 'He's in great form, he's done nothing wrong and I think six furlongs will really suit him now we know to hold on to him for a bit longer. 'We obviously kicked too soon at Epsom, but we learned from it.' Clive Cox has bided his time since with Coppull since finishing third in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting but with the form looking smart, is hopeful he can show the required progress in a race the Lambourn handler has won with Golden Horde (2019) and Supremacy (2020). 'I was really pleased with his effort in the Coventry and I just wanted to give him a little bit of time as he's still developing,' said Cox. 'He's done nothing but please so far and this is another big step, but we really like him. 'It's nice to be heading to these races with horses in form.' Disappointing in the Coventry was Archie Watson's Underwriter, but after being returned to Ayr for a confidence-boosting win since, attempts to go one better than owners Wathnan Racing's The Strikin Viking who was touched off in this race 12 months ago. 'We took him back up to Ayr and he was impressive there on debut and again the other day, he just had a complete blip for whatever reason at Royal Ascot,' said Wathnan's Richard Brown. 'We couldn't find any reason for the poor performance at Ascot so we went back up to Ayr with a penalty and he showed us what he could do. 'It's a step up in class, but we'll find out where we're at.'
Glasgow Times
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Merchant looking to bank another big race for Highclere
Always held in high-regard by trainer William Haggas, the Highclere Thoroughbreds-owned three-year-old excelled when landing the King George V Stakes and after connections resisted the temptation of an Ascot return and a daring King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes tilt, now climbs the ladder into Group Three company on the Sussex Downs. 'The Gordon was always the plan and the next logical step for him and a horse of his profile,' said Highclere's Harry Herbert. MERCHANT takes the King George V Stakes for @TomMarquand and trainer @WilliamHaggas. Congratulations to connections. — Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 19, 2025 'He comes into it – according to William – in really good form and he's been working well at home. 'It's one step at a time with him and we will see how he gets on but we would be very hopeful of a big show as he's a fast-improving horse and one we think the world of.' The last four winners of this have gone on to contest the St Leger and although his team are refusing to rule out a Classic tilt, it could be an audacious trip to Paris that comes calling in the autumn if Merchant continues his rapid progression through the ranks. Herbert added: 'The St Leger is certainly possible it's just whether we want to go the mile and six route or whether we stick to a mile and a half. Tom Marquand aboard Merchant shakes hands with Harry Herbert, after winning at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA) 'It will all depend on how he progresses and if he happens to win the Gordon Stakes we would then all being well head to the Great Voltigeur (at York, August 20) and if he happened to win that then the conversation would be do you go for the St Leger or have a crack at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. 'I think it's wide open at this stage and of course there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge still. But William and I have been discussing it for a while and I'm not certain the St Leger would be the right move for this horse, although I hate to say that now when we're nowhere near that point. 'Hopefully all goes well at Goodwood and once that is out of the way we can go from there.' Eve Johnson Houghton has already made her mark in the juvenile Group races this week and will bid for Super Sprint compensation with Havana Hurricane in the Markel Richmond Stakes. Havana Hurricane was a Royal Ascot winner (John Walton/PA) The Royal Ascot winner narrowly missed out on a huge bounty when beaten a short head at Newbury but now returns to six furlongs, the distance over which he went down fighting to Charlie Appleby's reopposing Maximized in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom. 'It would be exciting to make it a Group Two double for the week,' said Johnson Houghton. 'He's in great form, he's done nothing wrong and I think six furlongs will really suit him now we know to hold on to him for a bit longer. 'We obviously kicked too soon at Epsom, but we learned from it.' Clive Cox has bided his time since with Coppull since finishing third in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting but with the form looking smart, is hopeful he can show the required progress in a race the Lambourn handler has won with Golden Horde (2019) and Supremacy (2020). 'I was really pleased with his effort in the Coventry and I just wanted to give him a little bit of time as he's still developing,' said Cox. Trainer Clive Cox will saddle Coppull (Mike Egerton/PA) 'He's done nothing but please so far and this is another big step, but we really like him. 'It's nice to be heading to these races with horses in form.' Disappointing in the Coventry was Archie Watson's Underwriter, but after being returned to Ayr for a confidence-boosting win since, attempts to go one better than owners Wathnan Racing's The Strikin Viking who was touched off in this race 12 months ago. 'We took him back up to Ayr and he was impressive there on debut and again the other day, he just had a complete blip for whatever reason at Royal Ascot,' said Wathnan's Richard Brown. 'We couldn't find any reason for the poor performance at Ascot so we went back up to Ayr with a penalty and he showed us what he could do. 'It's a step up in class, but we'll find out where we're at.'
The Irish Sun
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
William Haggas has smuggled a Group horse into a handicap and I suspect he will take all the beating at Goodwood
TACTICS can be everything in sport. But when you rely on tactics they can, of course, always go wrong. That was very much the case for Ballydoyle in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot last weekend. 1 Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien made a rare mistake and got it wrong in the King George - but they can rebound in style in the Nassau with Whirl Credit: Sportsfile Jan Brueghel and Continuous had a nightmare. But on Thursday at Glorious Goodwood surely it's simple what Ryan Moore should do in the feature Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes, live on ITV. Runner-up in the Oaks, and a horse that might have won that race on another day, WHIRL then made all to defeat King George runner-up Kalpana in the Group 1 Pretty Polly at the Curragh. This afternoon on paper the only pace pressure is Running Lion, and even if she decides to go on Whirl can sit second and is a much better horse getting 9lb! It all looks simple to me, even though the opposition includes the useful See the Fire (third in the Prince of Wales's to Ombudsman) and Coronation Stakes-winning roughie Cercene. Hopefully Whirl makes all the running, or nearly all! Day three of Glorious Goodwood on telly starts with a handicap for three-year-olds over 1m2f. William Haggas looks to have a live one here in HIGH DEGREE and I suspect he will take all the beating. Most read in Horse Racing Of course the big negative is the draw - there is not a single rider who would want stall 18. But Tom Marquand is class and I just hope he conjures up a passage for the son of Too Darn Hot who lost his maiden tag at Ffos Las last time in a tight finish. I suspect this could be a Group horse in a handicap. Up in class for the Group 2 Richmond Stakes over 6f next. AZIZAM was drawn miles away from winner and reposing Havana Hurricane in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot and he looked like the animal gagging for this extra furlong when finishing strongly in third. My hope has been off the track since then and lacks a bit of match practise but the odds are decent and he really should have strong eachway claims for Karl Burke and Sam James. The Group 3 Gordon Stakes is for three-year-olds over 1m4f. MERCHANT will be a banker for many after his Royal Ascot romp in the King George V Stakes. Haggas will be thinking he's got a right St Leger hope on his hands and I so no reason why he can't be another for Marquand. Remember he was drawn in stall 20 at Ascot and still won. The trainer won this with Desert Hero before he finished third in the Leger. Finally, a handicap for more three-year-olds over 5f. RUBY'S PROFIT has been dropped 1lb for a couple of defeats even though she ran crackers at both Epsom and Royal Ascot. Prior to those two efforts the Jamie Insole runner had scored well at this course and the draw is great in stall eight. Hopefully out, away and gone and very hard to kick out the frame at the very least. Come on Kieran Shoemark. Good luck! 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: Read more on the Irish Sun 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.
