Tom Clover has welcomed a touch of class to his ranks in the form of leading stayer Al Nayyir.
The five-time winner has been a regular competitor in Meydan throughout his career and although spending the summer of 2023 in France he was soon back in the Middle East taking his form to the next level.
In three appearances last winter he finished a short-head second to Siskany in the Listed Al Khail Trophy, before running with real credit to finish fourth in the Red Sea Turf Handicap in Riyadh and then picking up a silver medal in the Dubai Gold Cup back at Meydan on World Cup night.
On both occasions he finished behind Aidan O’Brien’s Tower Of London and after one run for Julien Carayon in France, he will now call Newmarket his home having switched to Clover’s base at the historic Kremlin House Stables.
He holds an entry for both the Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup Stakes at York later this month and in the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot in October, and his new handler hopes he can become a key player for his stable in the top staying contests.
“He’s an exciting horse to have in the yard,” said Clover.
“He’s been working nicely, we’ve got him in the Lonsdale Cup and he might start there for us. He’s a good horse and has some very decent form, so hopefully he can go well for us in this second half of the season.
“I love the staying division so it would be very exciting if he could give us some good days.”
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