Saturday racing preview: What the trainers say

1.33 ParisLongchamp - Qatar Prix du Cadran

Kyprios can further cement his position as the outstanding stayer of his generation when he bids for a second Qatar Prix du Cadran on Saturday. When it comes to the marathon division, Aidan O’Brien’s six-year-old is the undoubted star attraction, with his 2024 renaissance following injury marking him out as a true champion.

Having taken over the baton from Stradivarius in the long-distance ranks, he reeled off six-straight victories before his enforced 344-day break following this very race in 2022.

After being nursed back to full fitness by the team at Ballydoyle, defeats at the latter end of 2023 may have seen some questioning if Kyprios’ best days were behind him. However, the patience and perseverance has been rewarded with an unblemished 2024 campaign featuring a second Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, Goodwood Cup glory and he most recently recaptured the Irish St Leger trophy.

“Everything has gone well since the Irish St Leger and he’s an amazing horse with a lot of class,” said O’Brien. “He’s very comfortable going those staying distances and we just thought it might be a bit disrespectful to the horse to ask him to run in an Arc after what he’s after doing for us.

“He’s comfortable going those longer trips, he’s going in an easier gear than he would be in an Arc. We’re looking forward to seeing him running again. He’s very special and we really appreciate him and really respect him.”

Few can forget the extraordinary way in which Kyprios landed his first Cadran.

The record books show an emphatic 20-length victory, but that distance could have been longer without the son of Galileo hanging dramatically towards the stands rail in the home straight.

“Ryan (Moore) rode him handy and the pace just fell down when he turned in and he just got left in front,” explained O’Brien. “He obviously thought he was just going back to the stables and was heading for the gates. Ryan will be aware of that this time and he seems to be going there in really good form.”

Kyprios may be the dominant force of the division, but any discussion surrounding the leading stayers of recent times has to involve the now eight-year-old Trueshan, with Alan King’s stalwart is back in the French capital in search of a third victory in the Group One event.

Winner in both 2021 and 12 months ago, Trueshan will be partnered by his 2021-winning pilot James Doyle with Hollie Doyle at Newmarket to ride Nashwa.

“The ground looks to be very much in our favour, we know he loves the track and he’s been a model of consistency for years now so we go into the race full of hope,” said King. “We’d love him to get over that £2million mark and this is, surely, the race where he can do that for the Singula Partnership and for all of us at Barbury.”

Andrew Balding’s Coltrane and Sir Mark Prescott’s Miss Cynthia make this a British and Irish-dominated contest, but the sole representative from the home team warrants the utmost respect heading into the race on recent form.

Christophe Ferland’s Double Major was a winner of the Prix Chaudenay on this card 12 months ago before winning the Group One Prix Royal-Oak. He has proven too good for his rivals in both the Prix Maurice de Nieuil and Prix Kergorlay this summer and now tests his credentials over two and a half miles for the first time.

“I think Kyprios is a real champion and we look more like a challenger at this time,” said Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for owners the Wertheimer brothers.

“Double Major has never been over this distance, but is in good form and has won plenty of Group races. His last run in Deauville was very impressive and he showed a great turn of foot. I think he has a good chance, but Kyprios is a champion and in my mind we have to be at our very best and at this stage have to be seen as a challenger.”

2.25 Ascot Bet MGM Cumberland Lodge Stakes

The resurgent Al Aasy will head to Ascot on Saturday in search of his third victory of the season in the BetMGM Cumberland Lodge Stakes. A Group One competitor in his pomp, William Haggas’ seven-year-old was a beaten favourite in this Group Three event 12 months ago as Al Qareem took home the spoils.

However, the son of Sea The Stars has rolled back the years in his three outings this term and after winning the Glorious Stakes, treated Al Qareem with disdain when sauntering to the Geoffrey Freer title at Newbury last time out.

He is now out to confirm form over Karl Burke’s defending champion and forms part of a two-strong assault from Somerville Lodge, with Haggas also saddling 2022 winner and stable favourite Hamish.

“Al Aasy has been in great form, had a little bit of time since his last run and I think William is very happy with the horse,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for Al Aasy’s owners Shadwell.

“I hope it’s not too heavy, but I don’t think that will stop him mind you. As far as I know, everybody is pleased with him. He’s in as good form as he’s every been in. We ran him back quite quickly after Goodwood with the Newbury race. Having said that, he won them both without having a hard time so hopefully he’s still fresh enough and can give a good account of himself.

“I’d be surprised if that (soft-heavy ground) beats him. He’s a seven-year-old and he’s run on soft ground before, so I don’t think that will be the biggest factor. He’s been an admirable horse for us and hopefully he can win again.”

Since finishing second to Al Aasy at Newbury, Al Qareem has thrived in his preferred soft ground at Chester when defending his Stand Cup crown and attempts to do the double he achieved 12 months ago by adding this prize.

“He’s doing very well, came out of the Chester race very well. He found that very easy and I think he didn’t really get out of second gear for that race,” said Nick Bradley, managing director of owners Nick Bradley Racing.

“100 per cent (he can defend his title). It is going to be difficult against Hamish and Al Aasy, they’ve met a couple of times and they keep beating him. But I’m the most confident I can be. Absolutely (it will be a good watch), three very good horses.”

3.00 Ascot John Guest Racing Bengough Stakes

English Oak returns to the scene of his finest hour looking to regain the winning thread in Ascot’s John Guest Racing Bengough Stakes on Saturday. Ed Walker’s four-year-old won the Buckingham Palace Stakes in the summer, while his only other appearance at the Berkshire venue saw him narrowly denied by Rohaan in handicap company on this very card 12 months ago.

That came over six furlongs – the distance he reverts to here after testing his mettle in stakes company since his triumph at the Royal meeting. The highest rated of the nine facing the starter, connections are confident he can continue his Ascot love affair in this end-of-season Group Three.

“He’s coming back to six furlongs and I thought he didn’t 100 per cent get home at Newbury last time. He’s showing plenty of speed, so we just wanted to try the stiff six at Ascot with him,” said Richard Brown, racing adviser for owners Wathnan Racing. “He ran very well on his last start last year over the course and distance and we are looking forward to seeing him go back to Ascot.

“I think there is no doubt Ascot is quite a specialist track and he has run there twice and won the Buckingham Palace very impressively and ran a big race behind Rohaan. I’m hoping we can see a similar performance now he’s back there.”

Another course specialist is Owen Burrows’ Jarraaf, who bids for a course-and-distance hat-trick stepping out of handicap company following some commanding victories of late, while Charlie Fellowes’ Vadream won this event in 2021 before going close after trouble in running 12 months ago.

A top-level operator on testing ground, her handler has been encouraged by the rainfall earlier in the week and is eager to draw a line through her most recent effort down at the minimum trip in the Flying Five Stakes.

“She won the race a couple of years ago and ran a cracker in it last year, she loves Ascot and hopefully she can run a big race,” said Fellowes. “The run at the Curragh last time, it just wasn’t soft enough. They had a bit of rain beforehand, but it just wasn’t anywhere near soft enough over five furlongs and she just never got into it. This will be much more up her street.

“I don’t mind conditions over six furlongs and when she ran well in the Haydock Sprint Cup it was only good to soft – it is over five furlongs where she could do with it bottomless.”

4.35 Longchamp Qatar Prix Dollar

Anmaat will attempt to continue his ParisLongchamp love affair when he tries to regain the Qatar Prix Dollar crown on Saturday.

Owen Burrows’ six-year-old is unbeaten in two starts in the French capital and having won this prize two years ago, he also scooped Group One honours in the the Prix d’Ispahan in 2023.

However, he was unable to build on that first top-level success as injury kept him on the sidelines for 439 days afterwards.

The son of Awtaad showed the fire still burns when making a winning return in Haydock’s Rose of Lancaster Stakes and having skipped the red-hot Irish Champion Stakes last month, now heads to his favourite place on the continent in search of further riches.

“I think they are really, really happy with him, touch wood, I don’t want to jinx him. Everyone has been thrilled with him,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell.

“He’s done incredibly well, the horse, because he had a pretty nasty injury in one of his feet and a lot of horses wouldn’t have come back from it at all. He was out at the stud for best part of a year.

“He came back and won, so we gave him a bit of time after that just because he had a hard enough run there, but his weight is good, he really loves his work and is a fantastic character.”

Gold went on: “He absolutely loves what he does and hopefully again he is going into it fresher than most, obviously it is a strong contest, as it should be, with some good three-year-olds in there.

“I’m not going to say he’s going to win, but if he can reproduce his form he won’t be far away.”

William Haggas saddled Dubai Honour to win this in 2021 and attempts to repeat the feat with My Prospero, with his victory over Jack Channon’s Certain Lad in Windsor’s Winter Hill Stakes given a boost on French soil recently.

It was Haggas’ Economics who prevented Jayarebe building on his Royal Ascot triumph in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano, but Brian Meehan takes plenty of comfort from seeing what his colt’s conqueror did at Leopardstown in the Irish Champion Stakes ahead of another cross-Channel assignment.

“He’s in great form and the form is working out well, I couldn’t be happier with him really,” said Meehan.

“It was a really good performance at Deauville and he’s in great form. It would be wonderful if he could run well again, he’s been a great horse for us to have this year and it looks a great next step for him on Saturday.”

Ed Walker’s Almaqam was a place behind Jayarebe at Deauville on his first try at 10 furlongs and will have the assistance of Ryan Moore as he returns to his preferred soft ground.

Carlos and Yann Lerner will warm-up for Look De Vega’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe bid by saddling the hat-trick seeking Grosser Dallmayr-Preis winner Calif, while Andre Fabre’s pair of First Look and Bir Castle complete the field.

First Look split Arc candidates Look De Vega and Sosie when second in the Prix du Jockey Club earlier in the year, but has failed to reach the same heights in two outings since, now sporting the colours of Wathnan Racing.

The owner’s racing adviser Richard Brown said: “Without a shadow of a doubt he is a good horse and we gave him a good break after Ascot. We probably ran him back too quickly after the Prix du Jockey Club at Ascot and we gave him a break.

“I thought it was a good race he ran back in at the course last month and Andre said he would come on for it. This is a hard task but hopefully he has got a chance of placing. It fits well and is the right trip and Andre is confident he will come forward plenty.”

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