Haydock an option for Mick
Young Mick may bid to follow up his Royal Ascot success in the Old Newton Cup at Haydock on Saturday week.
Trainer George Margarson would like to keep his Duke Of Edinburgh hero to a mile and a half but should the Haydock handicap come too soon then he could switch the busy four-year-old to the John Smith’s Cup at York a week later.
“I’m hovering between the John Smith’s Cup in two and a half weeks’ time and the Old Newton Cup at Haydock a week on Saturday as long as that race doesn’t come too quick. He’ll be entered in that,” said Margarson.
“He takes his racing very well and has come out of Royal Ascot in good form.
“As long as he was OK I’d be very tempted to go for the Newton Cup rather than drop him back to a mile and a quarter at York.
“If there was a race tomorrow, I’m sure he’d want to run. It doesn’t seem to bother him.”
Margarson reported the horse was none the worse for losing a shoe in the closing stages of the Royal race.
“When I saw the race I thought he was going to quicken and win by two or three lengths, but he just faltered and veered off to the right which he never does,” he said.
“He lost his off-fore shoe which was why he lugged a bit to the right and he was feeling it especially on that ground.
“Thankfully there was no damage done at all. We poulticed the foot obviously over the weekend and put the shoe back on him on Monday morning and he went out and cantered. He’s just done a half-speed this morning to keep him happy.”
Young Mick has already raced 14 times this year having ended 2005 with three runs in December.
