Fallon relishing Park bid
Kieren Fallon is looking forward to continuing his partnership with the unbeaten Elusive City at Newmarket on Thursday.
Gerard Butler‘s youngster heads a field of 11 declared at today’s 48-hour overnight stage for the £150,000 (€239,000) Shadwell Stud Middle Park Stakes on the back of victory in the Prix Morny Casinos Barriere at Deauville in August.
He defeated Zafeen by three-quarters of a length in the French Group One and Mick Channon‘s colt will be seeking revenge.
“I think he‘s improved since France and he might have to because they say that Zafeen has improved too,” said Fallon today.
But the champion jockey believes that the good to firm ground at Newmarket could bring out the best in his mount.
“I think he’ll probably quicken better on the ground at Newmarket than at Deauville,” he added.
Fallon put Elusive City through his paces in a recent stalls test after he had proved troublesome at the start in France.
“I put him through the stalls and he was perfect and then rode him in a piece of work and he went very well.”
Elusive City is likely to lose his first two victories – a Lingfield maiden and the Group Two Gerrard Investment Management Richmond Stakes at Goodwood - having tested positive to prohibitive substances after those races.
The two-year-old, owned by the Thoroughbred Corporation, was supplemented on Saturday at a cost of £12,000 (€19,100).
Also supplemented was another of the declared runners, Godolphin’s Country Reel.
The Danzig colt, trained by David Loder, followed up a win in a Newmarket maiden with a comfortable success in the Group Two Scottish Equitable Gimcrack Stakes at York last month.
“He‘s improved since York and is a bit more professional now. It‘s a question of whether he’ll be good enough but he‘s done very well since his last race,” Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford told attheraces today.
“He needs to step up a little bit but he‘s in good form.”
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, successful with Johannesburg 12 months ago and Minardi (2000), will be four-handed with Irrawaddy, Miguel Cervantes, Ontario and Tomahawk.
O‘Brien has named the four jockeys involved – Michael Kinane, Jamie Spencer, Kevin Darley and Johnny Murtagh – but plans have yet to be finalised.
“I think Michael may ride Tomahawk but it will be dependant on the bloods in the morning being okay,” he said.
Miguel Cervantes was beaten three and a quarter lengths back in fourth place when Zafeen regained winning form in the Group Two Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury two weeks ago.
Shadwell Stud Middle Park Stakes: Country Reel, Elusive City, Fiddlers Reach, Irrawaddy, Membership, Miguel Cervantes, Oasis Dream, Ontario, Sir Albert, Tomahawk, Zafeen (11).
