Cheyne reckons Baron may need run
London – British bookmakers make South African star Whisky Baron a 12-1 chance for his UK debut in the £100,000 Group 2 Shadwell Joel Stakes at Newmarket today.
Greg Cheyne is 5-5 on Whisky Baron, but the jockey concedes that, having been absent since winning the Grade 1 Sun Met in Cape Town last January, the colt will probably need this comeback run to blow away the cobwebs.
Both Cheyne and trainer Brett Crawford walked away from the Rowley Mile with their chins in their boots 11 days ago after Whisky Baron had worked like a drain with two of William Haggas’ horses.
However, following 33mm of rain in Newmarket the ground rode soft that day, whereas conditions have since dried up appreciably, though another 5mm of the wet stuff last night puts a dampener on things and means connections are unlikely to get the fast going they hoped for.
Whisky Baron, who was quarantined for three months in Mauritius, arriving in Newmarket in June, is being prepared for the Hong Kong International at Sha Tin on 10 December, but Cheyne, having his first ride in Britain, hopes he’ll be sharp enough to finish in the first three.
Eight horses take on Whisky Baron, with the favourite being Andrew Balding’s Beat The Bank, who has won three of his four races since being transferred from Ireland in the spring.
Ryan Moore was impressed with Beat The Bank when he won a Group 3 race on him at Goodwood in August and Balding, too, as he has entered him for the Group 1 QE11 Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day.
Moore is now claimed for Aidan O’Brien’s Sir John Lavery, who also runs Whitecliffsofdover, leaving Oisin Murphy to renew his association with Beat The Bank.
Sir John Lavery has promised more than he has actually delivered, but Moore would be the first to admit he made something of a mess of things when beaten into fourth place on him at Leopardstown last time.
Mustashry, who is owned by the sponsors, is on a hat-trick and you can never rule out the two veterans, Custom Cut, the 2014 winner, and the equally evergreen Sovereign Debt, though the latter’s penalty makes life tough.
However, it often pays to go for the freshest horse at this time of the year, and, apart from Whisky Baron, that is ZONDERLAND.