JESSICA AIMS FOR A FIRST
PAGES OF FANTASTIC
IRISH trainer Jessica Harrington, on a high after a remarkable jumps’ season, is hoping to saddle her first winner at Royal Ascot this week.
Harrington, who enjoyed success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Sizing John and the Irish Grand National with Iron Duke, sends a small but formidable team to the Berkshire course.
“Having a winner at Royal Ascot is my next ambition,” said Harrington, 70. “We run Brother Bear in tomorrow’s Coventry.
“He’s been smart in all his home-work. He’s up there with the best of my two-year-olds.”
Brother Bear, unbeaten in his two races, heads the betting at 4-1 for the six-furlong contest.
Harrington’s Alpha Centauri is also the favourite for Friday’s Albany Stakes. “The ® one thing I don’t want for her is that real Ascot firm ground as she’s a very big filly,” she said
“But the weather looks so broken over there at the moment that it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Whitefountainfairy could run in that too or she might wait for the Chesham on the Saturday.”
Harrington has worked her magic with Torcedor since he joined her yard this season.
He has won both of his two outings and took a notable scalp in Order Of St George at Navan in April.
Harrington will be hoping he can confirm that form when the pair lock horns in Thursday’s Ascot Gold Cup.
Frankie Dettori, expected to make a winning return from injury in yesterday’s French Oaks at Chantilly, had to settle for fourth place behind the Pascal Bary-trained Senga, the mount of Stephane Pasquier.
In a race full of drama, Rhododendron was pulled up by Ryan Moore after she broke a blood vessel and Christophe Soumillon was unseated from Onthemoonagain when his mount clipped heels with a rival in the home straight.
Both horse and rider escaped unscathed.
Hugo Palmer and James Doyle repeated last year’s success in the German 1,000 Guineas when Unforgetable Filly landed the classic at Dusseldorf yesterday.
The pair won the event last year with Hawksmoor.
“She did it really well,” said Palmer.
“We’ve not quite had the great start to the season we hoped for, but that’s our 18th winner of the year.”