Winter ready for Goodwood
WINTER will step up to 10 furlongs for the first time in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on August 3.
Formerly trained by the now-retired David Wachman, Aidan O’Brien’s filly has been one of the success stories of the season, running a promising race on her reappearance and going on to capture the English and Irish 1,000 Guineas as well as the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The grey daughter of Galileo has yet to race beyond a mile, but O’Brien is not expecting the trip to be a problem.
He said: ‘That is the plan, she has been good since Ascot. She is very straightforward and she does everything very naturally. We’re happy with her at the moment.
‘Looking at her performances at Newmarket and the Curragh, and even Ascot, you would think it (distance) should be in her compass.’
‘We really look forward to it (Goodwood) every year, but this year more so than ever,’ added O’Brien.
Meanwhile, Frankie Dettori says he will take rides sparingly as he bids to get back to 100 per cent fitness for Goodwood.
The Italian, 46, missed Royal Ascot after sustaining a fracture in his left shoulder at Yarmouth. The injury cost him five winners at the royal meeting, including Big Orange in the Ascot Gold Cup, and kept him out for five weeks.
Dettori returned to action early with two rides at Newmarket last Thursday and won Saturday’s Irish Oaks on the talented John Gosden-trained Enable.
‘I am going to be cherrypicking my rides,’ he said. ‘Enable was my excuse to come back, I rushed back to ride her. Realistically I am back about a week too early but all I had to do was steer her.’
Dettori believes Enable must be considered a serious Arc contender.
At Glorious Goodwood, which starts on August 1, Dettori will be reunited with Big Orange. But a rematch in a race now scheduled for the opening day with O’Brien’s Ascot Gold Cup runner-up Order of St George is off.
He is being rested for a return in September’s Irish Leger. O’Brien will be represented by US Army Ranger, who was third in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot.
‘The plan is to go there with US Army Ranger, and Order Of St George will probably not be running in the race,’ said O’Brien.
‘He’s having a little bit of a midsummer break and he’ll probably have a prep run for the Irish St Leger, then an autumn campaign.’