Halford eases Rehana back into action
THE highly-tried Rehana bids to get her season back on track in the Yeomanstown Stud Dark Angel EBF Stakes at Naas today.
The Aga Khan-owned filly was considered a major contender for the Irish 1,000 Guineas in May following an impressive display in the Athasi Stakes at this venue.
However, after a positive ride, she weakened quickly in the final two furlongs, passing the post in fifth before being demoted to sixth place after she was deemed to have caused interference to Bean Feasa.
Having missed a subsequent engagement in the Brownstown Stakes at Fairyhouse, she drops in distance and class for the Listed assignment.
Trainer Michael Halford said: ‘She’s in great form and the ground is fast at the moment, which will suit her. She was to run in Fairyhouse, but she was in season so we pulled her out. We’ve had a clear run with her since and this was the obvious next target for her.
‘We’re coming back to six furlongs, but we think she’s got plenty of pace. Nothing went right for her in the Guineas and we’re looking forward to hopefully putting that behind us.’
Rehana features in a 13-strong field, with Aidan O’Brien responsible for six runners.
Heading the weights is Joe Murphy’s ultra-consistent filly Only Mine, who shoulders a penalty for beating Gordon Lord Byron in a Listed event at the Curragh at the start of the month.
Murphy said: ‘She’s got to give the 3lb penalty away and she’s got a very bad draw (stall 13). If they didn’t get too much rain, we’d expect her to run well, but the draw is a big negative.’ DARING hold-up tactics could be the key to Ulysses turning the tables on Highland Reel in Saturday’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The Michael Stoute-trained fouryear-old was fourth to Highland Reel when they clashed in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita and then third to Aidan O’Brien’s No 1 hope, beaten just over a length, in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Since that run, Ulysses has produced a career-best when edging out Barney Roy with a final-stride thrust in the Eclipse Stakes under champion jockey Jim Crowley at Sandown.