Aasy to believe he has a real opportunity!
Al Aasy will look to rediscover his form in the Listed Carey Group Buckhounds Stakes at Ascot today.
The Shadwell-owned, William Haggas-trained son of Sea The Stars enjoyed a fantastic start to the season last year, winning both the John Porter and the Aston Park at Newbury before being beaten by just a neck in the Coronation Cup and the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.
He was subsequently gelded and his form then seemed to deteriorate rather than improve, finishing fourth of five in the Legacy Cup and then eighth of nine in the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot in October.
This weekend will be Al Aasy’s first outing since the latter run and connections are hoping he can produce the form he has previously shown.
Angus Gold, racing manager to Shadwell, said: “They’ve been happy with him but obviously he lost his way towards the end of last year, so we just need to get him back.
Track
“He’s had a nice break and we need to get him back on track, we gelded him last year and it seemed to knock the stuffing out of him.
“We gave him a long time off and hopefully he’ll come back to what he was, he needs to go and show us now, so we’ll see. We will find out if he’s still in love with the game or not.”
On ratings Al Aasy may comfortably be the most highly-regarded horse in the race, but Gold is mindful he will also need to demonstrate he retains his will to win.
He said: “He lost his way at the end of last year and this is a recovery mission, he may be best in on ratings but he has to come out and do it.”
John and Thady Gosden’s Stowell, last seen finishing third in the John Porter, and the Roger Variantrained Third Realm, winner of last year’s Lingfield Derby Trial, are other key players.
Valuable
On the same card is the valuable tote Victoria Cup, a seven-furlong handicap worth over € 58,000 to the winner. The market is headed at present by Charlie Hills’ Dark Shift, a four-year-old Dark Angel colt who has shown an aptitude for the Ascot track in the past.
An Ascot winner on his racecourse debut in 2020, the grey also ended last season with back-toback successes at the same venue.
“He loves Ascot so it’s always been the plan to bring him here first time out,” Hills said.