Sir Michael Stoute, whose colt Expert Eye is odds-on to win the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday, said on Tuesday morning that his two-month absence from the track since winning the Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood will be “no excuse” if his juvenile fails to deliver this weekend.
Expert Eye’s four-and-a-half length success on the Sussex Downs was the most visually striking performance by a two-year-old in Europe this season, and the strength of the form has been underlined by subsequent wins for several of the colts who were strung out behind him. James Garfield, who finished fourth, took the Group Two Mill Reef Stake at Newbury last month, while Seahenge, who was fifth, landed the Group Two Champagne Stakes at Doncaster next time up.
Expert Eye is a 4-6 chance for Saturday’s Group One race, which is widely seen as the juvenile championship event for European colts, and 4-1 favourite for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket next May.
“I contemplated going to the Curragh [in September] but he had a bit of an issue when we scoped him,” Stoute said on Tuesday morning after Expert Eye had cantered with a stable companion on the Newmarket gallops. That knocked that out of the way so we trained him for the Dewhurst. We’ve had plenty of time to prepare him for this and there are no excuses on that front.”
Stoute’s only previous success in the Dewhurst Stakes was 31 years ago, when the subsequent champion sprinter Ajdal was sent off at 4-9 despite never having previously lined up for a Group race, and beat Shady Heights by three-quarters of a length.
“He seems in good shape,” Stoute said. “We’ve had precocious two-year-olds [in the past] but we don’t seem to get them nowadays. This fellow just came along and was naturally precocious. Before he ran, we knew he was pretty smart as he was showing plenty of speed. He’s a good-looking horse and is very athletic, but he’s better-looking now that he’s won a Group race.”
Chris Cook’s best bets
Zizum (2.00) at Catterick is the day’s most interesting runner and I’m not alone in thinking that, to judge by odds of 7-2. This juvenile had his first two races in Ireland for David Marnane, whose turf strike-rate with two-year-olds is 3%, so there’s a fair possibility that we didn’t see the best of this chestnut on those occasions.
Last month, he came over to join George Scott, a talented young Newmarket trainer who won the Mill Reef Stakes the other week. Racing on soft ground for the first time, Zizum plugged on quite nicely into a never-threatening eighth at Yarmouth three weeks ago.
Interestingly, he was left without a tongue tie that day, having worn one for his first two races. But it goes back on today for Zizum’s handicap debut and, oh, look, Silvestre de Sousa is booked. I shouldn’t be at all surprised if Zizum turns out to be leniently treated.
The nap is Short Work (3.35), whose claim requires less reading between the lines. His losing run after joining David O’Meara from Ralph Beckett took him down the ratings by about a stone but he has now recovered the winning habit, a step down in distance seeming to have helped. He made all in convincing fashion at Redcar three weeks ago and looks worth sticking with at 2-1 or so.
The New Pharaoh (4.10) gets a good opportunity in the next, having got going rather too late under Ted Durcan last time. He’s only 1lb higher than when winning at Doncaster in July and this track and going combination should provide the test that he needs. Hopefully there will be no repeat of the scary incident here two years ago, when he hung left and crashed through the rails with a race at his mercy. Odds of 9-4 don’t offer much twang for that kind of freakish behaviour.
Tips for all of Tuesday’s races
Catterick: 1.30 Wirral Girl 2.00 Zizum (nb) 2.35 El Chapo 3.05 In Focus 3.35 Short Work (nap) 4.10 The New Pharaoh 4.40 Fire Leopard 5.10 Robbian NR.
Leicester: 1.50 Fibonacci 2.20 Rita’s Man 2.55 Indomeneo 3.25 Mohsen 3.55 Blakeney Point 4.30 Storm Melody 5.00 Metisian 5.30 Spun Gold.
Brighton: 2.10 Everykyllachy 2.45 Wilson 3.15 Lexington Grace 3.45 Blooriedotcom 4.20 The Special One 4.50 Broughtons Story 5.20 Seventii.
Newcastle: 5.25 Mahabba 5.55 Sir Runs A Lot 6.25 Consolida 6.55 Peace Prevails 7.30 Noah Amor 8.00 Scuzeme 8.30 Harlow 9.00 Clock Chimes
(all times BST)
