John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Thursday.
Jan Brueghel makes return in Ormonde Stakes
Aidan O’Brien won his seventh Ormonde Stakes (15:05) a year ago with Illinois who went on to finish runner-up in the Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup, and he starts his season off here once more before presumably going back over further again later in the year.
Illinois is a very smart horse, but he may well have to play second fiddle again to high-class stablemate and fellow son of Galileo Jan Brueghel who beat Illinois a neck when they met in the 2024 St Leger. At any rate, Ryan Moore evidently prefers Jan Brueghel, with Wayne Lordan taking the ride on Illinois this time. Jan Brueghel was a significant absentee from the big races in the second half of last year, having last been seen when disappointing in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Wearing cheekpieces for the first time (no headgear here), making the running at Ascot didn’t suit Jan Brueghel, but he looks guaranteed a lead here with last year’s runner-up Al Qareem a confirmed front-runner.
Although he won the Coronation Cup last June, Jan Brueghel escapes a penalty for that win, which was the last defeat inflicted on top-class French gelding Calandagan, and it puts him 6 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings. That makes him the one to beat if anywhere near his best, though in a strong renewal, last year’s St Leger runner-up Rahiebb looks the main threat to the Ballydoyle pair.
Another big day for Bow Echo connections?
Less than a week on from a brilliant 2000 Guineas victory for Bow Echo, ‘Hot Trainer’ George Boughey and his jockey Billy Loughnane look to have leading chances in a couple of handicaps on the Chester card, both horses, like Bow Echo, running in the colours of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.
First up is McMurray, heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings in a three-year-old handicap (15:40) that’s chock full of interesting sorts. Hailing from the same family as his classic-winning stablemate, McMurray progressed well at two, ending his campaign with a hat-trick. He admittedly had only one rival to beat in a nursery at Yarmouth on his final start, but there was more substance to his win in a similar event at the St Leger meeting where he beat Crest of Fire who has boosted the form since. This well-made sort could have more to offer this year.
The same connections’ Celeborn also heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings in the following contest for older horses (16:10). A very lightly-raced four-year-old, Celeborn has more than a year’s absence to overcome, but he put up a useful effort when winning impressively off top weight in a handicap at Epsom last April, handling the track really well and being value for more than his two-length winning margin. He’s open to further progress against more exposed rivals.
Return to a mile will suit El Matador
Ralph Beckett won with the three of the seven horses he sent up to Redcar last season so it looks worth noting that El Matador is his only runner making the journey up from Hampshire for the track’s Thursday evening meeting to contest the mile handicap (19:20). It also looks significant that El Matador is taking up this engagement, as he was also entered in the much more competitive Victoria Cup at Ascot over seven furlongs on Saturday.
The return to a mile looks a good move, though, because he was caught out by the emphasis on speed on his reappearance at Lingfield over seven furlongs ten days ago. Racing off the pace after an awkward start, El Matador couldn’t quicken early in the straight but finished well to be beaten a neck behind Port Road, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag.
While El Matador’s two wins in novices at Salisbury and Chepstow this time last year both came over seven furlongs, he had run well over a mile on his only start at two and looks worth another chance at the trip having underperformed at Haydock on his final start last year. However, he was gelded over the winter and performed much better last time when strong in the betting. He’s less exposed than most of his rivals and holds serious claims.
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