Albert Einstein has been given the option of Saturday’s Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes for his next outing.
The son of Wootton Bassett was all the rage in the antepost market for the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket prior to a disappointing comeback run at the Curragh late last month, with trainer Aidan O’Brien subsequently blaming the soft/heavy ground and a bit of rustiness for his short-priced defeat.
There was also a bit of administrative drama subsequent to that comeback run as the master of Ballydoyle admitted that both Albert Einstein and stablemate Gstaad had been scratched from the first Classic of the season in error.
Albert Einstein, who could still be supplemented back into the Group 1 race on Saturday May 2 and can be backed at 8/1 as things stand, is a slightly surprising addition to the Greenham, Newbury’s Classic trial won by Frankel en route to his devastating Rowley Mile success in 2011.
The only subsequent Guineas winner to have contested Newbury’s Group 3 is 2014 runner-up Night Of Thunder and the sire is now represented in this year’s Greenham by the William Haggas-trained Needle Match, a maiden winner over the extended six and a half furlongs here in October.
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Charlie Appleby has left in the well-touted Talk Of New York, despite him being declared for Tuesday’s Conditions Stakes at HQ, with the Godolphin trainer also entering Maximised and Time To Turn (William Buick already booked for the latter).
Zavateri was a star juvenile for Eve Johnson Houghton last year, winning the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh in September and finishing fourth in the Dewhurst when last seen. Karl Burke’s Alparslan also represents the Dewhurst form, while Ryan Moore is jocked up on Title Role for Simon & Ed Crisford, and Rossa Ryan is in line to partner Gonna Fly for trainer Ralph Beckett.
Roger Varian has Aqpan engaged, Ardisia could go for Hugo Palmer and George Boughey has put in Protection Act, a novice winner on debut at Haydock last July but not sighted in public since.
The Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes (registered as the Fred Darling) has attracted 21 three-year-old fillies including the Owen Burrows-trained Touleen, who is a 10/1 shot with Paddy Power and Sky Bet for the QIPCO 1000 Guineas.
Touleen was fifth when sent off favourite for the Rockfel Stakes when last seen in September, having made a fine start to her juvenile campaign with wins at Newbury and Leicester.
Richard Hughes' Havana Grey filly America Queen, runner-up in the Sky Bet Lowther last summer, is among her potential rivals, along with Charlie Appleby's Act Of Kindness, the Ed Walker-trained Princess Petrol and Catching The Moon from the yard of Richard and Peter Fahey.
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