Major plans for Italian recruit Kaspersky


Jane Chapple-Hyam is hoping new Italian recruit Kaspersky can take her all the way to the Melbourne Cup Carnival in the autumn, via an outing at Royal Ascot with Australian star Michelle Payne booked to ride.

The six-year-old was previously trained by Endo Botti and counts Italian and German Group Two victories on his record along with third place in the Group One Premio Vittorio di Capua last term.

A son of Footstepsinthesand, Kaspersky arrived in Newmarket last Saturday and Chapple-Hyam has set her sights on a crack at the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, with the Emirates Stakes at Flemington on November 11 the ultimate target.

Payne, who created history in 2015 when becoming the first female rider to win the Melbourne Cup, is lined up to ride at Royal Ascot, although she appears unlikely to make Kaspersky's planned prep in the Paradise Stakes at Ascot in May.

Chapple-Hyam said: "I've been friends with Michelle Payne for about eight years now and when we caught up at the Australian tennis, I was looking for a Melbourne Cup horse.

"It is so expensive to buy a Cup horse now, though, so I called Michelle and said, 'How about an Emirates Stakes horse instead?'.

"Gay Kelleway was actually buying horses in Italy and she saw this one and while he was out of her budget, she flipped him on to me.

"He's been bought by Ernest Clarke and his wife Ronda, who are fairly new to UK racing, and will run in both their names.

"He arrived with us on Saturday and the plan is to run him in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot with Michelle coming over to ride him.

"We know he will be a 50-1 shot, but he should give Ernest and Ronda a great thrill. He's been third in a Group One and won a couple of Group Twos so he has some nice form in the book.

"I would like to give him a run in the Listed race at Ascot on May 3 first so he can get a feel of the track.

"Michelle has a big race in Australia on May 10 so she might not make it over, but plans do change. If she doesn't come over, we will just use the best available on the day.

"After the Royal meeting, we'd be looking at Ascot again for the Summer Mile - I've been second in that before so it would be great to win it - then we'll be packing him up for the Emirates Stakes at Flemington.

"I'm a Melbourne girl so to have a runner at the Cup Carnival would be amazing. I had Mull Of Killough placed in the Emirates Stakes (in 2013), so I would love to win it.

"We have got a month to get him ready for Ascot, so fingers crossed everything goes to plan and he can give Ronda and Ernest some lovely days."

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