Our Friends In The North: Michael Dods stable tour and horses to follow for the 2019 Flat season
Michael Dods is preparing Mabs Cross for a second crack at the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes next month - get the latest on her and the rest of his 2019 team.
Three To Follow...
Flagbearer: We’ve got to say Mabs Cross haven’t we and hope it continues throughout the year.
Most progressive: Queens Gift. She’s won her last two, she’s on the up, she’s a nice filly.
Exciting two-year-old: Leapers Wood. He was unlucky at Ayr last time, finishing third despite trouble in-running and he enjoyed the soft ground.
My Stable - Horse Tracking Made Simple
Guide to the team...
Mabs Cross
She ran great with a penalty in the Palace House Stakes first time up and then things didn’t really happen at Ascot, I thought they went too slow. She ran well and we’re looking forward to the Nunthorpe now.
She’s been well since Ascot, we gave her a little bit of a break and she’s back now, in work and working well, she’s in good form. She’s a very straightforward horse.
We discussed things with Dave and Emma [Armstrong, owners] and we said last year we took her to Ireland and it didn’t really work out, so we’d rather to go York fresh. She’s shown she goes well fresh.
Mecca’s Angel wasn’t the easiest to train and they are two very different horses. She liked to be more on the front end in her races where as Mabs Cross is probably the opposite, coming with a little bit of cover and come with a late run. Two very nice fillies but two totally different types to train.
It was heartbreaking last year in the Nunthorpe. It took so long for the result and the longer it takes you think it’s going to be a dead heat. We’d have settled for that any day of the week, but it wasn’t to be, it was hard to take but that’s racing.
Luckily she made up for it France in the Abbaye. It would’ve been disappointing if we hadn’t got a Group One with her last year.
Get Knotted
He’s in good form, unfortunately we didn’t run him the other week at York, he just kicked himself out in the field and we had to pull him out. He’s in good form now so we’re hoping for a big run in a race he’s won three times before.
It’s fantastic to have a race named after him. He’s 5lb down from last year, he’s got the ability and he loves York. He ran well in the Ayr Gold Cup over six furlongs last year, but he just needs things to fall into place and get a run when he needs it.
Dakota Gold
He ran well first time back at Newcastle. He’s a soft ground horse as well, five furlongs is probably his trip. He’s not straightforward at the stalls, he has to go in last otherwise he comes out on his own.
But I think he’ll have a good backend to the season, he seems to have improved for the winter and he’s in good form. There are plenty of options for him and the Portland looks an obvious target.
He is in the Sky Bet Dash on Saturday, but he'll need the thunderstorms.
Jawaal
He’s in good form and runs in the Sky Bet Dash on Saturday. He’s had his issues but he’s well and hopefully he’ll run a big race. He wouldn’t want the ground to be too firm.
Camacho Chief
He’s very straightforward, he just needs soft ground. He's entered in the Sky Bet Dash as well but he’s another that needs the rain.
The Portland looks the perfect race for him, he loves Doncaster. Hopefully he’ll have the ground by then. He’s in great form and he just keeps improving.
Intense Romance
The ground has just been too firm for her. She’s had entries and she’s got entries but we need rain. She’s in at Goodwood, the Nunthorpe, but she’d need proper soft ground to run in any of those.
When the ground turns she’ll run and she could follow the same route of races that she followed last year, Haydock, Ascot and the Fillies & Mares’ Listed at Ayr.
Gale Force Maya
She’s a nice filly. I think she’s a filly that’s probably better over seven furlongs next year, but at the moment six is her trip and she’ll go to Carlisle for a six furlong three-year-old only race.
Queens Gift
She’s improved a lot and I think she’s been helped by a drop back to five furlongs. The plan will be to try and get some black type before the end of the season. Obviously she’s owned by Geoff and Sandra Turnbell who have a breeding operation so any black type on a mare is good news for them.
Pendleton
He works like a very good horse at home and we just felt he was maybe saving a bit so he had the gelding operation this week, so we’re hoping that makes a difference to him.
Heath Charnock
He’s a nice horse but he isn’t the soundest and he cannot handle fast ground. The last twice he’s had to go to Chelmsford, but he won and was second on a track that probably wouldn’t suit him in the sense that he’s going round a bend. He’s a good horse.
Troubador
He’s won three, he’s very straightforward. He runs at Thirsk on Friday where he’ll be top weight in another nursery. He’s improving and I can see him being better over seven furlongs.
Leapers Wood
Unlucky at Ayr the other day. He was drawn badly and got shuffled back and just ran into trouble all the way. He’s a nice horse, we’ll probably keep him at seven for now, but he definitely needs cut in the ground. He didn’t handle Thirsk when it was fast, but he’s a nice horse.
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