Alenquer digs in to win at Sandown
Alenquer digs in to win at Sandown

Royal Ascot: Alenquer runs in King Edward VII


Alenquer has Royal Ascot on his agenda having been forced to miss the Cazoo Derby and the German equivalent.

A surprise winner of the Sandown Classic Trial, William Haggas was contemplating supplementing the lightly-raced colt for Epsom but a minor problem scuppered that plan.

“He won’t be supplemented, he had a little blip before the Dante but is on his way back, he’s going to miss the Derby,” said Haggas. “We have the option of supplementing for the Irish Derby.

“I had my heart set on the German Derby because he’s by the German-bred stallion Adlerflug, but Germany have basically said they don’t want us as England is on the red list in Germany surprisingly. I would like to think he will go for the King Edward VII.”

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Betfair Sandown offer

Ilaraab, who helped put Haggas’ Derby hope Mohaafeth through his paces on the Rowley Mile on Wednesday, will aim to stretch his unbeaten run to seven in the Hardwicke Stakes.

“I think he’ll go, he’s a dude,” said Haggas.

“He’s got a lot to find, but the handicapper seems to think all my handicap winners are exceptional and stuffs them up and gives me no choice but to go for a race of better quality.

“France is so difficult to get to, Ireland is pretty competitive so there’s no other option, but I’ll be delighted to take him there. I think he’s better left-handed, but you can’t have everything.”

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Stable stalwart and Champion Stakes winner Addeybb is also likely to be Ascot-bound, as long as the ground is suitable, having again struck Group One gold on his visit to Australia.

“He’s marvellous. He needs rain. He ran twice in Australia on good ground, but was really unfortunate,” said Haggas.

“The championships were called off on the first weekend because of a monsoon when the Ranvet was supposed to be run so it would have been heavy.

“They then put everything back a week and when they ran the Ranvet it was good (ground). The week the Queen Elizabeth should have been it was heavy, but a week later it was back to good again.

“I won’t run him again on good and certainly not in blinkers, but he’ll go for the Prince of Wales’s or the Eclipse. He’s on schedule for the Prince of Wales’s.”


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