Dubai: Several Dubai-owned horses led by new Godolphin recruit Pleascach look to have strong claims on Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot on Thursday.
An eye-catching winner of the Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1) at The Curragh a month ago, Pleascach steps up in distance to contest the 2,400-metre Ribblesdale Stakes (G2), a prestigious contest restricted to Classic generation fillies.
Godolphin have a good record in the race, with five wins started by Bahr’s triumph in 1998. Fairy Queen (1999), Punctilious (2004), Flying Cloud (2009) and Hibaayeb (2010) also brought home the spoils for the stable’s principal handler, Saeed Bin Surour.
Prior to winning the Guineas, Pleascach was an impressive eight-and-a-half length winner of a 2,000-metre Group 3 contest at Naas in Ireland.
Jim Bolger, who won this race in 2011 with Banimpire, trains the daughter of Teofilo at County Kildare.
John Ferguson, Godolphin’s Owner Representative, said: “Jim is very happy with her and she has obviously got Classic-winning form. We feel this trip is within her compass and we’re looking forward to seeing her run.”
Pleascach is set to go off as hot favourite but faces nine rivals including another Godolphin contender, Entertainment, who is trained by 2015 Derby-winning handler John Gosden.
Godolphin also have a leading entry in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes with exciting maiden winner Log Out Island.
The son of Dark Angel will carry the Royal Blue colours of Godolphin for the first time since his runaway success over course and distance in late April, when he beat Tuesday’s Coventry Stakes (G2) winner Buratino.
He is trained by reigning British champion handler Richard Hannon, who is also represented by the Al Saqab Racing-owned King Of Rooks.
“We think they are two smart two-year-olds and I would not like to hazard a guess as to which is the better,” Hannon told his website. “They are the two top-rated colts in the race, they are drawn next to each other and we can’t split them, so we’d happily settle for a dead-heat.
“Obviously, Buratino has given the form a timely boost. Log Out Island beat him five-and-a-half lengths on his debut at Ascot and King of Rooks five lengths when he bolted up in the National Stakes at Sandown.
“The latter was probably the stronger race, but all I know is that both [of] ours have plenty of speed and I just hope we are standing in the winner’s circle with at least one of them.”
UAE 2,000 Guineas (G2) winner Maftool bids to give Godolphin its first success in the Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes (formerly the Hampton Court Stakes), which was renamed to mark the 300th anniversary of Ascot Racecourse, which staged its first meeting in 1711.
