Stride goes on trial
Wednesday 16th April, 2008
PERFECT STRIDE will bid to give Sir Michael Stoute a further victory in tomorrow’s banshahousestables.com Craven Stakes.
Newmarket-based Stoute has a good recent record in the mile Group 3 – a recognised stanjamesuk.com 2000 Guineas trial - winning it last year with Adagio and five years earlier with King Of Happiness.
Perfect Stride has only had two starts to date but showed he is a classy prospect with a debut win at Sandown and then a second-place effort in a novices’ event at Leicester.
His latest engagement will see him markedly step up in class as well as moving from seven furlongs to a mile.
But he is reported to have done well from two to three and is a 20/1 shot with the sponsors for the stanjamesuk.com 2000 Guineas, the 200th running of which takes place on Saturday May 3.
Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail, said: “Perfect Stride has done extremely well over the winter. He seems a much more mature horse.
“His work has been pleasing this spring with each piece bringing further improvement. But this year’s Craven looks an exceptionally hot race.
“He’ll be taking on more experienced and proven horses but it’s the right place to start him off as it will tell us where we are heading with him.”
A field of 11, including Raven’s Pass, is set to line up for the race and Perfect Stride will be ridden by Ryan Moore.