Tuesday 28th September 2010
Irish Field in 'good order'
IRISH Field was supplemented at a cost of £15,000 for the Group One Shadwell Middle Park Stakes (3.05pm), run at Newmarket on Friday, 1st October, and connections are hoping to pick up some valuable prize money before the colt continues his career in Hong Kong.
The two-year-old son of Dubawi was originally trained in Spain by Mauricio Delcher- Sanchez and after two wins at Madrid, he headed to France when he went down by a nose in the Group Three Prix Du Bois at Chantilly on 4th July. He subsequently improved on that effort with a fine performance to take the Group Two Prix Robert Papin over five and a half furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte on 25th July, when he had fellow Shadwell Middle Park Stakes aspirant Approve back in third.
He made his debut for current trainer John Hills when fifth in the Group One Darley Prix Morny at Deauville on 22nd August, beaten three and a half lengths behind the David Simcock-trained Dream Ahead, who is also set to take his chance in the Shadwell Middle Park Stakes.
John Hills said today: “Irish Field is still heading for Hong Kong in the long-term. The original plan was for him to go straight to Hong Kong after he joined me but the new owners subsequently had a second thought.
“The horse ran very well in the Prix Morny and we thought that as I had just got the horse, he needed a bit of time. He was trained very well by Mauricio Delcher-Sanchez in Spain and in between his two outings in France he was stabled with Carlos Laffon-Parias, so effectively he is now with his third stable of the year. We just thought sending him straight to Hong Kong might all have been a bit too much for him.
“He is a very laid-back character. I didn’t know much about him before he ran in France, but I have been much happier with him since his last run. The horse is in good order and Kieren Fallon takes the ride.
“It looks a very interesting race. The ground should not be a problem for him although I was hoping it would stay dry as that might chase away Dream Ahead and some of the others.”
The three-day Cambridgeshire Meeting kicks off on Thursday, 30th September, at 2.00pm and the highlight of the seven-race card is the £50,000 Group Three Somerville Tattersall Stakes (3.45pm). Run over seven furlongs, this contest had attracted a field of eight including Zaidan, successful in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, and Royal Exchange, who is owned by The Queen and has won his last three starts, most recently in a Listed contest at Salisbury on 20th August.
