Wednesday 25th July 2012
Elusive Kate has Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes option
A TOTAL of 45 entries are revealed today for the £160,000 Group One Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes, the mile contest for fillies and mares which takes place on the third and final day of Newmarket's Cambridgeshire Meeting, Saturday, September 29.
The last three renewals of the Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes were landed by the Rodolphe Collet-trained Sahpresa. The mare raced in the colours of Teruya Yoshida for her third and final victory in 2011 and the leading Japanese owner has three entries this year - Elusive Kate, Nova Hawk and Stay Alive.
Elusive Kate, who is trained in Newmarket by John Gosden, was rated the best juvenile filly in Europe in 2011, when her victories included the Group One Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp in October. She made her seasonal reappearance in the Group One Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes over a mile at Newmarket on July 13, when she was an excellent second to Giofra.
Nova Hawk and Stay Alive are both trained in France by Rodolphe Collet. Nova Hawk was fourth in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas in 2011 and also ran an excellent race when runner-up last season in the Group One Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Stay Alive enjoyed her finest hour when successful in the Group Three Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1,000 Guineas) last season but has not been seen out since.
Patrick Barbe, Teruya Yoshida's racing manager in Europe, commented today: "It's so far so good with Elusive Kate. She ran really well at Newmarket three weeks ago and we will know more in the next couple of weeks or so, but at the moment she is a very likely runner in the Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes.
"She holds entries in the Prix Rothschild and in the Prix Jacques Le Marois, but I don't know if she will run.
"It was a very pleasing comeback from her at Newmarket and John Gosden was very happy.
"Nova Hawk is an unlikely runner, but Stay Alive returns at Dieppe tomorrow and we will know more about her after she runs there."
The high-class entry for the Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes also includes the first and third home from the Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes - Giofra and Siyouma - as well as dual Group One winner Immortal Verse and Nahrain, who is trained in Newmarket by Roger Varian and was successful in the Group One Prix de l'Opera at Longchamp last season.
The three-day Cambridgeshire Meeting runs from Thursday, September 27 through to Saturday, September 29.
Entries for the Group One Shadwell Fillies' Mile, Group One Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes and the Group Two Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes - which all take place at the Cambridgeshire Meeting - will be revealed tomorrow, Wednesday, July 25.
