Dawn Approach out to complete unbeaten season
RACING/NEWMARKET:DAWN APPROACH will attempt to put the seal on a perfect unbeaten season in Saturday’s Dubai Dewhurst Stakes and at the same time maintain trainer Jim Bolger’s outstanding record in the Newmarket Group One highlight.
The Irish-trained star dominates the 15 entries left in Britain’s most prestigious two-year-old race of the year although Aidan O’Brien is mob-handed among the possible cast of runners with eight left in at yesterday’s forfeit stage.
They include Cristoforo Colombo, who also holds an entry in the Middle Park Stakes on the same card, but it is Dawn Approach that dominates and has been installed an even-money favourite by Paddy Power.
The son of New Approach is already market leader for next year’s 2,000 Guineas on the back of a five-from-five campaign that included last month’s ultra-impressive success in the Group One Vincent O’Brien Stakes at the Curragh.
The form of Dawn Approach’s Coventry Stakes victory in June has been repeatedly boosted since, and especially so with Olympic Glory’s own Group One win in France on Sunday.
Bolger is pursuing a fifth Dewhurst in seven years following a hat-trick with Teofilo (2006), New Approach (2007) and Intense Focus (2008) as well as Parish Hall last year.
The Co Carlow-based trainer has also left his Group Three winner Leitir Mor in the Dewhurst where the home team looks set to be headed by the Juddmote duo, Dundonnell and Ashdan.
Both Bolger and O’Brien could also be represented in Saturday’s other Group One, the Middle Parks Stakes, a race that went to the Ballydoyle-runner Crusade in 2011. O’Brien has left in four including George Vancouver who missed out on Longchamp on Sunday while Bolger has kept in Wexford Opera.
The likely favourite for the six-furlong heat is the Prix Morny winner Reckless Abandon while the impressive Mill Reef winner Moohaajim also figures.
Jim Bolger has used the Group Two Rockfel Stakes as a test of his classic hopes in the past and won it with Finsceal Beo six years ago.
He has left in two entries this time, including Scintillula, runner up to Sky Lantern in the Moyglare last month.
Saturday’s big betting heat at Newmarket will be the Cesarewitch for which Dermot Weld’s Olympiad is a general 12 to 1 shot while Aidan O’Brien’s I Have A Dream is a 14 to 1 shot. Weld took his November Handicap winner Hidden Universe out of the race yesterday.
It is 20 years since Weld memorably landed the big-betting marathon with Vintage Crop and the only Irish-trained winner since was Tony Martin’s Leg Spinner in 2007.
Co Tipperary trainer Tom Hogan is enjoying having a range of top options open to his Prix la Foret-winner Gordon Lord Byron.
