Fame And Glory set for Vintage Stakes

NEWS ROUND-UP:THE 2009 Irish Derby hero Fame And Glory could take the first step on the road to Royal Ascot's Gold Cup at Navan this Sunday where John Oxx hopes Kirinda may indicate some Classic credentials of her own in the other Listed feature on the card.

Aidan O’Brien has indicated Fame And Glory will line up for the Vintage Crop Stakes over 13 furlongs which was often the kick-off point to the season for his former star stayer Yeats in previous years.

Fame And Glory famously spent much of his Classic campaign chasing Sea The Stars in 2009 but won a pair of Group One prizes last season and Ballydoyle’s indications that he could follow a Cup campaign in 2011 mean he is being quoted as low as 6 to 1 second favourite for June’s Ascot Gold Cup behind the current title-holder, Rite Of Passage.

A trio of cross-channel entries remain in the Vintage Crop after yesterday’s forfeit stage, including the Mark Johnston-trained pair, Emerging Artist and English Summer.

If the Vintage Crop looks to be dominated by Fame And Glory, then the Listed Salsabil Stakes looks much more open with O’Brien leaving six entries in the race including Gemstone, who was runner-up in the Park Express Stakes on her first start of the season.

John Oxx in contrast has just two but one of them, the Aga Khan’s Kirinda, is already as low as 33 to 1 for the Epsom Oaks, and also holds an entry in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, after winning her sole start to date at Dundalk in December.

“It was a late start, the second last meeting of the year, but she won well. We like her and she has been working well but this will be a big step up in class for her,” Oxx said yesterday.

“Our other entry Manieree is also a likely runner on Sunday,” added Oxx.

Another promising Oxx filly is Mesariya who made a winning debut at Leopardstown last month and the trainer reported: “We will look at the Victor McCalmont at Gowran on May 1st. That’s the plan. Her pedigree gives opposite indications about trip – she is by Sinndar but out of a fast family – and even though she won over a mile and a quarter that doesn’t mean she will stay. Gowran will tell us more about where we should go with her.”

However, Oxx’s highly-touted three-year-old colt, Cocozza, faces a battle against the clock if he is to take up an entry in the Irish 2,000 Guineas next month.

Cocozza had to be withdrawn from Leopardstown’s Guineas Trial last month when he sat down in the stalls and injured himself in the process.

“He badly bruised a hip and the soreness is only coming out. He will be ready to start back cantering at the end of the week but he won’t make the Tetrarch Stakes,” Oxx said.

“He might make it back by the end of May. That would give him a chance of making the Irish Guineas but he would need to be really sparkling in his work to go for that first time out.”

Jim Bolger’s Glor Na Mara disappointed in his first start of 2011 in the Loughbrown Stakes and he remains a maiden despite having Group One placed form behind the likes of Frankel and Zoffany as a two-year-old.

Bolger has left the colt among eight entries for Saturday’s Greenham Stakes at Newbury where the spotlight will firmly be on Frankel, the odds on ante-post favourite for the 2,000 Guineas. Glor Na Mara was third to Frankel in last season’s Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

The top sprint trainer Dandy Nicholls has four of the 15 entries left in the Listed Woodlands Stakes at Naas this Saturday, including the 2009 winner Inxile.