It is patently absurd to dismiss any Group One race that includes two Royal Ascot juvenile winners as ordinary, but such is the star quality of King Of Kings that his absence from tomorrow's Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes, although hardly unexpected, robs the £150,000 contest of some of its interest.
Asfurah and Harbour Master, the Ascot winners, will probably dominate the betting market. Both horse went to the Royal meeting under a cloud, Asfurah after a narrow defeat at Leicester when the Godolphin team were struggling and Harbour Master after an unplaced run at the Curragh.
Asfurah was allowed start at 7 to 1 for the Windsor Castle Stakes, in which she disputed the lead from the start. The Dayjur filly then had a tremendous battle with the runner-up Cortachy Castle over the last two furlong and although her rider Richard Hills dropped his whip in the closing stages, she held on by a neck.
Asfurah was stepped up to six furlongs the following month in the Group Two Cherry Hinton Stakes. She disputed the lead for most of the trip and her toughness was again in evidence as she held on by a length form Crazee Mental.
Her form overall is certainly good enough to give her an outstanding chance in tomorrow's race, but you would imagine that her stable has a number of superior juveniles to come and the decision to supplement her for the race and risk a meeting with King Of Kings may also have been partly to get a line to our best form. Harbour Master, one of four Aidan O'Brien runners in the nine-strong field, was fitted with blinkers after his Curragh flop and they certainly worked in the Coventry Stakes, the Bluebird colt finishing strongly to win by a length and a half. Possibly he would not have won but for Bold Fact drifting alarmingly across the track when in the lead two furlongs out, but when the Cecil runner again decided to wander at Newmarket on his next appearance, Pool Music, Richard Hannon's representative tomorrow, was unable to take advantage and so is hard to fancy his chances against Harbour Master.
The third English-trained runner, Princely Heir, was well beaten at the Curragh behind Lady Alexander and looks to have at best an outside chance.
Hopping Higgins, a winner over the course last Monday, went down by only a short head in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot and might be the pick of the other O'Brien runners.
Kevin Prendergast, successful in the first running of this race with Bradawn Breever when it switched permanently to Leopardstown, runs Attractive Crown, who after missing the break on her first start, bolted in by seven lengths in a maiden over the course and distance on softish going in June and she must have each-way prospects. The same remark applies to Tommy Stack's impressive Curragh winner, Tarascon. But in what should be an exciting contest, Harbour Master is taken to beat Asfurah.
The Phoenix Sprint Stakes is left to Theano, who showed that sprinting was her game when going clear inside the final furlong in a competitive handicap at the Curragh on Derby day.
The Grade One 1988 Florida Derby has received a $250,000 cash injection. The Florida Derby, due to run on March 14th next year will carry a total purse of $750,000.
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