Classy Primo Lady bolts home in Listed York race

THERE was no doubt about who the leading lady was in the opener at York as Primo Lady, from the stable of Gay Kelleway, broke like a dream and saw off the challenges of Fifth Ave and then Breedj to run out an easy winner of the Listed fillies' race.

And the smart victory prompted Kelleway to nominate the Group 2 Queen Mary as her filly's Royal Ascot ambition.

A hood was deployed to calm Primo Lady as she entered the stalls, having reacted with some trepidation to them and twice missed the break on her previous starts, and the headgear appeared to have an electrifying effect on the filly, who emerged from her gate like a lightning bolt.

The game Fifth Ave provided a running companion for the sprightly leader and it appeared the two of them had the race between them as early as the two furlong poll, with the gap back to the one-paced field looking almost unbridgeable.

It was 7-1 chance Primo Lady, however, who unquestionably benefitted most from the livewire pace, seeing off a tiring Fifth Ave and putting the race to bed within the final furlong.

Breedj got going late and overwhelmed Fifth Ave for second, but posed the most marginal of dangers to the freewheeling Primo Lady, who was good value for her one-and-a-three-quarter-length victory and appears an exciting prospect for connections.

Winning trainer Kelleway said: "I knew she was good, I didn't know how good - Queen Mary here we come.

"We worked hard at the stalls with her and took her to Yarmouth.

"Liz, my head girl, and myself went to thesales and she looked right. She's so easy to train, a natural. She's not missed a day and was working before Christmas."

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Paco Boy favourite for Lockinge Stakes at Newbury

Paco Boy, with Richard Hughes on board, is the hot favourite for the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

Richard Hannon's horse was fourth in the race last year but he put that performance down to an infected foot.

He bounced back to win the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and earlier this year won a mile race at Sandown.

The biggest challenge is expected to come from Zacinto, who is being saddled by Sir Michael Stoute, who has won the race seven times.

Lord Shanakill is having his first run for Henry Cecil, having previously been trained by Karl Burke, Alan Jarvis and American Richard Mandella.

Kevin Ryan is also saddling Pipedreamer for the first time, after he left John Gosden's yard.

The line-up is completed by Ouqba, The Cheka, Prince Of Dance, Stimulation and Kargali, who has travelled over from Ireland.

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Starspangledbanner hits York for British debut

AUSTRALIAN superstars are rarely seen on these shores before Royal Ascot, but the presence of Stars pangled banner adds an international flavour to the first day of York's Dante meeting on Wednesday as he makes his European debut in the Duke Of York Blue Square Stakes.

O'Brien said: "He's won over six furlongs and a mile and is a sound horse with a very good attitude.

"We haven't asked him to do a lot but he certainly isn't slow. In fact, he looks very quick and I've told Johnny [Murtagh] that he will need a neck brace and a parachute riding him."

The sponsors, who rate the import as a 4-1 chance, have two horses higher up their list for the race with last season's Darley July Cup runner-up Main Aim their 3-1 favourite and 2009 Gimcrack winner Showcasing at 7-2.

In the other first-day feature, the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes, the Henry Cecil-trained Aviate heads the market as she bids to bolster her Investec Oaks chances.

A potential fly in the ointment comes in the shape of Ballydoyle's Cabaret, who was clipped into 16-1 (from 20) in Paddy Power's Oaks market on Tuesday.

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Guest pleased with Serious run

Serious Attitude is to be aimed at the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot following a pleasing effort on her reappearance at Nottingham on Saturday.

The 2008 Cheveley Park Stakes winner had to settle for second place behind Prescription in her first race since the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville in August.

"She's going to Royal Ascot for the Golden Jubilee. She's fine and well and I was very happy with Saturday," said her trainer Rae Guest.

"When she wanted to get a run she couldn't, but she was only beaten half a length. It took her a stride or two to get into top gear and past the post she was in front.

"I know the winning post is where the race is over, but she finished her race well. She hadn't run for nine months, so it was a good run. We wanted to win, but it didn't quite go right, but she's 100% and that's the main thing."

Just a head behind Serious Attitude in third place at Nottingham was Tropical Treat, who is likely to travel to Scotland for her next race.

"She ran really well and was upsides the winner at halfway. We'll see how she comes out of the race but one race we might think about is the Land O'Burn Stakes at Ayr on June 19," said trainer Ralph Beckett.

"It's a five-furlong Listed race for fillies and is a possible target for her."

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Noble's Promise to Skip Preakness; Ascot Next

Chasing Dreams Racing’s Noble's Promise, fifth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), will pass the May 15 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) and will point instead for the one-mile St. James’s Palace Stakes (Eng-I) at Royal Ascot.

“The horse is fine, but I felt he needed more time,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “He came out of the Derby a touch dehydrated; on a scale of one to 10, he was probably a one or two. I’m just not convinced he wants to go that far. Up to a mile there isn’t a 3-year-old in America who can hang with him.

“Unfortunately, there are no 3-year-old mile grade I stakes in this country. The timing is good for the St. James’s Palace and he’s already nominated. We had to scramble to get him ready for the Derby anyway, and he did good. I could have run him in the Preakness if I wanted to, but I felt I was pressing the issue, and if the dehydration got worse it would set him back for several months.”

The St. James's Palace will be run June 15, the first day of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting. Last year's winner was Mastercraftsman and in 2008 the race was won by Henrythenavigator .

McPeek said, after the St. James’s Palace, they’re looking at the nine-furlong Haskell Invitational (gr. I).

“You know me, I’m a bit unconventional anyway,” McPeek said. “One of our motives is that with the weakening of the American dollar their purses are actually up for us. When you find a grade I, you hunt it down, and the partners are going to have an opportunity to meet The Queen, so it’s a once in a lifetime trip. And most important, the horse could very well win the race. He’s going to train right-handed on my course on my farm in Lexington. He’ll have a speed work, most likely at Keeneland on the synthetic or possibly Churchill, and then we can continue the repetition of him training right-handed and hitting his leads. And we’ll train him up a hill as well.”

Noble’s Promise, a $10,000 yearling purchase, captured the grade I Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland last fall and has placed in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I), CashCall Futurity (gr. I), and Rebel Stakes (gr. II).

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Stephen Jones, the Master of Modern Millinery

Stephen Jones, the Master of Modern Millinery Talks Hats at Ascot, Friday 7th May 2010.

“Just as I wouldn’t leave the house without a hat I wouldn’t do a show without Stephen Jones. He is the frosting to any collection he touches”. (John Galliano)

Ascot Racecourse is delighted to welcome one of the fashion world’smost respected milliners, Stephen Jones to speak about his love of millineryand the inspiration behind his creations.

Introducing both fashionistas and novices to the wonderful world of millinery he will draw upon his experience of curating the ‘Anthology of Hats’ at the V&A, to working with top designers like Gaultier, Galliano and Jacobs. This is the ideal opportunity to find out which hats you should be wearing to Royal Ascot this year whilst enjoying a delicious afternoon tea in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Ascot Racing Club suite.

2pm Welcome drink. 2:30pm Talk by Stephen Jones. 3:15pm Champagne Afternoon Tea. Afternoon tea and talk costs £39 per person inclusive of vat. 

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Kite Wood set for York return as stepping stone for Royal Ascot

Last year's St Leger runner up Kite Wood was back in action on the Newmarket gallops on Monday morning and is set for a return to action in the Group Two Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup at York on Friday week.

Godolphin's senior star was reunited with Frankie Dettori in a serious spin on racecourse side with stablemate Peligroso and is to use the Knavesmire contest as a stepping stone to the Ascot Gold Cup, for which he is a general 8-1 chance with most bookmakers.

A winner of a brace of Group 3 contests in 2009, Kite Wood was partnered by Dettori when chasing home stablemate Mastery in the St Leger at Doncaster last September.

The son of Galileo, who was bought out of the Michael Jarvis stable at the end of his two-year-old career, had his season brought to an abrupt end after that effort when he had an operation to clean out some chips in his knees.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor said: 'Kite Wood went well but he needs another piece of work to tell us how forward he his.'He's entered in the Yorkshire Cup and at Royal Ascot.'

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