Monday 9 November 2009

Royal Ascot keen to woo Shocking


Royal Ascot arrangers are targeting Melbourne Cup winner Shocking for the Hardwicke Stakes in June.
Ascot talent scout Nick Smith watched Shocking's Cup triumph and also suggested trainer Mark Kavanagh look at entering the stallion in the prestigious King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in July.
"Shocking is such a progressive type that we are recommending to Mark Kavanagh that he should look at the Hardwicke and then consider the King George," Smith told Britain's The Daily Telegraph.
"This horse is not your (Ascot Gold) Cups type and should be effective over a mile and a half in Britain."
Before Tuesday's Cup, Smith had approached Shocking's owner, Laurence Eales, about bringing Whobegotyou to Ascot for the Queen Anne.
"Whobegotyou is a brilliant weight-for-age horse in Australia and ideal for the Queen Anne," Smith said.
"We know he gets a mile and a quarter here, but a stiff mile at Ascot, you could argue, would be even better for him.
"After the success of Haradasun, as well as the sprinters in the King's Stand and Golden Jubilee, we are finding that Aussie owners and trainers are much more attuned to what Ascot has to offer."
Haradasun won in the Group One Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot last year.