French Advice For Fallon

Kieren Fallon has been urged to play it cool in the Investec Derby - by the man who knows Recital as well as anyone.

Leading French bloodstock agent Gilles Forien bred the highly-strung colt, on behalf of the Renee Geffroy and Caragh umbrella, before he was knocked down to Coolmore for 750,000 euros.

Many observers feel Recital will be ill at ease competing at Epsom, which is renowned for its unpredictable cambers, after he hung discernibly left when winning the Derrinstown Stud Trial in May. Forien does not prescribe to that theory, but feels Fallon needs to be more considered than at Leopardstown, when he made a winning move two furlongs from home - a fact the rider has since acknowledged after what was his first outing on the colt.


"We bred Recital and sold him in Deauville for top price, so I know a lot about him," said Forien.

"He is a very strong horse, but I am not worried about his attitude, or his ability - I am worried about how the horse will be ridden. He should be held up until the last furlong at the very earliest, otherwise I do not think he can win.

"If you come too strong with him halfway down the straight he will not be able to show his best form. He is a good horse and can win the Derby, but a lot will depend on Kieren Fallon. My instructions to him would be to leave it late."


Fallon, three times a winner of the Derby and an undisputed master of Epsom, has snubbed the Ed Dunlop-trained Native Khan in preference for Aidan O'Brien's colt.

Forien also has a vested interest in Dunlop's candidate as he, too, was reared by the Frenchman and his wife, Aliette.

"Native Khan is favourite horse of mine and I think he will be in the money if he stays a mile and a half," added Forien.

"He is a horse that will not disappoint."

Sole Power In Form

Edward Lynam reports Sole Power to be in tip-top form ahead of the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The speedster showed his dash with victory over a high-quality field in the Group Two Temple Stakes at Haydock recently and now goes for a second success at the highest level after a shock 100-1 victory in the Nunthorpe at York in August.

"He's in very good form. He's come out of Haydock well and all going well he'll go to Ascot for the King's Stand," said County Meath-based Lynam.

"I'm hoping the course there will suit him. It's definitely not as dippy or as undulating as Newmarket. Fingers crossed he'll be able to perform the same at Ascot."

Investec Oaks Preview

Blue Bunting will take on 12 fillies in the Investec Oaks at Epsom on Friday.

Godolphin's shining light has been the ante-post favourite for the mile-and-a-half Classic since claiming the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, but she faces stiff opposition from a predictably powerful Aidan O'Brien team, spearheaded by the progressive Wonder Of Wonders.


Ballydoyle also pitch Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Misty For Me into the race, alongside Why and Eirnin. Irish interest further revolves around the Jessica Harrington-trained Siren's Song, who broke her maiden in likeable fashion at Navan in April.

Havant, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, was sixth in the Newmarket Guineas but has the pedigree to suggest a step up in trip will suit, while Dancing Rain renews rivalry with her Newbury conqueror Izzi Top.

Mick Channon launches a two-pronged attack with the unbeaten Zain Al Boldan and Fork Handles and is delighted with his duo as he seeks a first British Classic success.


"They are ready to run, so roll on Friday - I'm very pleased with them. Obviously everybody is excited about the Oaks. We are chuffed with Zain Al Boldan, it was a great performance in the (Lingfield Oaks) Trial," said the West Ilsley handler.

"That's behind us now and she has to step up to the mark on Friday, but we are very pleased with her. She's had a great preparation and I think she has improved.

"The same applies to Fork Handles - she had Group form last year. She was about six lengths behind Wonder Of Wonders in the Cheshire Oaks but our filly didn't handle Chester.

"I'm not saying she's going to beat the Irish filly but I think she will be a lot closer to her and if she (Wonder Of Wonders) is the wonder horse they all say she is I don't mind finishing second to her."


John Dunlop's Beatrice Aurore, owned by former Abba star Benny Andersson, is another interesting candidate following back-to-back victories at Goodwood. Blaise Chorus completes the line-up following the defection of Charleston Lady and Look At Me.

Investec Coronation Cup Preview

St Nicholas Abbey, the one-time 2010 Derby favourite, makes it to Epsom a year late for the Investec Coronation Cup at Epsom on Friday.

The champion two-year-old of 2009 only ran once in his Classic season, when sixth in the 2000 Guineas, but started to make up for lost time with an impressive victory in the Ormonde Stakes last month.

Ryan Moore, in the plate at Chester, will again take the ride for Aidan O'Brien, who has won the race four times since 2005. As expected, the Ballydoyle maestro withdrew his other two entries, Await The Dawn and Cape Blanco, at the 48-hour final declaration stage.


The main opposition to the renaissance of St Nicholas Abbey is forecast to come from the hugely-talented mare Midday, who tries to fill a rare big-race blank for trainer Henry Cecil.

Five-times a winner at the highest level, Khalid Abdullah's five-year-old has finished second in her two visits to the Surrey venue.

Beaten by Debussy in the Blue Riband Trial on her seasonal debut in 2009, she went down by a head to her great adversary Sariska in the Oaks that summer. She reaffirmed her enthusiasm for the game with a comeback win at York three weeks ago.


James Given is having two bites at the cherry with Dandino and Indian Days, who were last seen finishing first and third respectively in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket. The quintet is completed by the Roger Charlton-trained Clowance, who is in foal to Oasis Dream.

English And Irish Raiders In France

A New Story and Nina Carberry will face the unusual challenge of the world's longest cross-country race on Thursday.

Limerick trainer Michael Hourigan has decided to take the veteran chaser to Le Lion-d'Angers, a course in the west of France, for the Prix Anjou-Loire Challenge over an extended four and a half miles.

The event is the fourth race in the Crystal Cup Cross Country Challenge, a series of races across Europe which culminates at Cheltenham in November.

A New Story is well-versed at such tasks as a winner of the Cheltenham Festival cross-country event, and he proved he is no back number just yet by finishing fifth in the Irish Grand National on his most recent outing.

"He's travelled over all right and we're really looking forward to it," said Hourigan from France.

"I haven't yet seen the course apart from on tape, but I think there's only 12 or 13 runners and the prize money is very good.

"It's a long race, but the horse is very well. We've got Nina riding him as my usual jockey (Adrian Heskin) is out of action for a few months."

The race has attracted other Irish and British runners, headed by the Denis Murphy-trained Another Jewel, the winner last year.


James Reveley, recently appointed stable jockey to Nick Williams, will be aboard the talented if frustrating Maljimar. He won a race over a shorter trip at Compiegne last month, while Suzy Smith runs Pass Me By.

News From Johnston Yard

Mark Johnston has still to decide whether his one-time Classic hope Awzaan will line up in the Investec Diomed Stakes at Epsom on Derby day.

An unbeaten juvenile campaign concluding with victory in the Middle Park Stakes suggested he would be a force to be reckoned with last season, but he had a largely disappointing year, though his comeback third at York recently showed he is worth persevering with.

"I'm not sure whether he'll run at Epsom or not yet. I haven't really had a good look at the race or spoken to Angus Gold (racing manager for owner Hamdan Al Maktoum), so we'll see," said Johnston.

"He's come out of his run at York really well and he's ready to run somewhere, but we'll make a decision about Epsom later in the week.

"I was happy enough with his comeback run. He was maybe a bit unlucky as he met a bit of trouble in running, but he finished off the race well and has come out of it well.

"It's difficult to say whether he retains all of his ability or not. He was a Group One winner as a two-year-old, but we're now running at Listed or Group Three level, so he still has a way to go to get back to where he was.

"But he has at least shown he retains a fair chunk of his ability and we are fairly sure he gets a mile now."

Geordieland For Royal Ascot

Jamie Osborne believes his long-term absentee Geordieland is "odds-on" to have a fourth crack at the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot next month.

The 10-year-old chased home legendary stayer Yeats twice in the two-and-a-half-mile Group One and was third in the race two years ago, but he suffered an injury at Doncaster three months later and has not been seen in competitive action since.

"It's been a fair journey through the last few months trying to get him ready," Osborne told At The Races.

"He got a leg (injury) in the 2009 Doncaster Cup and we were probably a month away from running in last year's Gold Cup and he got injured again. He came back into training in December and it was always the plan to go straight to Ascot if he was going to stand training.

"I must admit, in the past few months there have been moments when I've thought he's not going to get there, but right now, 16 days before the race, most of the work is in the bank and I'd say we're long odds-on to get there now.

"If you watched him work now, you wouldn't believe he's 10 and hasn't run for two years.

"You can't believe he's a horse that gets that sort of trip as he works with so much pace. If Yeats hadn't been around, he'd have won two Ascot Gold Cups. He was a good second twice, but ran a little bit below-par the last time he ran in it when he was third.

"I think that year he'd had quite a hard race in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown, which was only three weeks before Ascot. That was arguably the best performance of his life.

"There has always been this element with him where we think his best performance comes when he's fresh. We may be taking that break thing to the extreme when he hasn't run for two years!

"It's inevitable that there could be a bit of rustiness, but we're trying to leave no stone unturned. He's on target to get there every bit as fit, if not fitter, than he was when he won the Henry II two years ago."