Al Kazeem stars to knock down Camelot – Horseracing News
Al Kazeem stunned Camelot at Curragh to claim the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Group 1) by a comfortable distance of one and a half length.
The latter of the two stallions was the clear favourite to succeed and no one was expected to challenge him for the top spot. He had been priced 4 to 11 by the bookies and the punters were counting on him to dominate the proceedings.
However, Camelot was unable to meet the expectations of everyone and left his team dejected at the end of the day.
After the race, trainer of the four-year-old colt Aidan O'Brien stated, “He ran well, he probably got a little bit tired and met a very fit horse on the day. He leaned a little inside the last but that's the first time he's been
asked to really race since he had his big colic operation. We've just been bringing him along gently and Ascot is still the plan.”
On the other hand, Al Kazeem managed to complete a hat-trick of victories and his owners were delighted over what he achieved under immense pressure.
The five-year-old horse was unable to get off to a strong start and was held at the back for some time. Despite that, he managed to pick his game up afterwards and led over the final 100 yards.
This was the fifth victory for Al Kazeem out of his 10th appearance, which shows that he is quite a consistent performer. He has also finished as a runner up on four occasions, so he cannot be taken lightly at any level.
James Doyle, who has been partnering the victorious stallion over the past three events was happy with the result and gave credit to trainer Roger Charlton for his hard work and dedication.
The seasoned rider said, “Roger always said he'd get him (Al Kazeem) back and it is great to see it all coming together. He is a horse with a lot of class. He went to Sandown and left a bit to work with but the race went well and
he came on leaps and bounds for it.”
With this victory, the talented stallion has increased the odds of winning the Coral-Eclipse Stakes, which will take place in the first week of June.
Tags: