David Simcock could run Dream Ahead in Dewhurst Stakes
The Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket was already looking to be one of the races of the season but it may now be a vintage renewal.
Henry Cecil had already committed Frankel, his unbeaten colt who won the Royal Lodge at Ascot by 10 lengths, and Godolphin will make a supplementary entry for their star two-year-old, Saamidd, who staked his own claims to top juvenile honours with an impressive victory in the Group Two Champagne Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting in September.
However, neither of those colts has won a Group One race, but Dream Ahead has already won two of them. His trainer, David Simcock, had enough belief in his horse to go from a maiden at Nottingham to a crack at the Prix Morny at Deauville in August and was rewarded with his first major victory as a trainer.
Dream Ahead followed up by putting a quality field to the sword when he won the Middle Park Stakes, at Newmarket nine days ago, and now Simcock is considering attempting to double up in Newmarket’s other Group One race for juvenile colts, something that has not been achieved since Diesis in 1982.
Speaking at York, Simcock said that a final decision would come after a final gallop. “He’s going to have a workout on Wednesday but, more than likely, yes. He’s just had a routine week, and he seems very fresh and well and so far, so good.”
Dream Ahead certainly looked good when he won the Middle Park by nine lengths but, as with his run in the Morny, he wandered off a straight line in the final furlong, something which has so far defied explanation. “We certainly haven’t found one,” Simcock said. “It’s more babyish than anything.”
If Simcock has no great grounds for worry about Dream Ahead’s attitude he admits to some unease about the possible lack of ease in the ground. The soft ground on Middle Park day suited Dream Ahead and the nightmare scenario for Simcock would be a dry spell in the run-up to the Dewhurst. “He certainly enjoyed the ground – I doubt if he’s going to get that sort of ground next Saturday,” Simcock admitted. “But he ran on good ground in France and if we run we’re looking forward to it.”
Not just Simcock and the marketing department at Newmarket must be hoping that the main players turn out for a race that could well help to sell a meeting that can often bring a lower attendance than the card on offer merits; which is one of the reasons that the Champion Stakes – run on the same card – is being switched to Ascot for next year.
While Simcock has no doubt about his horse’s credentials, he is not blinded to the way that Henry Cecil has been talking in glowing terms about Frankel being one of the best two-year-olds he has trained in the past 40 years.
“Frankel, visually, is as impressive as I’ve ever seen as a two-year-old and Henry Cecil doesn’t mix his words. It’s very rare he says something like he’s said in the press so it’s going to be very tough. Saamidd is a very talented horse as well and also Native Khan. It just looks like a very good race.”
It could be a vintage one indeed.
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