Van Der Neer to appear in English or Irish Guineas
Having bagged an easy victory at Lingfield, Van Der Neer is all set to take part either in the English or the Irish Guineas later this season. His participation in one of the two big meetings is confirmed, but it is yet to be decided that which race he will
step in. This was said by trainer Richard Hannon, after his charge’s amazing ¾-length triumph.
The International Trial Stakes (Listed Race) was not an easy contest. But the Richard Hughes-ridden maintained the standards to beat some big guns. The bookies gave him the highest odds of 2 to 5, and he lived up to the big expectations.
Despite not taking the best of starts, he did not lose determination. He continued to run steadily during most of the race. And a strong effort inside the final furlong helped him take the advantage just before the wire. After getting his head in front,
he made no mistake whatsoever, and took the first prize of over-20000 pounds with ease.
A wonderful win must have given the camp a lot of confidence. And therefore, the connections have decided to take him into the big meeting. The handler has confirmed that the gelding will be part of at least one of the Guineas. He stated:
"We don't want our Guineas contenders taking each other on in the trials, so the Lingfield race suited Van Der Neer nicely. We also used it as a stepping-stone for Dubawi Gold, who went on to finish second to Frankel in the Guineas, and Van der Neer will
have learned a lot from that and looked as if the mile suited him well.”
"They cannot all run in the Craven and Greenham Stakes, but Van der Neer has confirmed our opinion that he is a Guineas horse, though whether it will be Newmarket or The Curragh has not yet been decided."
Jockey, Richard Hughes lavished praise on the horse’s nice show at Lingfield. The experienced rider explained that the 3-year-old was fully fit on his previous venture, adding that the trainer has not yet given him any hard work to do.
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