CECIL AND JUDDMONTE PURPLE PATCH GOES ON

Article taken from the EBN.

Henry Cecil has his team in cracking form and in the space of just over half an hour yesterday he landed the Gr.2 Yorkshire Cup, the Listed Swettenham Stud Fillies’ Trial Stakes at Newbury and the Listed Michael Seely Memorial Fillies’ Stakes, which completed a double on the York card.

The Yorkshire Cup was won by Manifest (RAINBOW QUEST), who came on from his reappearance second in the Gr.3 John Porter Stakes with an emphatic performance. He took a while to find top gear but once he did he put distance between him and the field, at the line being eight lengths clear of Purple Moon (Galileo), with Wajir (Danehill Dancer), making his debut for Godolphin having been trained by Elie Lellouche last year, a further three and three quarter lengths back in third.

Manifest comes from an excellent Juddmonte family, being a half-brother to the dual Gr.1 victor and sire Elmaamul (Diesis) and the 1997 Gr.1 Oaks heroine Reams of Verse, out of the Roberto mare Modena. Zacinto (DANSILI) is also from this illustrious family.

Henry Cecil is keen to run Manifest in the Gr.1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, for which the bookmakers promoted him to favourite, as he has a fondness for stayers, stretching back to when he trained Le Moss and Ardross to win the Gold Cup twice each between 1979 and 1982.

He will have to discuss his targets with owner Khalid Abdullah, whose hand in the Gr.1 Oaks looks even stronger after Principal Role (EMPIRE MAKER) showed plenty of resolution to win the Fillies’ Trial Stakes. She was cut to 16/1 in the betting for the Oaks, with her stablemates Aviate (DANSILI) and Timepiece (ZAMINDAR) shorter in the betting at 8/1 and 10/1. Should they all turn up, stable jockey Tom Queally, who was returning from the suspension he incurred in the Gr.1 1,000 Guineas yesterday, will be left with a difficult choice to make.

This has been a tremendous season so far for the Juddmonte homebreds and it looks set to continue.

Date: 15 May 2010