TRAINER PJ O’Gorman believes Albaqaa “ticks all the right boxes” ahead of his bid for glory in tomorrow’s £160,000 Betfred Cambridgeshire at Newmarket.
The six-year-old has been in fine form this summer, defying odds of 50-1 to win a mile handicap at Newmarket’s Piper Heidsieck July Festival before following up in a nine-furlong apprentices’ handicap at Glorious Goodwood at the end of July.
Kieran O’Neill, who won on Albaqaa at Goodwood, takes 3lb off the 9st set to be carried by O’Gorman’s charge because of his claim.
He is a best-priced 25-1 chance with most bookmakers and will line up in the 35-strong field along with ante-post favourite, the Jeremy Noseda-trained Dare To Dance, who made the cut.
O’Gorman is hoping for a big run from Albaqaa and said today: “We had to make a decision after Albaqaa won at Goodwood whether to keep him ticking over or give him a rest and go for the Betfred Cambridgeshire. It’s such a big pot that we opted to rest him for a couple of weeks and bring him back at his peak for Newmarket.
“He won off a mark of 95 for Richard Fahey at Pontefract last year, but the time of the race wasn’t very good and it wasn’t a tremendous run so I think it looks like the handicapper has got him about right with a rating of 93.
“I am hoping that, with it being such a big handicap, they might go off a bit too fast like they do in the apprentice handicaps and give a late-finishing horse like ours more of a chance. The horse is very well and I couldn’t be happier with him – all the boxes are ticked and I am just hoping that everything falls right for him.”
Meanwhile Wootton Bassett has been retired with a career at stud likely.
Trainer Fahey decided to call time on his three-year-old, who despite being unbeaten in five starts as a juvenile, has failed to sparkle this year.
Wootton Bassett gave Fahey and Warrington’s champion jockey Paul Hanagan a first Group One success in France last year. But this year he has finished fifth in the French 2000 Guineas in May but was well beaten in the Haydock Sprint Cup on his last appearance on the track.
Fahey said: “Wootton Bassett has been retired and we now have a few people inquiring about stud duty.
“Nothing is concrete yet and we still have some options but we are hoping to do the best for the horse and help him get the best chance to be a successful sire.”
TODAY’S NAP: Moheebb (2.05pm Haydock).
