NEWMARKET NEWS: AWAIT THE DAWN has so far been among the lesser lights at Ballydoyle in 2010 but he is set to try and burst into the limelight at Newmarket this Saturday and do what Aidan O'Brien stars such as Fame And Glory have failed to pull off in the past by securing the trainer a first Emirates Airlines Champion Stakes success.
The mile-and-a-quarter centrepiece of Saturday’s Group One card is one of the few top-flight cross-channel prizes to elude O’Brien to date and Await The Dawn is his sole representative among the 15 entries left in the race after yesterday’s forfeit stage.
The son of Giant’s Causeway has won three of his four career starts and impressed with a nine-length defeat of South Easter in the Group Three Kilternan Stakes at Leopardstown on Irish Champion Stakes day.
“The plan is that he’ll run on Saturday. We’re happy with him,” O’Brien said yesterday.
Bookmakers rate the Irish colt’s chances at 7 to 1 in ante-post betting with last year’s winner, Twice Over, currently disputing favouritism with the French star, Vision d’Etat.
New Approach won the Champion Stakes for Jim Bolger two years ago but the previous Irish-trained winners to him were Cairn Rouge 30 years ago, Hurry Harriet (1973), Sir Ivor (1968), Pieces Of Eight (1966) and Arctic Storm (1962).
O’Brien has four of the dozen entries left in the Dewhurst and yesterday he nominated Seville, Master Of The Hounds and Roderic O’Connor as possible starters. However they look like playing second-fiddle in the expectations stakes, at least to the big trio of Saamidd, Dream Ahead and Frankel, who all remain in contention to decide Europe’s two-year-old championship.
As expected, Godolphin paid out the €23,000 to supplement Saamidd after his impressive victory in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.
On paper Dream Ahead brings the strongest form into the race. Unbeaten in three starts, David Simcock’s colt has won two of those races at Group One level.
However, the noises coming from Henry Cecil’s Warren Place yard suggest that Frankel is something out of the ordinary. The usually reticent Cecil has stated that the Galileo youngster is the best juvenile he has trained for 30 years.
Clive Brittain’s Chesham winner, Zaidan, will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing run in the Washington Singer Stakes at Newbury.
Coventry Stakes runner-up Elzaam and Acomb winner Waiter’s Dream are others bringing Pattern-race form to the table.
The 2009 Dewhurst winner, Beethoven, is joined by his stable companion Air Chief Marshal among the entries for the Group Two Challenge Stakes while Lady Lupus and You’ll Be Mine are the Irish possibles for the Pride Stakes.
Ante-post favourite Admiral Barry is among a field of 41 left in the Cesarewitch. Eoin Griffin’s five-year-old picked up a 4lb penalty for a victory at the Curragh last month, taking his weight to 8st 9lb.
