WEEKEND MEETINGS:THE INTERNATIONAL dimension to today's Golden Jubilee Stakes can be successfully summed up by War Artist, who can make a Group One winning start to his new career for Alain de Royer-Dupre.
The legendary Chantilly trainer also has Varenar in the final day Ascot feature, alongside two other French hopes, as well as two raiders from Hong Kong and one each from the US and Australia.
Even Aidan O’Brien’s hope, Starspangledbanner, has travelled a long way too from his native Australia but not many can compare with War Artist’s route back to a race he was runner-up in two years ago.
The Australian bred was a Group One winner in South Africa before moving to English trainer James Eustace, who prepared him to be placed in last year’s Abbaye in Paris as well as winning in Germany and Dubai. In the spring, however, the seven-year-old was moved to Royer-Dupre, who said yesterday: “His work has been good but he hasn’t done too much as I do not like to do too much with sprinters. We also don’t have too many sprinters in France.”
That hasn’t stopped the French managing four runners this afternoon but it will be intriguing – especially at general 20 to 1 odds – to see what impact Royer-Dupre has had on War Artist.
O’Brien is anticipating significant improvement in Starspangledbanner from his Duke Of York start, while another Irish-born trainer, Los Angeles-based Carl O’Callaghan, is hoping his Dubai scorer Kinsale King can also pick up this leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.
Despite the reputation of some overseas sprinters, though, there has been no non-European Golden Jubilee winner since Cape Of Good Hope five years ago. War Artist might be the most travelled of all these two dozen starters but that domestic trend can continue today.
O’Brien should have a major contender in the opening Chesham Stakes with Jackaroo, while Redford looked a different proposition when ridden aggressively at Haydock on his last start and can go well in the Wokingham. The Ryan Moore-Michael Stoute team look to have a big chance in the Duke Of Edinburgh with Imposing and an even bigger shout with Harbinger in the Hardwicke.
