Mill Reef hero Alkumait added to Dewhurst field

Nick Robson
October 5, 2020 12:30 pm

Tregoning runner one of 18 in Newmarket Group One.

Impressive Mill Reef winner Alkumait has been supplemented for Saturday’s Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

Trained by Marcus Tregoning, the Showcasing colt was a taking victor in the Group Two at Newbury last month.

Owner Hamdan Al Maktoum already had the Owen Burrows-trained Albasheer, runner-up in the Champagne Stakes, engaged, but connections have opted to further strengthen their hand.

Tregoning said: “He runs on Saturday and I’ve been very happy with him since Newbury.

“Obviously we don’t know what the ground is going to be like yet, and we don’t know how many of the Irish horses are coming over.

“Most Showcasings go on soft ground anyway and as he’s in good form, we thought we had to go for it.

“It’s been a while since I won the Dewhurst (with Sir Percy) in 2005, but we’ve had nothing good enough to run in it since. Hopefully this is a good horse, he’s looked it so far.

“The fact Sheikh Hamdan had another horse already entered didn’t come into the reckoning really.”

Joseph O’Brien’s Thunder Moon, who made a splash when winning the National Stakes in good style, is one of three possibles for Joseph O’Brien along with Snapraeterea and State Of Rest.

His father, Aidan, has left in Royal Ascot winner Battleground, a late defector from the National Stakes, Wembley, who was second in the National, and St Mark’s Basilica, who was due to run in France on Sunday but was caught up in the contaminated food situation.

Richard Hannon’s Chindit, winner of the Champagne Stakes, stablemate Etonian, successful in the Solario, and Jessica Harrington’s Cadillac are other major contenders among the 18 left in.