Conditions crucial for Hukum’s Royal Ascot challenge

Hardwicke appears more likely option in the absence of significant rain.

Ground conditions remain key to Hukum’s participation at Royal Ascot next week, with a tilt at the Hardwicke considered more likely than supplementing for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

Having suffered a career-threatening injury when breaking his Group One duck in the Coronation Cup at Epsom last term, the full-brother to the brilliant Baaeed made a successful return when inflicting defeat on last year’s Derby hero Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown last month.

That first career triumph over 10 furlongs has led some to question whether the six-year-old should having another shot at top-level honours in the Prince of Wales’s on Wednesday week instead of lining up for the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes over a mile and a half three days later.

However, the combination of an uncertain forecast and the fact Hukum would need to be supplemented for the Prince of Wales’s on Thursday at a cost of GBP 70,000 means he looks set to take the perceived easier option, if he runs at the Royal meeting at all.

Angus Gold, racing manager for owner-breeders Shadwell, said: “We need rain, nobody has ever made any secret of that, and if the heavens suddenly opened and the ground did go very soft, various people have said we should be supplementing for the Prince of Wales’s.

“If I’m brutally honest, I don’t think we’ll get enough rain to warrant spending that sort of money, especially when he’s favourite for the Hardwicke three days later.

“It is very much ground dependent. We’ve spent a long time looking after this horse and getting him back, so we don’t want to risk him on unsuitable ground. We’ll see what the weather is going to do.

“We’ve always quietly thought that if he’s in one piece the King George is the primary target, so if we couldn’t run next week, we’ll just have to wait for that and hope we get some rain in July.”

Hukum could lead a quality Shadwell team into battle at the Royal meeting, with Mutasaabeq set to be the opening batsman in the curtain-raising Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday.

Mutasaabeq (right) made all in the bet365 Mile at Newmarket
Mutasaabeq (right) made all in the bet365 Mile at Newmarket (David Davies/PA)

The Charlie Hills-trained entire dominated from the front in the bet365 Mile at Newmarket on his seasonal bow before finishing fifth, beaten three lengths, in the Lockinge at Newbury.

“We’ve just freshened him up a bit since Newbury and tried to keep him sweet mentally,” said Gold.

“He won very well first time out this year at Newmarket and on that run he deserves to take his chance.

“Various people thought he went too quick in the Lockinge, Jim (Crowley, jockey) himself felt the horse was a bit flat. He’s a horse who runs very well fresh, hence why we’ve tried to kid him into Royal Ascot and come in above himself a bit.

“He’d have to run a career-best to be winning a Queen Anne, but he was impressive on that first start so we’ll see how we get on.”

Mostabshir from John and Thady Gosden’s yard is also set for a Group One assignment on the opening day in what looks a red-hot renewal of the St James’s Palace Stakes.

The impressive York novice winner will have to take on 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Paddington, but connections are happy to roll the dice.

Gold said: “We have huge respect for the Guineas horses and all the other improving three-year-olds. You never know until they meet, I’m a big Chaldean fan and obviously Aidan O’Brien’s horse (Paddington) has improved and improved, but our horse was impressive at York and has worked very well since.

“I think he’s going in the right direction and we’ll find out where that takes him next week.

“The only thing that surprised me (at York) was the way he quickened – I hadn’t seen him do that before. It didn’t surprise me that he won, but it surprised me that he quickened as well as he did.”

Mostahdaf (centre) winning at Sandown last season
Mostahdaf (centre) winning at Sandown last season (John Walton/PA)

Shadwell’s other intended Group One runner is Mostabshir’s stablemate Mostahdaf, who is being readied for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes in the assumption Hukum will not be added to the field.

The son of Frankel enjoyed a lucrative start to 2023, winning the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia before finishing fourth behind Japanese superstar Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

“I think he’ll run there, as things stand at the moment,” Gold added.

“He’d have to run out of his skin to be competitive in a Prince of Wales’s, but he’s won GBP 1million this winter for us, he’s a fun horse and that’s why Sheikha Hissa kept him in training, to be contesting these good races, so we’ll let him take his chance and see how he gets on.

“He tried to serve it up to the Japanese horse off the bend in Dubai and paid the price against such a fantastic horse. He’d shown plenty of speed before then and they (Gosden team) just thought it was worth a try coming back in trip.”

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