Kenzai Warrior’s Royal Ascot race ‘up in the air’

PA Sport Reporters
June 11, 2020 3:15 pm

Decisions to be made ahead of the meeting.

Connections of Kenzai Warrior have yet to make a decision on which race the colt will tackle at next week’s Royal Ascot.

The Karakontie colt is entered in both the King Edward VII Stakes over 12 furlongs and the 10-furlong Hampton Court Stakes as he tries to make amends for a luckless run in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last week.

Roger Teal’s charge got the start all wrong last Saturday, conceding valuable ground in the mile Classic that could not be made up.

The trainer said: “I have got to discuss it with his owners and (jockey)} Jason Watson, we’ve not made a decision yet – it’s up in the air.

“I suppose the question is whether you want to jump straight up to a mile and a half from a mile.

“He’s totally fine after last week, he didn’t really have a hard time of it. We put him through the stalls in the week before and he hardly moved, so I don’t know what it was.

“Perhaps it was the adrenaline of raceday and he just anticipated the start, but unfortunately it was all over in a couple of strides.”

Juan Elcano finished fifth in the Guineas and he has been entered for the race by Kevin Ryan along with Aidan O’Brien’s eighth New World Tapestry.

Berlin Tango, winner of last week’s Classic Trial at Kempton, could try to bag another Group Three prize for Andrew Balding with fourth-placed Hypothetical also in the mix for John Gosden.

First Receiver, Mythical and Hukum are all towards the top of the Investec Derby betting and could take their chances.

Hukum has also been entered for the King George V Stakes, for which there are 26 entries while the Windsor Castle Stakes has 34 in contention including Wednesday’s Navan winner Chief Little Hawk, impressive Lingfield scorer Mighty Gurkha and Wes Ward’s American raider Sunshine City.

The Royal Hunt Cup has drawn 82 entries, with a consolation event, the Silver Royal Hunt Cup, being run this year as the opening event on day two of the meeting.