Rous Stakes under consideration for Hurricane Ivor

Nick Robson
September 23, 2021 12:19 pm

Haggas will resist Abbaye supplementary option.

William Haggas has ruled out supplementing his improving sprinter Hurricane Ivor for the Prix de l’Abbaye next weekend – with an appearance at Ascot more likely if he runs again this season.

The four-year-old followed up his victory in this month’s Portland Handicap under top-weight when handling the step up in class to Group Three company at Newbury seven days later.

He showed plenty of speed over the five furlongs, and Haggas may therefore have been tempted to aim high. But for this year at least, he prefers to stay closer to home.

“I don’t think we’ll go for the Abbaye. He’s not in it, and it’s a big supplement,” he said.

A force to be reckoned with 🌪️
Hurricane Ivor follows up last week’s Portland success with a stylish victory in the Group 3 Dubai International Airport World Trophy Stakes, powering home under @TomMarquand for a cosy success for trainer @WilliamHaggas 🏆 pic.twitter.com/o8QKBGSJj8

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 18, 2021

“They have such a draw bias there. He’s now a hold-up horse, and usually what happens is they all clamber over to the inside rail and you don’t get a run, so I think we’ll leave that.

“We’ll have a look at the Rous Stakes (Ascot, October 2). It’s only a Listed, and he’ll have a penalty, but he’s in good shape.

“He’s gelded now, so he’s running for money, and I don’t know how long he’ll stay in good form. He ran a good race at Ascot the last time he went there – so if he goes anywhere he might go there.

“He’s not in anything smart, but we’ll be putting him in a few smart races next year. I don’t see any reason why he can’t continue next year to run like he is at the moment.”

Addeybb (left) won the Champion Stakes last year (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

While stablemate Addeybb is also heading to Ascot but for Champions Day on October 16, how he gets there has been complicated by the weather – with an outing at Goodwood this week shelved because of fast ground.

“The weather has been a real nuisance, and now we’re under a bit of pressure,” said Haggas.

“The next suitable race is the Prix Dollar on Arc weekend. But that’s getting a bit close to the Champion Stakes if we have a setback, so it looks like a racecourse gallop or two.”