Millman hoping for Adaay to remember at Sandown

Scurry Stakes contender could have instead gone to Ascot next week.

Rod Millman is hopeful the decision to forego an appearance at Royal Ascot with stable star Adaay In Devon will pay off on Sandown on Saturday when she lines up in the BetMGM: It’s Showtime Scurry Stakes.

A four-time winner from nine juvenile starts last season, the daughter of Adaay has taken her game to another level this term, winning back-to-back races at Bath including a Listed prize in April.

Having since been placed behind Jasour at Ascot and Elite Status at Newbury, Adaay In Devon would not have been out of place in next week’s Commonwealth Cup, but Millman is keen to get her back on the winning trail in Listed company this weekend.

He said: “We just decided to go there instead of Ascot. Obviously we’d like a bit of rain, but she’s in good form and hopefully she’ll run a good race.

“We’re dropping back from six to five furlongs, but she won the Lansdown (at Bath) easily enough over five and she’ll have a good chance in that race on Saturday, I think.

“She’s well in herself and she’s had a little break since her last run at Newbury as she’d been pretty busy up until then. We’re very pleased with her.”

Chief among Adaay In Devon’s rivals is Andrew Balding’s Flora Of Bermuda, who drops in class after effectively losing all chance at the start in the Group Two Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock three weeks ago when rearing in the stalls, eventually trailing home last of nine runners.

Richard Hughes, meanwhile, is looking forward to raising the sights of No Half Measures, who since filling the runner-up spot on her Wolverhampton debut in early March has rattled off a hat-trick with back-to-back all-weather wins followed by a dominant display on her turf debut in a Goodwood handicap.

“We had the three-year-old handicap at Ascot next week in mind for her (Sandringham Handicap), but I tracked the entries for this race and I just thought it looked a huge opportunity to try to get black type with her,” said Hughes.

“We’ll probably back her up quick at Ascot, we backed her up fairly quick at Goodwood and it didn’t do her in any harm.

“We’re hoping to get black type and any more will be a bonus. She’s so easy and goes on any ground, she’s straightforward and tries like hell.

“She’s on our side going into battle, which is great.”

George Boughey’s course and distance scorer Graceful Thunder and the David O’Meara-trained Nighteyes, winner of her last two starts, also feature.

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