Dream Castle stepped up in class

Unraced as a juvenile, the Saeed bin Suroor-trained colt blazed a trail on his debut at Doncaster recently and steps up in class for the Guineas trial – six years after Sir Henry Cecil’s wonderhorse Frankel blitzed the field in the Group Three over seven furlongs.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor said: “He has shown plenty of speed and he will be suited by the seven furlongs at Newbury. He worked really well a few days ago.

“It is easy to win a maiden and it is only when we step them up that we find out the truth about them.

“We liked him last year, but he was a little bit weak and backward and that is why we didn’t touch him. We just gave him time and I think we have done the right thing by looking after him.”

Also running in the Godolphin blue is Richard Hannon’s Barney Roy.

He made a striking debut at Haydock towards the end of last season and was so impressive that Sheikh Mohammed was advised to get his cheque book out and buy him.

“I am very pleased with Barney Roy. He heads to the Greenham, but he has not got loads of experience, and that’s my only worry with him,” cautioned Hannon.

“We have done plenty with him at home, he just needs the education on the track.”

Top Yorkshire trainers Richard Fahey and David O’Meara go head-to-head at Thirsk’s season-opening meeting.

The pair come up against each other in a cracking renewal of the Michael Foster Stakes, a race, which commemorates the long-serving director and former chairman of the North Yorkshire course.

Fahey’s Rene Mathis, who was second in the race last year, is up against O’Meara’s group race performer Custom Cut in what promises to be a fascinating clash.

Fahey and O’Meara also oppose in the Cherry Tree Handicap with Gabrial’s King and Saved By The Bell, although both may be trumped by Tim Easterby’s Mukhayyam, who is sure to improve for a recent run at Catterick.

Tributes have been paid to veteran jump jockey Paul Moloney after he announced his retirement from riding.

Moloney, 38, has called time on a distinguished career after he failed to recover from a shoulder injury he sustained in a fall at Sedgefield in January. He is to return to his native Ireland to set up a breeding operation.

Winner of Wetherby’s feature Charlie Hall Chase in 2008 with State Of Play, and then Deep Purple 12 months later, his horsemanship saw him placed in seven successive Grand Nationals from 2009 to 2015.

Unlucky never to win the Aintree marathon, he often rode off the pace and his best place finish came in 2013 when Cappa Bleu was second to Sue and Harvey Smith’s Auroras Encore.

Champion jockey Richard Johnson said Moloney’s retirement was “a big loss to the weighing room”.

He tweeted: “Very sad to hear of Paul Moloney’s retirement, brilliant jockey and great man.”

Jockey Sam Twiston-Davies described Moloney as an “absolute genius on the back of a horse” while Tom Scudamore tweeted: “All the best to this top gentleman. Been a pleasure to ride with him. Admired him enormously.”