Ribchester set for weekend in Paris

The Malton trainer’s stable star has won three Flat races at the highest level, the total accrued by the late Alan Swinbank’s Collier Hill.

He was inclined to give the four-year-old champion miler a break after a surprising defeat in last month’s Sussex Stakes at Goodwood when the heavy ground, and tactics, all went against Sheikh Mohammed’s colt.

However, with Ribchester in the form on the gallops that saw him win Royal Ascot’s Queen Anne Stakes earlier in the summer, Fahey is happy to head to France ahead of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot’s Champions Day meeting next month.

“He’s not letting me give him a holiday,” said Fahey. “He’s in such great order, we’ll take him racing again this weekend, in Paris.

“When he came back from Goodwood, I thought a little break would do him good. I put him on the treadmill for eight days, but he kept telling me he wanted to get back racing again. He’s a horse, who never blows after races. I’ve never trained one like him.

“I thought he probably had a hard race at Goodwood, but he’s come out of the Sussex so well physically. The ground won’t be a problem – it is currently soft, and it could get softer. But, also, he’s broken a track record, so he is at home on ground that is quick, too.”

With regular rider William Buick recovering from the back injuries sustained when Mark Johnston’s Permian suffered a fatal fall in the Secretariat Stakes in Arlington, Chicago, a new jockey will be required with James Doyle, also retained by Godolphin, the likely beneficiary.

Meanwhile, Clive Cox reports Harry Angel to be “in a really good frame of mind” ahead of 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock Park on Saturday.

The horse broke the track record at the Merseyside track earlier in the season before chasing home Caravaggio in Royal Ascot’s Commonwealth Cup.

However he proved his mettle at the highest level when winning Newmarket’s feature July Cup under Adam Kirby on his last outing.

“Group One races are of such a standard that it is nice to have that ability to give horses gaps between their races. The time from the July Cup to here is a healthy period,” enthused Cox after watching Harry Angel on the gallops yesterday. “We are very happy with Harry Angel. He has trained really well and he is in a really good frame of mind.

“We were all very excited going into the July Cup and I think Adam’s visible delight when he crossed the line was clear to all. It was not a shock to us and we hoped we could beat Caravaggio. His performance there proved that he is top flight.

“I think being by Dark Angel and with any sprinter, maturity means the potential is there for more improvement. He has grown up and even watching him this morning, he is enjoying the attention. That is down to maturity. He is enjoying his racing and Kevin Harris, who rides him at home, has done a brilliant job on him. It is a dream to have a horse of his calibre.”

Cox named Yorkshire challenger Brando, trained by Hambleton’s Kevin Ryan, as the one to beat. “There are a lot of horses who deserve a lot of respect,” he added. “I was impressed with Brando in Deauville and his form was pretty good before that when just up behind us in the July Cup.”