Gleneagle Bay can shine in Victoria Cup
With just 10 runners in total lining up for the two Classic trials at Lingfield on Saturday, the Victoria Cup at Ascot is certainly to attract to the lion’s share of the day’s betting turnover and Gleneagle Bay (2.40) is an interesting runner for Stephen Thorne’s County Dublin stable with Hollie Doyle booked to ride.
Gleneagle Bay is lightly raced for a five-year-old, with just six starts in the book thus far, but has already been touched off in two valuable big-field handicaps in Ireland and made a very promising return to action at the Curragh in March. He travelled well until a furlong out before lack of a recent run started to tell, and the drop back to a stiff seven furlongs with Doyle doing the steering could be ideal.
Lingfield 1.15: A thin field of just three runners for the Oaks Trial and the impeccably bred Giselle should stamp her class on the race.
Haydock 1.35: Dance And Glance caught the eye on his handicap debut, when he finished with running left having raced well off the pace. He is just 1lb higher here, with Harry Cobden in the saddle.
Lingfield 1.50: The step up to 10 furlongs could well bring improvement from Gincident, who kept on well at Yarmouth last time.
Ascot 2.05: Arisaig was caught in a classic Goodwood pocket at Listed level last time but still acquitted herself well and looks very fairly weighted off 94 back in a handicap.
Lingfield 2.25: Front-running Candyman Stan was a comfortable winner last time and should have an easy time of it on the lead again.
Lingfield 3.00: Aidan O’Brien’s two runners, Puppet Master and Stay True, head the betting for the Derby Trial but Ralph Beckett’s beautifully bred Prince Of The Seas could be overpriced at around 7-1 as a result. He was still very green last time but won a strong maiden at Sandown last September with last month’s Fielden Stakes winner in fourth, and may only show his full potential now that he steps up to around a mile-and-a-half.
Ascot 3.15: Fireblade was better than the bare result when successful on his handicap debut at Leicester last month and the fact that Dylan Cunha has booked William Buick for his first ever ride for the yard is also a big positive.
Lingfield 3.35: Ralph Beckett’s Cathedral is the only three-year-old in the race and was only narrowly beaten on her first try in Group Three company last season.
Haydock: 1.00 Harbour Lake 1.35 Dance And Glance 2.10 Jules Winfield 2.45 Boston Run 3.20 Callianassa 3.55 Kikkuli 4.30 Requiem.
Lingfield: 1.15 Giselle 1.50 Gincident 2.25 Candyman Stan 3.00 Prince Of The Seas 3.35 Cathedral 4.10 Prince Of India 4.45 Protest Rally.
Nottingham: 1.20 It’s Tim 1.55 Hidden Verse 2.30 Military Girl 3.05 Signcastle City 3.40 Thiscouldbefun 4.15 South Parade 4.50 Lord Abama.
Ascot: 1.30 Military Code 2.05 Arisaig 2.40 Gleneagle Bay (nap) 3.15 Fireblade (nb) 3.50 Chartwell Jock 4.25 Morrophore 5.00 Northcliff 5.35 Last Outlaw.
Hexham: 4.05 Dream Jet 4.40 Not Sure 5.15 Wallace Olinger 5.50 Pike Road 6.20 Blakey Boy 6.50 Delta Blues Belle.
Leicester: 5.25 Moghitha 6.00 Ideal Guest 6.30 Beauld As Brass 7.00 My Mate Mike 7.30 Indian Spirit 8.00 Candonomore 8.30 Odd Socks Havana.
Warwick: 5.40 Striking A Pose 6.10 Doyen Quest 6.40 Cave Article 7.15 Cobbler’s Boy 7.45 Prince Imperial 8.15 Diamond Ambition.
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East India Dock's Cup win another big stride forward for James Owen
The 2025 Chester Cup success of East India Dock proved to be a big day in the careers of two of racing’s rising stars – Harry Davies, who was aboard the big-race winner for the second year running, and trainer James Owen, whose championship-winning talent for training Pure-Bred Arabians has transferred brilliantly to training thoroughbreds both over the jumps and on the Flat.
East India Dock had last been seen on a track when finishing a close third as the hot favourite for the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, and he switched back to the Flat as a much-improved performer, coming with an irresistible run down the middle of the track, over a trip he was trying for the first time on the level, to land the spoils with something to spare.
As Owen pointed out afterwards, his yard has now sent out 100 winners both on the Flat and over hurdles in less than three years, and his strike-rate under both codes is around 20 per cent. Punters and bookies alike have swiftly learned to treat any runner from the yard with immense respect, and Owen has, in many respects, only just begun. “To win the Chester Cup is fantastic,” he said. “We’ve hit the crossbar a few times coming here, but it’s nice to have a winner here and we’ve won the big one.”
Davies, meanwhile, advertised his talent once again with a perfectly-judged ride on East India Dock, having briefly led in the opening strides before settling close behind the pace in a perfect position to strike as the field straightened for home. “I’m very lucky to get the rides in this race I have and every time I have ridden in it, I don’t think I’ve had a bad ride,” he said afterwards. “He got a good draw which always helps round here, and he jumped good, I was able to hold my pitch and then he was gutsy.”
Having come up just short at Cheltenham, East India Dock will now be aimed towards Royal Ascot, where the Ascot Stakes Handicap is the likely target.
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