Dawn Approach, Reckless Abandon seeking to extend unbeaten records

Dawn Approach, Reckless Abandon seeking to extend unbeaten

records

Like Sir Henry Cecil, Jim Bolger has undergone a sharp revival of fortunes in

recent years and no other race typifies

his resurgence greater than Newmarket's Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, which Dawn

Approach will tackle on Saturday's Dubai Future Champions Day in a bid to provide his Coolcullen stable

with a fifth renewal in seven years.

Unbeaten in five starts so far, Dawn Approach is more in the mold of Teofilo and his own

sire, New Approach, who provided back-to-back successes for their trainer in 2006 and

2007, than the surprise 2008 and 2011

winners Intense Focus and Parish Hall.

Race-hardened in his native Ireland,

the Godolphin chestnut put that experience to use when winning a talent-stacked edition of

the

Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 19 and looked as if the subsequent break had

only strengthened him in the Group 1

Vincent O'Brien National Stakes in his first try at this trip at The Curragh on September

15.

"Dawn Approach has a great

temperament and showed us almost from the word go," Bolger said. "His five races

don't seem to have taken anything

out of him and we've had absolutely no problems with him. Just watching him, you

could see this fellow had

something -- he has a terrific action. He is able to quicken up when the need

arises in his races and loves his racing.

He's right up there, ability-wise, with New Approach but he may not stay as well

as he did."

Another Dewhurst contender is the similarly unbeaten but far

less-accomplished Juddmonte representative

Ashdan, who went two-for-two in the "Frankel" conditions

event over this distance at Doncaster on

September 14. While that form is removed from the Dawn Approach standard, the

Dansili homebred had the smart No Jet Lag back in second, and the fourth Ninjago has

since boosted the form with an easy

win.

Rider William Buick is hopeful of a bold show despite his mount's lack of

seasoning.

"He's a nice horse who will improve and be better next year," Buick said. "Dawn

Approach is a tough nut to crack, but

we'll try, and Ashdan will go there in good form and we'll see what we can do."

Aidan O'Brien has a duo that should not be underestimated in George Vancouver

and The

Ferryman. The former, a son of Henrythenavigator, was a strong-finishing runner-up to

Group 1 Middle Park protagonist

Reckless Abandon in the Group 1 Prix Morny over six furlongs at

Deauville on August 19 before

flopping when only sixth behind the re-opposing Leitir Mor in

the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes over that

trip at The Curragh last out on September 9.

"George Vancouver ran a bit keen the last day in quite soft ground -- they went

very slow on the day and it didn't suit

him," jockey Joseph O'Brien told PA Sport. "He ran well in France the time

before, so hopefully he can put that last

run behind him and run a nice race on Saturday."

Clive Cox's star juvenile Reckless Abandon is looking to extend his unbeaten

record to five in the Group 1, £150,000 Middle Park. The son of Exchange Rate made a winning debut at Doncaster on May 19 before

taking the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes by three-quarters of a length at Royal Ascot

on June 21. Reckless Abandon continued to impress with a comfortable front-running success in the Group

2 Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte on July 22, before making all

the running to land the six-furlong Prix Morny by

three-quarters of a length at Deauville on August 19.

The unbeaten bay will once again clash with Moohaajim, trained by Marco Botti, who landed the

Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes impressively last month after finishing just a little over two

lengths behind Reckless Abandon when fifth in the Prix Morny.

"I have been very happy with Reckless Abandon

since he won the Morny at Deauville," said Cox, who is based in Lambourn,

England. "He has had a nice healthy gap between then

and now and I'm happy that he is in really good order.

"It has been a fantastic season so far and I am very pleased with the

progress he has made but I just hope we don't get too much rain at Newmarket --

that's my only concern. He has continued to strengthen and develop as you would expect from any

two-year-old, but very clearly in the right direction.

"I hope The Dip won't be a problem to him as he is very well balanced,"

Cox added. "It is

the first time he will encounter anything like that on the track so we don't

honestly know, but he handles and manages himself very well. I hope we can

confirm the form with Moohaajim."

The prestigious six-furlong contest also includes Kevin Ryan's unbeaten

Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes winner Blaine as well as Aidan O'Brien's Group 2 Coventry Stakes third Cristoforo Colombo, who will be partnered by Ryan Moore.

Runner-up in the Group 2 Railway Stakes at The Curragh 11

days after that Royal Ascot test, Cristoforo Colombo clipped heels and went down in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes back

at Kildare last out on August 12. Reportedly injured in transit ahead of his

scheduled next start in the National Stakes at The Curragh on September 15, he could benefit

from an upturn in fortunes here.

The Newmarket action will get underway in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes,

sending runners the specialist-trip of seven furlongs. The contest features some

proven types at that trip, headed by the admirable Libranno.

Four of the Librettist colt's six

pattern-race successes have come at the distance and his latest, in the Group 2 Park

Stakes at Doncaster on September 15, was a

career-best from the hardy four-year-old.

"He has been a star for us, but we pulled

him out of Ascot last week when it

came up very soft, so it was good to hear that they had only 3mm of rain at

Newmarket last night and the ground

should be okay," trainer Richard Hannon said.

Of the more unexposed types,

Fencing remains of interest, having shown smart form at two when third in the

Group 1 Racing Post Trophy over a mile

at Doncaster, and he was badly hampered when off the board in the Group 1 St James's

Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last out on

June 19. Another is Pearl Mix, who

returned from a lengthy absence to win a

decent mile conditions event over Kempton's Polytrack on September 20.

Bolger could be in for another afternoon to remember, with Scintillula backing

up Dawn Approach's Dewhurst challenge with her own assault on

the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes.

Runner-up in The Curragh's Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes over

this trip last time on September 9, the Galileo filly her

trainer owns in partnership with Kirsten Rausing had modest form going into that

race, but had proven group

performers Harasiya and Magical Dream behind on that day, and normal improvement

should see her break her maiden here.

Stepping up in trip is Poilin Good's homebred Melody of Love, who looked to

need an extra panel when annexing the six-furlong, Group 3 Firth of Clyde Stakes

at Ayr last out on September 22. The Haafhd lass carries the hopes of the small

stable of Ann Duffield.

Future Champions' Day could turn into a Bolger affair if all goes to plan

and his homebred colt Trading Leather can live up to his initial promise in the Group 3

Autumn Stakes in the penultimate race on the program. Runner-up to the

subsequent Group 2 Beresford Stakes hero Battle of Marengo in Leopardstown's listed Breeders' Cup

Juvenile Turf Trial going a mile in his racecourse bow on September 8, the son

of Teofilo made all to

score by an authoritative seven-length

margin just 15 days later at Gowran Park, and his conditioner sees him as a live

classic prospect for 2013.

"His last

run was very good and he came out of the race well," Bolger said. "I'd be hoping

he will give a good account and

maybe fit himself up for the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy. I'm viewing him at the

moment as a Derby horse, so, hopefully,

things will work out, and my assessment of him is correct. He has more

furnishing to do and it's only in the last couple

of weeks that he has stepped up to where he is now, so I'd imagine there is a

good bit of improvement to come."

Another fascinating Irish challenger is Michael O'Flynn's Galileo Rock, who also scored by seven

lengths in his sole outing over this trip at Leopardstown on August 16.

"Hopefully,

they don't get too much rain as a bit of

reasonable ground is important to a horse like him," trainer David Wachman told

PA Sport. "He's going to be quite

raw and green going there off the back of just one run, but we'll see what

happens."

Another debut maiden winner

thrown in at the deep end is John Grant's Glenard, who looked highly

promising when scoring over this

distance at Doncaster on September 13 and has been part-purchased by Highclere

Thoroughbred Racing in the interim.

"He has come out of his race at Doncaster well and did

a nice piece of work the other

morning," trainer Charles Hills said. "The plan was always to go for this race after Doncaster -- he's a big

horse and we have been going steady with

him as a two-year-old. He should stay well and next season will really be his

year."

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