Kingman hoping to use Greenham as springboard to classic victory

Kingman hoping to use Greenham as springboard to classic

victory

With Australia, the son of international champion and two-time European Horse

of the Year

Ouija Board, currently dominating the ante-post list for

the Two Thousand Guineas, the Newmarket classic needs a serious rival to Ballydoyle's

much-vaunted youth and Kingman could fit the bill as he gets tested in

Saturday's Group 3, £60,000 Greenham Stakes at

Newbury.

Explosive in his debut over Newmarket's July Course in June and adequate when

following up in the Solario Stakes at Sandown at the end of August, Khalid

Abdullah's Invincible Spirit homebred is back from a subsequent injury and Racing Manager Teddy Grimthorpe is keen to see him in action.

"He's wintered very well," Grimthorpe told PA

Sport. "He's had a very straight-forward preparation and everything has gone

according to plan. He's pleased in his work and whatever he does tomorrow, I'd

hope he'd do a great deal better. I'm sure he'll come on a good deal for it. It

will definitely give us a pointer as to where we are with him."

James Doyle has been retained to ride Kingman.

"I sat on him last week and he did a nice, routine piece of

work," Doyle stated. "I couldn't be happier with him, he's moving good. I think the prep is

needed to get more experience into him, as he's lightly raced. It wasn't a big

field at Sandown and I wasn't able to teach him."

Richard Hannon Sr. saddled

four of the last seven Greenham winners and son Richard Jr. bids to continue the

run with Saeed Manana's Night of Thunder. Similarly

unbeaten, the son of Dubawi caught the eye of many serious judges when doubling his tally in

the six-furlong Doncaster Stakes at the end of October.

"Night of Thunder won

well at Goodwood and Doncaster last season and is a horse we have always liked,"

his conditioner commented. "He has been working well this spring, and we have no

doubt that he will stay the longer distance. He has already shown that he

handles soft ground, and, while it has dried up, there will still be some ease

in it, so underfoot conditions are not a problem."

Another who is stepping up in

trip is Angie Bailey's Middle Park and Gimcrack Stakes winner Astaire, and trainer Kevin Ryan admits he is testing the water

with the Intense Focus colt.

"It

looks like it will be a hot renewal, but we have to start somewhere and we will

take our chance," Ryan told PA Sport. "He has wintered great and looks the part.

He is in good form at home, so we will see."

Two more to add to a fascinating

mix in one of the strongest Greenham renewals in recent times are Sultan Ahmad Shah's Royal Lodge Stakes hero Berkshire, and Qatar Racing and Essafinaat's wide-margin Newcastle maiden winner Lat Hawill.

"Berkshire is fit and has

been working well," noted the Mount Nelson colt's trainer, Paul Cole. "We think he has improved from last year and we are hoping for

a good run."

Lat Hawill is conditioned by Marco Botti, who added about the son of

Invincible Spirit, "He was very impressive when he won

at Newcastle by eight lengths. He's done very well over the winter and we hope

he could be a classic horse."

Prior to the Greenham on Saturday will be the Group 3,

£60,000 Dubai Duty Free Stakes, which has a

rich heritage of producing stars under its traditional naming in honor of Fred

Darling. One who could fit into that category is Al Shaqab Racing's Al Thakhira.

Impressive over Newmarket's good-to-soft ground when winning the Rockfel Stakes in October, the bay

daughter of Dubawi was unable to feature when last of 14 on Santa

Anita's fast surface in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

"She's done

really well -- she's an exciting filly," trainer Botti explained. "She was a

bit disappointing in America, but she didn't handle the fast ground."

The Late

Henry Cecil has collected five renewals of the Fred Darlin and now Lady Cecil

bids to extend the record for Warren Place courtesy of Joyeuse, Khalid Abdullah's

Oasis Dream half-sister to Frankel who is

better than her latest sixth-placing in the Cheveley Park Stakes suggests.

Joyeuse previously landed Salisbury's Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes going six furlongs,

and is re-equipped with the hood she sported on her first two outings and which

is used for much of the family, bar her now-legendary half-sibling.

"She's had a straight-forward winter and preparation," Grimthorpe told PA Sport. "She was a little disappointing in the Cheveley

Park, but she has developed well over the winter and this is what trials are all

about. We are very happy with her."

Another trainer bidding to carry on an

esteemed legacy is Barry Hills' son Charlie, who saddles a live contender in Triermore Stud's Coral Mist.

The Bahamian Bounty filly signed off in 2013

with a taking performance when annexing the six-furlong Firth of Clyde Stakes at Ayr in September.

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