Abbey

http://www.racinguk.com/news/article/gentildonna-team-confident-at-turing-over-st-nicholas-abbey

Gentildonna team ready to take down Abbey

Friday 29 March 2013

By Racinguk.com staff

St Nicholas Abbey faces an uphill struggle to better his second-placed finish in the Dubai Sheema Classic with Japanese sensation Gentildonna blocking the way at Meydan on Saturday.

Aidan O'Brien's star finished a close second to Cirrus Des Aigles in the race a year ago and remains in rude health at the age of six, having stayed on from a poor position to take third in the Breeders' Cup Turf on his last outing.

Gentildonna is one of the best fillies ever to be exported from the Land Of The Rising Sun, having beaten Orfevre with a gutsy display in last season's Japan Cup.

She was the first filly to win the Group One contest, and it is no surprise the bookmakers are taking no chances with the raider a best-priced 13-8 with Paddy Power.

"He ran very well when second in the same race last year and seems in good form. We're happy with him and hoping for another good run from him," O'Brien said, after his horses took a serious look at the Meydan track for the first time on Friday.

(Listen to Racinguk.com's interview with Alain De Royer-Dupre)

Ireland is also represented by the Tommy Carmody-trained Royal Diamond, the mount of Johnny Murtagh, but all eyes will be on Gentildonna. 

With Orfevre rated the highest middle-distance performer in the world, Gentildonna has been followed around all week at Meydan by a legion of photographers ansd film crews.

She has impressed gallops watchers this week, and having put in a focused performance on Friday trainer Sei Ishizaka was confident of a positive result.

"In the history of the Japan Racing Association there have been several fillies who achieved the Triple Crown," Ishizaka said. "I believe she is better than most of those and is still young.

"She is just four years old and can be one of the best fillies ever.

"If she can race in the same sort of form that she has in the past she has a very good chance of winning."

Alain de Royer-Dupre, who saddles four horses across the evening including Giofra in the Duty Free, seems very sweet on the prospects of Shareta. Winner of the Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille, the mare was not too far behind St Nicholas Abbey in Santa Anita.

The French trainer said at Meydan on Friday: "We had a plan for six or seven weeks before the race to go more and more (on the gallops) and for me, she looks very well. I think she's my best chance of my runners."

Godolphin are doubly represented, with Silvestre De Sousa aboard Sharestan, a lightly raced recruit from John Oxx who was performed reasonably at the Carnival. Prince Bishop (Mickael Barzalona) was seventh in last year's World Cup and recently returned from a long absence.

Trainer Saeed Bin Suroor said: "Sharestan won well first time and was a bit unlucky on his second run. He is trying this trip for the first time, but I think he will stay and hope he runs a good race.

"Prince Bishop disappointed in last year's Dubai World Cup but has run well on turf in the past and I think a mile and a half is the best trip for him. He is doing well and we are happy with him, though he might prefer a bit of cut in the ground."