Crisford delighted as Sporting Chance completes QIPCO 2000 Guineas preparations
1st May 2019 – Sporting Chance put the finishing touches to his preparations for Saturday’s Group 1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas with a seven furlong workout at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile Racecourse this morning (Wednesday).
Worth £523,750 and run over the Rowley Mile’s straight mile, the QIPCO 2000 Guineas is both the first British Classic of the season and the opening leg of the 2019 QIPCO British Champions Series. Trained by Simon Crisford, Sporting Chance is one of its 24 entries prior to tomorrow’s final declaration stage.
The son of Kodiac won the Meydan Classic in Dubai on 28th February having three weeks earlier tried Meydan’s dirt surface when finishing a distant fourth in the UAE 2000 Guineas. The pick of his seven juvenile starts was victory in the Group 3 Prix Eclipse at Maisons-Laffitte last September.
His two galloping companions this morning included another Kodiac colt, Jash, who was originally entered in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas only to be withdrawn at the 23rd April scratching stage.
Jash has not raced since chasing home the QIPCO 2000 Guineas second favourite, Ten Sovereigns, in the Group 1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes on the Rowley Mile seven months ago.
Simon Crisford, trainer of Sporting Chance and Jash, said:
“The gallop went super well and I’m delighted with Sporting Chance. He was just having an easy work prior to the QIPCO 2000 Guineas on Saturday.
“He’s a stuffy type of horse and needs a fair bit of work, so I’m really pleased with how he finished that piece of work.
“He’s a massive price and very much deserves to be in the mix. He was very impressive when he won at Meydan and he’s a very likeable, tough, hard and willing type of colt.
“Realistically, it’s a wide open, extremely tough renewal and he’s going to have to run better than he ever has before to be in contention but he’s in a good spot at the moment.
“Jash was just having an easy workout in preparation possibly for the Betway King Charles II Stakes back here at the Rowley Mile on 18th May over seven furlongs.”
