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Northern Champion Eyes Group 2 Success In The Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes
Edward Walker reveals how his recent Listed winner – Northern Champion - is shaping up ahead of Saturday’s Group 2 feature
Ed Walker will be hoping to secure a first win in the Group 2 Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes with his recent Listed winner Northern Champion, who is one of nine declared for the feature race of Newbury Racecourse’s seven-race card on Saturday 15 August. Scheduled for 3:10pm with ground conditions currently reported at ‘Good to Firm’, the seven-furlong contest is open to horses aged three and older and now boasts an increased prize fund of £165,000
The TBT Racing-owned Northern Champion had a very encouraging campaign in Dubai, including two wins at Meydan, prior to his run in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and victory in the Listed City Plate Stakes at Chester. Walker commented: “Northern Champion, he’s been a really fun horse actually. He obviously excelled in Dubai. He’s just a really tough, genuine horse, obviously with plenty of ability. You know, he’s not the biggest, he doesn’t have a great big stride. He’s quite unassuming, but he’s got a wonderful temperament. He tries very hard. And he’s clearly got a lot of talent.
“His peak really was at Chester in the Listed race, which he won well, he had the perfect trip round, and Ashley [Lewis] gave him a peach of a ride. That was a huge the feather in his cap.”
The three-year-old son of Wootton Bassett followed this up with a run at the Qatar Goodwood Festival. Walker added: “We then, probably wrongly, came back to six furlongs in the Stewards’ Cup, and he was just taken off his feet down the hill and just struggled to go with them.”
On how he thinks the colt will far on Saturday, Walker said: “He seems in great nick, and he’ll love the ground and I’m sure back up at seven, he’ll be very competitive. We chucked him in the deep end very soon, thinking that he might not, train on or he might struggle, as his contemporaries got bigger, stronger and matured, but he’s really held his own and definitely improved.”
At the head of the market is Andrew Balding’s Never So Brave, who finished runner-up in the Group 3 Criterion Stakes at York in June. Last seen finishing sixth behind Bow Echo in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, he drops back to seven furlongs here. Meanwhile, leading the three-year-old challenge is second-favourite Coppull. Trained by Clive Cox for Mr David W. Armstrong, he returned to action this season with victory in the Group 3 Pavilion Stakes at Ascot in May and now steps up to seven furlongs for the first time.
Symbol Of Honour also arrives in excellent form for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby. The four-year-old returned to winning ways when landing the Group 3 Hallgarten And Novum Wines Hackwood Stakes over six furlongs at Newbury on 18 July.
Second in last year’s Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes, Witness Stand will be looking to go one better for trainer Dr Richard Newland with Saffie Osborne in the saddle. The son of Expert Eye returned from a spell in Dubai to finish second in the Group 3 Tattenham Corner Stakes at Epsom behind subsequent Royal Ascot winner, Ten Bob Tony.
A winner of three of his four career starts, Extremely Zain takes a step up in class here. The William Haggas-trained colt won at Newcastle on debut before taking the Trade Nation Novice Stakes at Newbury in May and a handicap at York the following month. Last seen finishing a close fourth in the valuable International Handicap at Ascot, he will be looking to land the Somerville Lodge team a third consecutive, and fifth overall, win in the race.
Another with course form is Sukanya. The Jack Channon-trained filly produced a career best when coming from last to first to win the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury in April. She subsequently contested the Irish 1,000 Guineas before finishing sixth in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Marco Botti’s Prince Of India and James Fanshawe’s Back In Black complete the field.
