Alice Haynes plotting money-spinning US adventure for 100-1 Queen Anne third Cairo

Alice Haynes’s stable star Cairo, who finished a career-best third at Royal Ascot in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at odds of 100-1, is set to spend the rest of the summer in the US with some ambitious targets on his agenda.

The five-year-old gave his Kuwaiti owner Refai Alghraiban a great thrill when beaten just a length and three-quarters behind Docklands in the opening race of the royal meeting, when he had Group 1 winners like Notable Speech, Carl Spackler and Lead Artist in arrears.

After that effort, Cairo was raised to a career-best BHA rating of 114, 2lb above his previous highest mark which he earned after finishing second to his then stablemate Paddington in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 2023, when trained by Aidan O’Brien. 

Cairo (right) finished third behind Docklands (left) and Rosallion in the Queen Anne StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Haynes said of the Royal Ascot run: “We changed our tactics on Cairo where many people perhaps thought we were going to make the running. He’s a prominent runner but not a front runner usually and we thought we’d ride him quietly and it paid off, as the first three home in the race were hold-up horses.”

Cairo has entries at the Newmarket July festival and Glorious Goodwood but his trainer said: “I think we’ll go to America next. There are two Grade 1s over a mile and ten furlongs on fast ground which will suit him. One of the races is the Arlington Million at Colonial Downs on August 9.

“Charlie Appleby won it last year with Nations Pride when it was a small field so that may suit him very well.“

Beyond that, in September Cairo is under consideration for the Grade 3 Mint Millions Stakes at Kentucky Downs which is worth $2 million including bonuses.

Haynes said: “The Mint Millions is an attractive option because as a Kentucky-bred, he could be in line for a bonus as half of the purse is put up by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.”

Read more:

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The Irish Derby's other big winner: what next for this Royal Ascot star after major form boost? 

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