'He's potentially our best ever Classic contender' - Clive Cox stars in our new Lambourn newsletter

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Greetings from Lambourn!

This is a brand new newsletter from this corner of West Berkshire that Nicky Henderson has called home for most of his life and where I'm lucky enough to work as the Racing Post correspondent. I'll be bringing you village news and views, with my Newmarket counterpart David Milnes doing the same from his neck of the woods.

That said, as you read this the main subject of this week's email is actually nowhere near RG17 and was speaking from thousands of miles away!

Cox's high hopes

Clive Cox, like Henderson, is one of Lambourn's leading operators although this week is in Dubai, where he will saddle the smart Diligent Harry in Saturday's Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan.

He is Cox's first runner there since 2018 and full marks to the trainer for recalling the unheralded name of his last representative.

"We ran Khalidi in the Sheema Classic," he says without hesitation.

Cox dines at Flat racing's top table so that hiatus might seem a surprise at first, but the focus of his Beechdown Stables, which he rents from Lambourn icon John Francome, is on two-year-olds and three-year-olds who aren't catered for at the Middle East jamboree.

"That's it," Cox accepts. "But it's lovely to be back and I'm thrilled to report Harry has travelled over and settled in really well. He looks great so I'm very happy."

This time last year, the six-year-old was gearing up for Newcastle's All-Weather Championships finals day, but the decision to turn the conditions sprint he won into a handicap means Gosforth Park's loss is Dubai's gain.

"Winning that final last year was perfect for him, but they changed the format, so I'm delighted he's managed to make the squad here," Cox adds.

Clive Cox: bidding for Dubai gloryCredit: Getty Images

"It would be foolish to run in a handicap off his mark [111], which pretty much ruled that out, but his two Listed wins this year show he's in excellent heart and his form with Annaf was boosted when that horse won a big race in Saudi Arabia.

"He looks a million dollars and you'd say his last two wins have been the best performances of his career, which is why I'm pleased we can shoot for the moon in a race like this with such healthy prize-money."

Owned by a bunching calling themselves The Dilinquents, Diligent Harry boasts all-weather form of 11213219111, but his turf record reads 202000647284. A concern?

"He was only just beaten in the Hackwood last year and if he'd won that we wouldn't be having this conversation," responds Cox, who has trained a world champion speedster in Harry Angel.

"We're very small margins away and I hope he can translate that recent form, albeit it's on the all-weather. I think he can be in the mix. We've been lucky to have some good sprinters and, on his best form, he has always looked like he could take a step like this at some stage; hopefully that's happening now he's in a great spot in his career."

The Caribbean is normally Cox's choice when it comes to hunting down some sunshine, but the former jump jockey is probably happiest on his elevated gallops whatever the elements - and why wouldn't he be?

His first two-year-old runner of 2024, The Dragon King, was an encouraging second at Southwell on Tuesday. He is one of around 45 juveniles – "a normal number" – Cox has for the new season, which he is understandably relishing, and that is no surprise when you consider the potential possessed by Ghostwriter, the unbeaten Royal Lodge winner who can be backed at 16-1 for the Qipco 2,000 Guineas and 25-1 for the Betfred Derby.

"His two-year-old efforts speak volumes and his track form at Newmarket, on the July course and the Rowley Mile, is a positive," Cox purrs. "Physically, he's strengthened from being a big frame of a horse and I'm obviously very excited.

"He'd only run in the Craven if we took in a trial because he wouldn't be dropping back to seven furlongs having won over a mile last year, but we'll play it by ear and the ground will be a factor in our decision, while we can have a racecourse gallop at any time too.

"Most importantly, we'd look to turn up in the Guineas in the best form possible."

Ghostwriter: a Classic contender?Credit: Alan Crowhurst

Reckless Abandon, Tis Marvellous, Harry Angel, Golden Horde and Supremacy were electric juveniles who never threatened to stretch out over Classic distances.

It's therefore likely Cox, open-minded about the colt's trip requirements, has never had a more promising Classic prospect, I suggest.

"Xtension was fourth in the Guineas and Zonderland was sixth, and this horse is potentially our best Classic contender so far," he says.

"I'm so pleased for his owner Jeff Smith and, on last year and the way he looks now, I'm full of hope and confidence he can build on what he's done, while he's a gentleman to deal with."

Cox could have been talking about himself with that last line, but he's not the only gent in Lambourn, as you'll hopefully discover in future emails.

Henderson team starting to fire again – unlike assistant Daly

Nicky Henderson will be back on the hunt for Grade 1 success at Aintree, where his team could well include Marie's Rock. She was among the disappointments at the Cheltenham Festival, but she is set to be given the options of the William Hill Aintree Hurdle over two and a half miles on April 11 and the JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle over three miles two days later. That said, Punchestown's Annie Power Mares Champion Hurdle, which she captured two years ago, hasn't been ruled out either.

Marie's Rock: heading for AintreeCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Henderson, whose string might be starting to get over whatever has been affecting them of late, was at Newbury on Friday, when a charity lunch for former jockey Steve Jobar, who has motor neurone disease, took place and featured a bang-in-form Francome conducting the auction.

Twenty-four hours later at the racecourse came the sight of Henderson's assistant George Daly hobbling around on crutches. Daly has taken over riding Shishkin at home this season but a football injury has resulted in him breaking a bone in his leg.

Globe-trotters have fresh targets

Archie Watson is set to break new ground with his first Hong Kong runner as the prolific globetrotter Brave Emperor, whose last two wins have come in Germany, Italy and Qatar, has been accepted to run in the FWD Champions Mile, which takes place on April 28 and has a prize fund of around £2.2 million.

Like Brave Emperor, last year's Cambridgeshire winner Astro King has been clocking up the air miles for Daniel and Claire Kubler and, after outings in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, he is next due to run at Newmarket's Craven meeting next month in the bet365 Earl of Sefton Stakes providing the ground is decent.

Top Lambourn experiences up for grabs

Friday would usually see the village's yards open their doors for the annual Sir Peter O'Sullevan Open Day, which raises much-needed funds for worthy local causes.

The news it will not take place because of waterlogging was a bitter blow, but the silent auction goes ahead and lots feature a morning on the gallops with Henderson, a painting and signed print of his stable star Constitution Hill and an oil painting of ace jockey Tom Marquand by Jessica Hills, granddaughter of former top trainer Barry and daughter of the late, dearly loved John. Click here if you'd like to bid for anything.

The Lambourn nap

Brentford Hope
2.05 Haydock, Saturday

Harry Derham is a trainer going places and this one-time smart Flat performer handles testing ground, has won four of his seven starts for the yard and ought to be a major player.

Brentford Hope14:05 Haydock

View Racecard

Jky: Paul O'Brien Tnr: Harry Derham

Read these next:

'He'd go to bed with the Racing Post' - schoolboy William Dunlop follows Nicky Henderson and Charlie Hills with amateur licence 

Blow for Lambourn as popular open day on Good Friday is cancelled because of waterlogging 

The Lambourn monorail: how Harry Teal and star sprinter Oxted are breathing new life into the village's white elephant 

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