Dods hoping for Abbaye encore before star mare Mabs Cross retires at end of year

Michael Dods is hoping star mare Mabs Cross can add a second top-level success to her CV before the curtain comes down on her racing career at the end of the season, but the County Durham trainer is in no rush to tackle runaway Nunthorpe winner Battaash again before he has to.

Another crack at the Longines-backed Prix de l'Abbaye, in which Mabs Cross beat last week’s Nunthorpe one-two Battaash and Soldier’s Call to claim her sole success at the highest level last season, is a definite target but whether she runs before the Longchamp Group 1 on October 6 will likely depend on Battaash's plans.

“We’ll definitely go for the Abbaye, whether we go to Ireland beforehand we’re less sure” explained Dods. “We don’t really want to go over there to meet Battaash again, he’s something else at the moment, so it’d be nice if we could avoid him. We’ll see where he’s going before we decide.”

Next month's Derrinstown Stud Flying Five at the Curragh, as well as the Abbaye and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita in November are all under consideration for Battaash, who lowered Dayjur's 29-year-old track record with a blistering performance in Friday's Nunthorpe at York, with Mabs Cross five and three-quarter lengths behind in fourth.

“It was a bit firm for her last week at York so we’re letting her have an easy week and then we’ll get her ready," added Dods. "Whatever the ground I think Battaash would have won, he’s very impressive at the moment.

“If he went to Ireland and then France, and we went straight to the Abbaye, maybe we could get closer to him but you just don’t know. I think she’s at the age where she needs to be going to stud as a mare, so this will be her last season. She’s also in the sprint on Champions Day, so I wouldn’t rule that out, but the Abbaye’s her number one target.”

Dakota Gold: impressive wins at Ripon and York recentlyCredit: John Grossick 07710461723

The emergence of Mabs Cross as a leading sprinter followed swiftly after the retirement of Mecca’s Angel, who landed the Nunthorpe twice for Dods, and the trainer feels he has another potential Group-race performer to help fill the void when Mabs Cross retires in the form of stablemate Dakota Gold.

The exciting gelding won a sprint handicap at the Ebor meeting off a mark of 104, although a step into Group company may be on hold until next season, with connections keen on a tilt at the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup on September 21 next.

Dakota Gold would race under a 5lb penalty rather than his new mark of 112 if he takes his chance at Ayr and, asked if he had the right credentials to mix it in Group company in the future, Dods said: “He’s looking that way; he’s very straightforward, likes to get on with it and soft ground’s not a problem.

“The way he’s improving you would hope he’d be up to that - and he’d need to be off his handicap mark because we don’t really want to be carrying topweight all the time.

"I don’t think we’ll go to the Portland. He’s topweight in the Ayr Gold Cup, but that’s the plan at the minute and then we might look for a Listed race for him somewhere.”

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