Royal Ascot target for Umm Kulthum after Listed success

Saturday: Newmarket

Royal Ascot was firmly on the minds of connections on 2,000 Guineas day with several winners on the Rowley Mile being pinpointed for the meeting in June.

Umm Kulthum and Khaadem earned their places with victories in the Listed Betfair British EBF Kilvington Stakes and the Group 3 Betfair Palace House Stakes respectively, while higher honours are also likely to be chased by handicap winners Blackrod and King Of Time.

Umm Kulthum went close to claiming Group 1 success in the Cheveley Park Stakes when last running at Newmarket in 2020 – finishing third to Alcohol Free – while her campaign last year showed considerable promise despite ending early in May due to what trainer Richard Fahey called a "small issue" after two runs.

Returning to the track after an 11-month absence, Umm Kulthum showed she was ready to make up for lost time with a battling victory in the Kilvington Stakes, with Fahey considering the Group 2 1895 Duke Of York Clipper Logistic Stakes before the Platinum Jubilee Stakes for Saeed Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi's four-year-old.

"She had a small issue last year and we ran out of time to run her," Fahey said. "It was a problem with her knee where there was a small suspected crack.

"It's only in the last couple of weeks she has come to herself, so it's pleasing to see her win like that, she's always been a classy horse. She's in at York and at Ascot and we'll have a look at those. I would think she would go to York as long as she's all right. She's not a bad filly at all."

'He's just seriously fast'

Connections of Khaadem are likely to target Royal Ascot's other top-level sprint contest, the King's Stand Stakes, after he showed too much speed for his rivals to take the Palace House Stakes.

Formerly owned by the late Hamdan Al Maktoum, Khaadem was snapped up by owners Jim and Fitri Hay as part of the Shadwell Estate cutbacks, although the gelding remained in training with Charlie Hills.

Khaadem and William Buick claim the Palace House Stakes at NewmarketCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Alex Cole, racing manager to the Hays, said: "We only bought him at the end of last year from Shadwell and we're over the moon. These are hard races to win but he's just seriously fast.

"He's a proven horse and the Hays like to have runners in Dubai, so it was an easy decision to buy him. You'd have to go to Ascot after that and take on the rockets there and keep him over the same trip too."

Britannia bound

The Britannia Stakes is a potential target for King Of Time after he overcame trouble in running to land the mile handicap for William Buick and Charlie Appleby, who was particularly keen on his runner's chances after Coroebus won the 2,000 Guineas.

"We were quite confident going into the race as he'd led Coroebus in a gallop here at the Craven meeting," the trainer said. "He got stopped when trying to deliver a challenge at the Bushes but that may have helped him. We could look at something like the Britannia Stakes."

Results, replays and analysis

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