Chaldean and Westover prepared for upcoming tasks in France
Chaldean and Westover Ready to Shine for Juddmonte
Prepare for an exhilarating weekend of racing as the powerhouse Juddmonte operation unleashes two standout performers – Chaldean and Westover – in their famous silks once again.
Last season was a defining one for these colts, both Group One victors and Classic winners. Westover impressed with a third-place finish in the Derby followed by victory in the Irish Derby. Meanwhile, Chaldean claimed the Dewhurst title before kicking off this year with a triumphant run at the 2000 Guineas.
After a minor setback at Greenham due to an unfortunate start from the stalls, Chaldean bounced back and secured second place behind Irish Guineas hero Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes. Now, he returns to seven furlongs for Sunday’s Prix Jean Prat at Deauville – an event that has been favorable towards British and Irish-trained runners recently.
Oisin Murphy takes over riding duties from Frankie Dettori, who is currently suspended. The race boasts competitors like Newmarket second Hi Royal trained by Kevin Ryan, Craven winner Indestructible under Karl Burke’s guidance, high-class filly Meditate handled by Aidan O’Brien, as well as Roger Varian’s St James’s Palace third-place finisher Charyn.
“Andrew was happy and Oisin was happy on Wednesday morning,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for Juddmonte. “We’re looking forward to it and you’d be hopeful, but it’s a deep race.”
The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud will see Westover in action across the Channel on Saturday. With the exception of a disappointing run as favorite in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Westover has consistently performed well throughout his career.
His two appearances this campaign resulted in second-place finishes – once behind Japanese superstar Equinox at Meydan’s Dubai Turf and another time trailing Emily Upjohn in the Coronation Cup at Epsom.
“You’d like to think he’ll hard to beat,” said Mahon regarding Westover’s chances at Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. “He’s had a nice break since Epsom, he’s coming in good form, it’s a small field and he has a pacemaker there to make sure there’s pace.”
Mahon also mentioned being cautious about any pre-race anxieties that may arise for Westover: “Hopefully Ascot was a one-off isolated incident and he’ll be fine on Saturday.”