“Saturday’s Highlights at Royal Ascot: Memorable Quotes from Top Jockeys and Trainers”

Unpredictable Conditions for Hukum Ahead of Hardwicke Stakes Appearance at Royal Ascot

The highly anticipated Hardwicke Stakes is just around the corner, and all eyes are on trainer Owen Burrows’ prized colt, Hukum. The full-brother to Baaeed has had a meteoric rise in the racing world, with a Group One victory under his belt from last season’s Coronation Cup at Epsom.

However, after suffering a career-threatening injury during that race, there are concerns about how he will perform this time around. Despite making an impressive comeback last month by defeating Derby hero Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown, Burrows insists that unpredictable ground conditions may pose a threat to his winning streak.

A Tricky Decision

Burrows is keeping his fingers crossed that the ground doesn’t get too quick ahead of Saturday’s race. He plans to walk the track midday on Saturday to ensure everything is acceptable before deciding whether or not to take any chances with Hukum. While he has won on various types of grounds before, jockey Jim Crowley mentioned after Hukum’s win at Sandown that he performs much better on good ground.

“We want to look after him this year – we won’t risk him on fast ground,” says Burrows.

The team wants what’s best for their champion even if it means waiting until another opportunity arises later in the year when conditions are more favorable.

Tough Competition

Hukum can expect tough competition from several high-class rivals who have thrived under similar circumstances. Free Wind for John and Thady Gosden has won her last four races, while Deauville Legend from James Ferguson’s stable has been off-track since their fourth-place finish in November’s Melbourne Cup.

Another formidable opponent is Pyledriver, who hasn’t seen the track for almost a year due to injury after winning the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes over the same course and distance last year.

A Long-Awaited Return

The six-year-old Pyledriver trained by William Muir in partnership with Chris Grassick will have to overcome an even longer absence than Hukum. The trainers are keeping their fingers crossed that everything goes well on his return to racing at Royal Ascot.

“This is hopefully a prep race for the King George,” says William Muir about Pyledriver’s comeback race.

Muir believes this first race back will be critical as it will help put some edge on him before he moves on to bigger things later down the line such as competing in other events like the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes again. While there may be doubts about his ability following such a long layoff, they remain optimistic of success.

The Final Afternoon

The final afternoon of Royal Ascot gets underway with seven-furlong Chesham Stakes Stakes- wherein Navan scorer Pearls And Rubies is expected favorite for Aidan O’Brien. La Guarida trained by Richard Hannon seems like another potential candidate having built up momentum with recent victories at Newmarket and Goodwood..

Journey towards Glory Continues

Olivier Maralda from Roger Varian’s stables seeks victory in Group Three Jersey Stakes after dominating performance in the Listed Surrey Stakes at Epsom.

“She clocked in a very good time at Epsom, and I think at one stage she clocked a sub 10-second furlong,” says Tom Pennington, Racing Manager for Amo team.

The Jersey Stakes is sure to be an exciting race with lots of potential winners in contention. There are high hopes that Olivier Maralda will continue its journey towards glory by securing another win against worthy opponents.