Postponed, Hawkbill Bring Win Streaks to York
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Photo: Mathea Kelley/Dubai Racing Club
Postponed wins the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse on March 26, 2016.
A top-flight field of 13, led by group I winners Postponed, Highland Reel, and Hawkbill, has been entered for the $1.25 million Juddmonte International (Eng-I) Aug. 17, opening day of York's prestigious Ebor Festival.
Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's 5-year-old Postponed will put a five-race winning streak on the line for trainer Roger Varian.
The bay son of Dubawi started his streak with a win in 2015 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Eng-I) and has carried that form into 2016, winning the Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-I) at Meydan in March and the Coronation Cup (Eng-I) at Epsom in his most recent start June 4. A respiratory infection kept him out of this year's King George last month as Ascot.
Coolmore-associated partners' Highland Reel already earned an automatic starting berth into this year's Breeders' Cup Turf when he won the King George July 23 for trainer Aidan O'Brien and rates as a stiff test for Postponed.
The 4-year-old son of Galileo came to the U.S. and won Arlington Park's Secretariat (gr. IT) last year and closed out his campaign with a win in the Longines Hong Kong Vase (HK-I) at Sha Tin in December. This year Highland Reel is just 1-for-4, but clearly restored his form with the Ascot win to move his lifetime mark to 6-for-15.
Godolphin's Hawkbill, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Kitten's Joy, has been supplemented and rates a major danger off six straight wins for trainer Charlie Appleby, including the Coral Eclipse (Eng-I) over older horses at Sandown July 2, while Paul and Clare Rooney's My Dream Boat won Royal Ascot's Prince of Wales's (Eng-I) in June for trainer Clive Cox, but will need to rebound off a fifth-place finish in the Coral Eclipse.
Almodovor, Arab Spring, Dariyan, Exosphere, King Bolete, Mutakayef, Sir Isaac Newton, The Grey Gatsby, and Wings of Desire are also entered in the Juddmonte International.
The 1 1/4-mile Juddmonte International provides the winner an automatic starting berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) Nov. 5 at Santa Anita Park through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge.