NEWS
Asiatic Boy invades England in Sussex return
Posted: Monday, July 30, 2007 12:11 PM
ASIATIC BOY WINNING THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DERBY ON MARCH 31.
Dubai Racing Club/Andrew Watkins photo
by Jeff Lowe
Asiatic Boy, the smashing winner of the United Arab Emirates Triple Crown, will switch to turf for his European debut in the $139,223 Sussex Stakes (Eng-G1), the focal point of Wednesday’s card at Glorious Goodwood.
In facing open company for the first time, Asiatic Boy will take on Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-G1) winner Ramonti and St. James’s Palace Stakes (Eng-G1) winner Excellent Art in the one-mile Sussex.
A Group 1-placed winner on grass in Argentina in 2006, Asiatic Boy will be racing for the first time since his 9 ½-length domination of the S & M Al Naboodah Group United Arab Emirates Derby (UAE-G2) on March 31 at Nad al Sheba racecourse.
Asiatic Boy won his four starts in Dubai by a combined 25 ¾ lengths for trainer Michael de Kock and owner Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum.
Ramonti beat Jeremy by a nose in the Queen Anne for his first victory under the Godolphin Racing banner. Last year, Ramonti won four stakes in Italy and finished third in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile (HK-G1). He joined the Godolphin roster over the winter and finished second by a head to Red Evie in the Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes (Eng-G1) on May 19 at Newbury.
Excellent Art led home a sweep of the top three positions in the St. James’s Palace for trainer Aidan O’Brien. He also won the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes (Eng-G2) in September at Newbury.
O’Brien also entered Group 2 winner Archipenko and two-time winner Trinity College, a Giant’s Causeway colt who topped the 2005 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July selected yearling sale on a final bid of $650,000 from Demi O’Byrne.
Jeremy will get a rematch with Ramonti as he pursues his first Group 1 victory. Sir Michael Stoute trains the Danehill Dancer colt for Pennsylvania-based owner Betty Moran.
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
