NEWS
Quartet of Group 2 winners to clash in Middle Park
Posted: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 2:26 PM
by Steve Bailey
Unbeaten Awzaan is one of four Group 2 winners entered in a compact but talented field of five for the $271,133 Shadwell Middle Park Stakes (Eng-G1) for two-year-olds on Friday at Newmarket.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum’s brown Alhaarth colt enters the six-furlong test off a 1¼-length victory in the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes (Eng-G2) on September 19 at Newbury.
Unbeaten in three career starts for trainer Mark Johnston, Awzaan opened his career with back-to-back victories in six-furlong races on June 17 at Hamilton Park and July 9 at Newmarket.
Arctic, winner of the Go and Go Round Tower Stakes (Ire-G3) by 4½ lengths on August 30 at the Curragh, also will try to remain unbeaten in his fourth career start for trainer Tracey Collins.
The gray Shamardal colt won a five-furlong maiden event on July 2 at Bellewstown and the five-furlong Curragh Grangecon Stud Stakes on July 26 in his two starts prior to the Round Tower Stakes.
Radiohead will seek his first triumph since annexing the five-furlong Norfolk Stakes (Eng-G2) on June 18 during the Royal Ascot meeting.
The chestnut Johannesburg colt finished third in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes (Eng-G1) on August 21 at York and fourth in the Mill Reef Stakes on September 19 for trainer Brian Meehan.
Both Poet’s Voice and Showcasing enter off English Group 2 victories in their previous starts.
Godolphin Racing’s Poet’s Voice enters off a three-quarter-length victory in the DFS Champagne Stakes (Eng-G2) on September 12 at Doncaster, while Juddmonte Farms’ homebred Showcasing captured the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes (Eng-G2) on August 19 for trainer John Gosden at York.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
