Trainer Barry Hills on Tuesday gave the lowdown on his two weekend hopes for
the Two Thousand (Group 1) and One Thousand Guineas (Group 1) at Newmarket.
In the former race, the Lambourn conditioner has Rerouted,
who took the Somerville Tattersall S. (Group 3) at the track last September and
was runner-up in the European Free H. back there April 13. While his presence
will ensure a strong pace for Frankel, Hills is hoping he can
shine in his own right.
“Rerouted will be there to help ensure there is a true and sensible pace for
Frankel in the Two Thousand Guineas,” he said. “However, these kind of tactics
suit his running style and he will be running on his merits. We could possibly
put blinkers on him to make sure he concentrates, as he was looking around in
the Free Handicap and pricking his ears.
“He has been working really well with good horses at home, such as Prime
Defender, and although it looks unlikely we’ll beat Frankel,
hopefully we can play for a place.”
Hills also saddles the recent One Thousand Guineas gamble Make a Dance for the Juddmonte establishment 24 hours later and he said of the
seven-furlong Newmarket maiden winner, “She was very impressive when she won her
maiden at the end of last season at Newmarket and she has matured nicely over
the winter. It is never easy to tell where you stand when it’s your first run of
the year, but if her homework is anything to go by, she should have a good
chance.”
Frankel was wrapping up his preparatory work for Saturday’s Two Thousand
Guineas on the Newmarket gallops Tuesday. Watched by Henry Cecil, the unbeaten
homebred came through his latest exercise with flying colors.
“He did his final quiet piece of work this morning. I’m delighted with him,
but we’ve still got four days to go,” Cecil said. “It was just with a lead
horse, a nice second canter and we let him go on for the last furlong. He was
relaxed and settled well. He’s in good form and I’ll be surprised if he’s not a
better horse now than when he ran at Newbury.”