Rogue Millennium Aims to Defend Duke of Cambridge Stakes Crown at Royal Ascot
The prestigious Royal Ascot meeting is just around the corner, and one of the key contenders set to feature is Rogue Millennium, the big-money purchase who is looking to defend her title in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.
Trained by Joseph O’Brien, the daughter of Dubawi was a star performer when trained in the UK by Tom Clover, edging out Random Harvest by a neck to win the one-mile Group Two event at the Royal meeting 12 months ago. Sold for 1,650,000 guineas at Tattersalls in December, Rogue Millennium has since transferred to Ireland to be trained at Owning Hill on behalf of her new owner Scott Heider.
“I think she will head for the Duke of Cambridge,” said O’Brien. “She made a lovely reappearance and we’re looking forward to getting her back on track. We’re looking forward to the week, it will be great racing and one of the best weeks of the year really.”
Another key member of O’Brien’s Royal Ascot plans is the crack two-year-old Cowardofthecounty, who made the perfect debut at the Curragh in the spring and could get his trainer’s week off to the perfect start in the opening day’s Coventry Stakes. The son of Kodi Bear heads to Berkshire with just the one appearance to his name, but is as short as 9-2 favourite with both Paddy Power and Betfred.
“Cowardofthecounty has had a good preparation since his debut. The plan has always been to come here since then and everything since his debut has gone smoothly,” O’Brien continued. “He made a really good debut, the form of the race has worked out well and he’s been training really well since then.”
While Rogue Millennium and Cowardofthecounty are set to feature at Royal Ascot, one horse who will not be at the meeting but is on course to still run at Ascot in his next start is the international traveller Al Riffa. A Group One winning two-year-old, the son of Wootton Bassett has always been a consistent performer and will be pointed towards the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the end of July following his run at Saratoga last weekend, where he was sixth in the Manhattan Stakes over an extended nine furlongs.
“He didn’t get the rub of the green, but he didn’t lose anything in defeat,” said O’Brien of Al Riffa’s US performance. “The track was a bit sharp for him, but he has pulled out of the race well and we look at something like the King George for him now.”
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