Royal Zabeel goes for a third straight victory in the Win £1M With BetMGM’s Golden Goals Handicap, the class two highlight at Southwell today.
The four-year-old was purchased for 30,000 guineas by The Horse Watchers during the summer and, now in the care of Mick Appleby, has quickly paid back most of that outlay this winter.
Royal Zabeel winning at Wolverhampton (Pic – Jonathan Hipkiss)
After finishing second on his stable debut at Newcastle, Royal Zabeel scored at Southwell in mid-December and followed up with another dominant display in class two company at Wolverhampton last month.
Chris Dixon of The Horse Watchers said: “Royal Zabeel is doing really well and seems to be improving at home, so we are very happy with him.
“We have had this race pencilled in since his last win and it looks competitive, with a lot of the leading performers over this trip. Royal Zabeel is up the weights in a better race, so he will need to improve, but we think he is capable of doing so.
“He is not guaranteed to go to Finals Day because there is no seven-furlong option. There is a chance he could drop back to six furlongs, although that would depend on how he is shaping between now and then.
“Depending on how he gets on this week, the plan is to go for the Lady Wulfruna at Wolverhampton. Then we can decide on Finals Day after that. At this moment in time, I would say the Sprint would be more likely if he goes there, as we already have Symbol Of Light for the Mile and Penzance for the Middle Distance.”
In what looks a strong line-up, the Ed Bethell-trained Yorkshire is another contender chasing a three-timer following a brace of wins at Wolverhampton.
Our Havana also arrives on the back of a victory, with Richard Fahey’s runner taking a class four contest in good style at the track in January.
Geoff Oldroyd’s Doctor Khan Junior returns from almost a year off the track, having won four of his five starts during last season’s All-Weather Championships.
Apiarist drops back in trip for Kevin Ryan after winning twice over a mile this winter, including a valuable prize at Chelmsford.
Top weight Noble Truth makes only his third appearance since capturing the 2022 Gr3 Jersey Stakes, having failed to beat a rival on his debut for David O’Meara at Newcastle last month.
Karl Burke’s Liamarty Dreams was a creditable fourth behind Storm Star on AWC Trials Day, while Nikovo makes a quick reappearance for Michael Herrington after running behind Symbol Of Light last week.
Havanagreattime, who finished fourth behind Royal Zabeel last time out, wears first time cheekpieces for Richard Hughes.
Course scorers Blue Prince (David Evans) and Farasi Lane (Dr Richard Newland & Jamie Insole) complete the line-up alongside 2023 Ayr Gold Cup third Gweedore (Katie Scott).
