Lake Forest could secure a trip to Australia if he performs well over seven furlongs in the Betfred Park Stakes at Doncaster on Saturday.
The son of No Nay Never, trained by William Haggas, remains among the 16 entries for the Group Two race following Monday’s confirmation stage. Haggas is keen to see how the colt fares at this longer distance, especially after his promising performances in top sprint races last year, including a close second in the Gimcrack and similar results in the Commonwealth Cup and Hackwood Stakes.
Owned by Tony Bloom, chairman of Brighton and Hove Albion, in partnership with Ian McAleavy, Lake Forest was just edged out by Inisherin at Royal Ascot and by Elite Status at Newbury. After missing the chance to race over a longer distance in the City of York Stakes due to issues at the stalls, Haggas is now closely monitoring the weather for his fast-ground-loving colt. A strong performance on Saturday could pave the way for a run in the prestigious Golden Eagle in Australia later this year.
Haggas commented, "The plan is to go to Doncaster for the Park Stakes, and I’m hoping for some dry ground. It seems like a good opportunity to test him at seven furlongs, which could open up additional options if he handles it well. If he does, a trip to Australia could be on the cards, especially with the AUS$10 million race over seven and a half furlongs on November 2 in mind."
The Park Stakes field also includes Kinross, the race’s winner two years ago, as well as Noble Dynasty, Nostrum, Shouldvebeenaring, and Al Shabab Storm.
The card also features the Betfred Champagne Stakes, where Charlie Appleby’s Aomori City, impressive in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, sets a high standard. He defeated Hugo Palmer’s Wolf Of Badenoch there, and they may meet again. Palmer may also enter Seagulls Eleven, the runner-up in the Superlative Stakes.
Aidan O’Brien has left Bernard Shaw, a nine-length winner at Dundalk, as well as Aftermath, Monumental, and Camille Pissarro. Other notable entries include Bay City Roller, unbeaten in two starts for George Scott; Chancellor, a dual Doncaster winner for John and Thady Gosden; and Richard Spencer’s Righthere Rightnow.