James Owen is aiming for success at Newmarket this weekend as Wimbledon Hawkeye prepares for the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes.
The colt marked his sire Kameko’s first victory with a win at Kempton on debut and later secured a podium finish in the Superlative Stakes. He then finished second in the Acomb Stakes at York, splitting the Classic contenders The Lion In Winter and Ruling Court.
Owned by the Gredley Family, Wimbledon Hawkeye has been a standout in Owen’s Flat team, and the trainer is eager to see how the talented colt performs as he steps up in distance on the Rowley Mile this Saturday.
"It looks like the right race for him, and he’s been training really well since the Acomb," said Owen.
"My first two-year-olds usually needed more experience, but he won on debut and has improved with each run since. His figures have steadily increased, and I hope that trend continues. I’m really enjoying training the two-year-olds, especially since he’s homebred from one of the Gredley Family’s mares (Eva Maria). It’s a special experience, and we feel privileged to be in this position."
As a five-time UK champion trainer of Arabian horses, Owen has received strong support from Wimbledon Hawkeye’s owners since he expanded his operation to include training on both the Flat and over jumps.
In addition to Wimbledon Hawkeye, Grade One-winning chaser Allmankind is set to make his debut for Owen at Market Rasen on Saturday. The Gredley silks will also be on display with Burdett Road in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Godolphin Stakes at Newmarket on Friday.
This Listed race is expected to be Burdett Road’s final Flat outing before he returns to hurdles, where he achieved Grade Two success as a juvenile last November.
"It’s a great race for him, and returning to Newmarket should suit him well," Owen noted.
"He settled nicely for Harry Davies at Chester, and I believe he has a good chance. After this, he’ll head to the Masterson Holdings Hurdle for four-year-olds at Cheltenham—this will likely be his last Flat run before switching back to hurdling."