James Owen is optimistic about Wimbledon Hawkeye’s future following his impressive performance in the Acomb Stakes at York, where he finished between The Lion In Winter and Ruling Court.
Both The Lion In Winter, trained by Aidan O’Brien, and Charlie Appleby’s Ruling Court were joint-favourites for the Derby, and The Lion In Winter set a new course record. Despite this, Owen is confident that the Gredley family-owned Kameko colt will develop further next season.
“Wimbledon ran exceptionally well and set a track record. He’s a promising horse for the future,” Owen said. “We haven’t decided on his next race yet, but he’ll certainly benefit from stepping up to a mile or more. It’s frustrating that he’s not even listed for the Guineas or Derby, but that’s how it goes. He might get more attention if he were with a bigger stable.”
Regarding Burdett Road, Owen noted that the horse didn’t handle the Ebor trip and will race over shorter distances next time before returning to hurdles. He faded to finish 12th behind Magical Zoe.
“I had a great time at York, although we were unlucky in a few races. I learned a lot and think Burdett Road didn’t stay on the trip. We’ll try him over a shorter distance on the Flat next time,” Owen explained. “He’s come out of the race well, and after a light campaign following his hurdling break, we’ll look at running him again on the Flat before switching back to hurdles. We might take the hood off to help him perform better.”
James Owen is optimistic about Wimbledon Hawkeye’s future following his impressive performance in the Acomb Stakes at York, where he finished between The Lion In Winter and Ruling Court.
Both The Lion In Winter, trained by Aidan O’Brien, and Charlie Appleby’s Ruling Court were joint-favourites for the Derby, and The Lion In Winter set a new course record. Despite this, Owen is confident that the Gredley family-owned Kameko colt will develop further next season.
"Wimbledon ran exceptionally well and set a track record. He’s a promising horse for the future," Owen said. "We haven’t decided on his next race yet, but he’ll certainly benefit from stepping up to a mile or more. It’s frustrating that he’s not even listed for the Guineas or Derby, but that’s how it goes. He might get more attention if he were with a bigger stable."
Regarding Burdett Road, Owen noted that the horse didn’t handle the Ebor trip and will race over shorter distances next time before returning to hurdles. He faded to finish 12th behind Magical Zoe.
"I had a great time at York, although we were unlucky in a few races. I learned a lot and think Burdett Road didn’t stay on the trip. We’ll try him over a shorter distance on the Flat next time," Owen explained. "He’s come out of the race well, and after a light campaign following his hurdling break, we’ll look at running him again on the Flat before switching back to hurdles. We might take the hood off to help him perform better."