Al Aasy handed Buckhounds assignment on return
Al Aasy will look to rediscover his form in the Listed Carey Group Buckhounds Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
The Shadwell-owned, William Haggas-trained son of Sea The Stars enjoyed a fantastic start to the season last year, winning both the John Porter and the Aston Park at Newbury before being beaten by just a neck in the Coronation Cup and the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.
He was subsequently gelded and then seemed to deteriorate rather than improve, finishing fourth of five in the Legacy Cup and then eighth of nine in the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot in October.
This weekend will be Al Aasy’s first outing since the latter run and connections are hoping he can produce the form he has previously shown.
“He’s had a nice break and we need to get him back on track, we gelded him last year and it seemed to knock the stuffing out of him.
“We gave him a long time off and hopefully he’ll come back to what he was, he needs to go and show us now, so we’ll see. We will find out if he’s still in love with the game or not.”
On ratings Al Aasy may comfortably be the most highly-regarded horse in the race, but Gold is mindful he will also need to demonstrate he still retains his will to win.
John and Thady Gosden’s Stowell, last seen finishing third in the John Porter, and the Roger Varian-trained Third Realm, winner of last year’s Lingfield Derby Trial, are other key players.
On the same card is the valuable tote Victoria Cup, a seven-furlong handicap worth over £50,000 to the winner.
An Ascot winner on his racecourse debut in 2020, the grey also ended last season with back-to-back successes at the same venue.
“He loves Ascot so it’s always been the plan to bring him here first time out,” Hills said.
“We’re really happy with him, it’s obviously a very competitive race and it’s not going to be easy. We’ll be hoping for a bit of luck and he should go well.”
Dark Shift is one of 28 horses due to line up for the race, with James Fanshawe’s Fresh and the Gosdens’ Magical Morning both well-fancied, while Clive Cox’s River Nymph will try to retain his title.