3 minute read

Diamond Jubilee target this year for Fogarty ace.

Aidan Fogarty is looking forward to a four-year-old campaign with his high-class filly Forever In Dreams , starting at Naas when racing in Ireland resumes on June 8.

The Woodlands Stakes will be the target on the opening afternoon for the daughter of Dream Ahead, before what will be a third trip to Royal Ascot – this year for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

Fogarty rightly has fond memories of his visits to Ascot with his stable star, who was beaten less than two lengths when seventh in the Queen Mary two years ago and found only Advertise too good in the Commonwealth Cup 12 months ago.

Owned by the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate, she finished her season with another fine Ascot outing, finishing third in the Qipco British Champions Sprint.

The County Tipperary trainer said: "She'll go for the Listed race at Naas, she's in great form and looks a better this year even than she did last year – she's got very strong and has filled out. She looks really well.

"She'll probably go to that race on the 8th and then hopefully to the Diamond Jubilee. She seems to like Ascot – probably her three best races have been there.

"If she improves a little bit from three to four, you'd be hoping she could get her head in front in a Group One somewhere along the line."

A trip to the inaugural Saudi Cup meeting in February had been mooted, but ultimately was shelved.

Fogarty explained: "Between us all we had a chat and kind of went off the idea, we were just afraid the travelling and everything might ruin her whole year. She's only a filly at the end of the day and we were just afraid it would take too much out of her.

"There was a lot of travelling involved and she'd have been away from home for a good bit.

"She seems to go on most ground, she's probably best with a little ease maybe, good to soft would maybe be best for her you'd think.

"Hopefully she stays in one piece for the year and she might pick up a Group One along the way. That's the dream anyway."

On riding plans, he added: "We were hoping to get Jamie Spencer to ride her for the year, but with this quarantine in Ireland we don't really know. We'll have to get an Irish-based jockey while we're in Ireland and see then what happens.

"As long as the racing is going, we'll live with whatever we have to. She's not a complicated ride anyway, she's straightforward enough."

Fogarty is also set to be represented at Naas by Wheels On Fire, whose sole outing for the yard to date after moving from France resulted in a third place to A'Ali in the Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster in September.

And like Forever In Dreams, he has Royal Ascot ambitions.

He runs in the colours of Theresa Marnane, and Fogarty said: "He'll go for three-year-old Listed race at Naas. He's turned inside out – he was a backward two-year-old and is a lovely, big, good-looking horse now.

"He did a bit of work on Wednesday and worked really well, so hopefully he'll run well and we might go for the Commonwealth Cup.

"He's some good form, he led the Simon Crisford horse 100 yards from the finish in the Flying Childers and looks like he's improved a good bit from two to three.

"He'll go on really good ground, he likes to hear his hooves rattle."