Highclere´s Distinction to run at Doncaster next week ahead of Australian adventure

Melbourne Cup hopeful Distinction is being aimed at the Listed orderIT-online.com Troy Stakes over a mile and a half at Doncaster on Friday, September 10, before going into quarantine for a fortnight ahead of his journey to Australia.

The five-year-old son of Danehill, who is trained by Sir Michael Stoute and owned by Highclere Thoroughbred Racing´s Orangery Syndicate, was impressive on his last outing in the Listed John Smith´s Extra Smooth Silver Cup Rated Handicap on July 10.

The success came over a mile and six furlongs at York where he led a furlong from home and held on well under top-weight of 9st 7lb to deny Star Member by half a length, the pair clear.

The Group Two GNER Doncaster Cup, run over two and a quarter miles at Doncaster on Thursday, September 9, had been considered as a possible target for Distinction, but a tilt at the Listed orderIT-online.com Troy Stakes is now the preferred option.

'I think Sir Michael felt that the Doncaster Cup was just going too far for Distinction as a prep race [for the Melbourne Cup]. He´d rather give Distinction a sharper race before going into quarantine.

'A mile and a half is short of the horse´s optimum trip but he´s in good form and Sir Michael definitely wants to get a race under his belt before he has this fortnight or so of not doing very much!' explained Harry Herbert, managing director of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing (HTR).

'Distinction seems in great shape, touch wood. I saw him last week and I don´t think that I have ever seen him look better. He seems ready for a race and he needs to get out and run.'

The gelding has been allotted 8st 7lb for the two-mile Group One Emirates Melbourne Cup, Australia´s top race which is held at Flemington on Tuesday, November 2.

'It is hard to really evaluate the weights, not knowing the Australian form but it is more or less what we expected compared to the other European entries,' continued Herbert.

'Distinction has got 8st 7lb and he´s never run with such a light weight on his back. But it´s all relative, at the end of the day, we don´t know who is going to go over and what the competition is going to be.

'I was talking to Australians last night and apparently he´s third favourite over there behind last year´s winner [Makybe Diva] and one other. They seem to rate him as a possible horse to get in the shake-up which is very exciting.

'We´ve got a big team from the Orangery Syndicate going out there which is great - there will probably be 20 people or more and it will be a very, very exciting adventure.'

Before Distinction lines up in ´the race which stops a nation´, as part of the Australian acclimatisation process, he will run in the Group One Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup, another open handicap in which he also has 8st 7lb, at Caulfield on Saturday, October 16.

Kieren Fallon rode Distinction to victory at York and Herbert is hoping that the champion jocjkey will be in the saddle again at Town Moor, although connections have decided that Distinction will be ridden by a home-based rider in Australia.

'I would hope that Kieren will be riding at Doncaster unless Sir Michael has something else in the race which he would put Kieren on,' added Herbert.

'At the moment, the plan for Australia would be to put an Australian jockey up - I don´t think Kieren could ride him anyway in the Caulfield Cup as there´s so much racing going on here and the race clashes with Champions´ Day at Newmarket.

'We just felt that it would give Distinction the best chance to have a rider who knows the territory like the back of their hand and who knows the track bias, if there is such a thing, and is used to the style and rhythm of Australian racing.

'This does not reflect in any way on Kieren´s ability - he is our absolute number one jockey but, for this occasion, I think it is right to put up an Australian rider.'

Distinction´s York victory was the third success of his 14-race career. He also won a 10-furlong maiden at Newmarket in June, 2002, when getting the better of a marvellous finish by a short-head, and a conditions stakes, over a mile and six furlongs, at Salisbury a year ago, comfortably beating Scott´s View by three-quarters of a length.

The 20-share Orangery Syndicate, which owns Distinction, was launched in 2000. HTR is the most successful racehorse multiple ownership operation in Europe and announced last month the launch of seven new syndicates, with a total of 127 shares, for 2005.