Hope Queen is Sandown Star for Burke A promising day at Sandown saw some rising stars deliver compelling performances, setting the stage for bigger targets ahead. Hope Queen Shines with Determined Finish in Listed Company Hope Queen stepped up impressively from her Beverley debut to land the European Bloodstock News EBF Star Stakes at Sandown. Trained by Karl Burke and ridden by Clifford Lee, the Night Of Thunder filly made the most of a well-timed late move to clinch victory by a neck over the gallant front-runner Jennifer Jane. “I always knew I was going to there at some point,” Lee told Racing TV. “She’s definitely not shy, even though she’s a filly she’s quite bullish in that way.” He added that Hope Queen's performance showed potential for races over seven furlongs or even a mile, citing her ability to gallop strongly through the line and handle the ground effectively. Publish Emerges as 2000 Guineas Contender John and Thady Gosden’s colt Publish confirmed his rising reputation by winning the Martin Densham & Peter Deal Memorial British EBF Maiden Stakes, joining a list of notable winners from the same race including Kameko and Ruling Court. After finishing second on debut, the Kingman colt improved significantly to beat Catullus as the 4-7 favourite, leading from an early stage under James Doyle. “He’s always looked a nice type, he’s by Kingman and has a great attitude,” said Thady Gosden. “Hopefully he’s a horse that will keep on progressing.” Bookmakers quickly reacted, with Coral slashing his odds from 20-1 to 8-1 for next year’s 2000 Guineas. However, Paddy Power and bet365 remain more cautious, offering him at 16-1. In the same afternoon, Juddmonte celebrated a double as Andrew Balding’s Tarriance denied Pendragon a fourth straight win in the George Lindon-Travers Memorial Handicap, impressing under Oisin Murphy. “He showed a very good attitude, he’s progressive,” Murphy noted.
