Vodafone Stewards´ Cup Weights Revealed

The James Fanshawe-trained Firenze has emerged as the leading market fancy following the publication of the weights for the Vodafone Stewards´ Cup, which will be run at Goodwood on Saturday, August 5, 2006.

Firenze, who had a far from straight-forward passage in finishing a length and a half second in the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot when 5/1 favourite, has been allotted 8st 12lb, and is the 8/1 market leader with totesport for the #100,000 six-furlong contest.

Fanshawe and owner Jan Hopper could also be represented by Zidane (8st 4lb), who would be an appropriately-named winner, should France, captained by Zinedine Zidane, go all the way in the football World Cup.

The four-year-old was a cosy winner of a six-furlong Newmarket Handicap on June 24 and is currently a 12/1 chance.

Firenze´s Royal Ascot conqueror, Baltic King, a 14/1 shot with totesport, has been shouldered with top-weight of 10st for the race, which has attracted a high-quality 128-strong entry.

Morrison´s other two entries are York William Hill Trophy victor Prince Tamino (12/1 with totesport) and Wokingham 10th Intrepid Jack (14/1), who are both set to carry 8st 10lb.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Tawaassol (14/1) was a length and a half second to Prince Tamino at York and is set to carry 8st 3lb.

Trainer Clive Cox is hoping to mount a strong challenge for the Vodafone Stewards´ Cup following the unveiling of the weights for the prestigious six-furlong handicap.

Cox saddled Out After Dark to finish fifth in the 2005 Vodafone Stewards´ Cup before securing the totesport Portland Handicap, and the five-year-old, last of seven behind Etlaala in a six-furlong Salisbury Listed contest on June 18, is set to carry 9st 1lb.

The trainer revealed: 'I was very happy with him last season and he´s run some pleasing races this year but had a little bit of a hiccup after his last outing at Salisbury. It was nothing serious and I hope he´ll be right for the Vodafone Stewards´ Cup. We´ll see how he progresses but the race is very much on the agenda.'

Cox could also run Kostar (8st 8lb) who was beaten only five lengths when seventh to Baltic King in the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot on June 24.

The trainer said: 'Kostar ran a very nice race in the Wokingham. He´s a horse that we may just cover other options with. Six furlongs or an easy seven furlongs would be suitable for him and he´s a top of the ground performer who wouldn´t want it too slow, so all these things will determine whether he goes for the race.'

The Lambourn trainer´s strong hand also includes Woodcote (8st 7lb) who was a length third to Wokingham runner-up Firenze in the Empire Property Group Handicap over the course and distance on June 10, and ran second to Indian Trail in the totescoop6 Northern Sprint at Newcastle on July 1.

Cox reported: 'Woodcote ran a super race at Newcastle and I was very pleased indeed with that effort behind one of Dandy Nicholls´ Vodafone Stewards´ Cup runners.

'Obviously his form with Firenze down at Goodwood reads well. He´s a course and distance performer so he doesn´t mind the track and he likes top of the ground.'

The trainer´s five-strong entry is completed by Pearly Wey (8st 5lb) and Chinalea (7st 1lb).

He said: 'Pearly Wey is only a three-year-old but we´ll see how we go. We have all options open with him at the moment.

'I´d say Chinalea probably won´t get in with 7st 1lb but we´d be looking more at the second race, the Stewards´ Sprint Stakes Handicap, if that was to happen.'

Bonus (16/1) narrowly missed out on big-race success when a head second to Taqseem in the John Roarty Memorial Scurry Handicap at The Curragh on July 2, and the Gerard Butler-trained six-year-old will bid for compensation off 8st 5lb.

Roger Charlton has trained the winner of the race twice with Harmonic Way in 1999 and Patavellian in 2003. The latter followed his Vodafone Stewards´ Cup success with Group One glory in that season´s Prix de l´Abbaye, and is set to carry 9st 9lb this time.

Another Group One winner, the Tim Easterby-trained Fayr Jag, winner of the Group Three Chipchase Stakes over six furlongs at Newcastle on July 1, is set to carry 9st 8lb.

Dandy Nicholls saddled Tayseer to victory in 2000 and followed up with Gift Horse last term.

Tax Free (12/1), with 9st 7lb, is the highest weighted of the Thirsk handler´s 24-strong entry, which also includes 12/1 shot Indian Trail (9st 2lb) who was sixth in the Wokingham prior to winning the totescoop6 Northern Sprint at Newcastle on July 1, when he defeated Woodcote by length.

Peace Offering (9st) won the Gosforth Park Cup at Newcastle on June 30 and could be joined by stablemates Strike Up The Band (9st 2lb), Fire Up The Band (9st), Merlin´s Dancer (8st 9lb), Ice Planet (8st 4lb), Pieter Brueghel (8st 2lb), and the veteran Group One winners Bahamian Pirate (8st 13lb) and Continent (8st 5lb).

Last year´s runner-up, the Richard Fahey-trained Fonthill Road (16/1) , is set to shoulder 9st, and could line up alongside his stable companions Philharmonic (9st 4lb), and Green Park (8st 4lb).

One Putra (9st 6lb) landed a Windsor Listed contest prior to finishing midfield in the Wokingham, and, along with Empress Jain (8st 9lb) and Dhekraa (8st 7lb), could bid to give Michael Jarvis his second Stewards´ Cup to go with Petong´s 1984 triumph.

Beckermet (9st 6lb), last in the Wokingham, returned to form when second to Fayr Jag at Newcastle, while Borderlescott (12/1) followed two York triumphs with a fine fourth behind Baltic King at Royal Ascot and has been allotted 9st 2lb.

Trainer David Barker saddled Sierra Vista (9st 1lb) to success in the Zuhair Stakes at Goodwood´s July Festival Meeting in 2005, while stablemate Mecca´s Mate (9st) ran fifth in the Group Three King George Stakes before finishing 14th in the 2005 Vodafone Stewards´ Cup.

Desert Commander landed a six-furlong handicap at Ripon on June 6, from Zidane and is set to carry 8st 11lb. The four-year-old is one of six entries for trainer Kevin Ryan, which includes Coleorton Dancer (8st 10lb) and Mutamared (8st 10lb).

The Ed Dunlop-trained Nidhaal was two lengths fifth to Donna Blini in the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes in September and finished runner-up to Paradise Isle in a six-furlong Listed race at Haydock on June 10. She has been allocated 9st and could be joined by Easy Air (8st 4lb) who was runner-up to Sir Gerard in the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot.