Vortex And Boule D´or To Run In Ladbrokes Summer Mile On Saturday

A superb 20-strong entry has been received for the #100,000 Ladbrokes Summer Mile Stakes, the feature race on a cracking seven-race card at Lingfield Park on Saturday, July 15.

The Group Three contest, transferred from Ascot for two years, became the first ever Group race to be run on the all-weather last year, when Autumn Glory defeated Court Masterpiece by a neck in a thrilling finish.

With the support of Ascot and Ladbrokes, this year´s renewal has doubled in value, helping to attract a high-quality entry which it is hoped will enable the prize to be upgraded to Group Two status when it returns to Ascot next year.

Vortex and Babodana, third and fourth respectively in the race 12 months ago, could do battle again, with the former reported in top shape by handler Gay Kelleway.

The Danehill gelding has won three times on the all-weather at Lingfield between seven furlongs and a mile, and followed a fifth to Ad Valorem in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot last month with sixth place in a Grade One seven-furlong handicap at Hollywood Park in America on July 2.

'Vortex is very likely to run at Lingfield on Saturday in the Ladbrokes Summer Mile,' Kelleway revealed today.

The Newmarket handler continued: 'He ran fantastically last time to finish sixth at Hollywood Park and has come out of the race really well. The time before in the Queen Anne, they went no pace and he pulled a front shoe off, otherwise we would have been closer.

'I´m not too sure about the mile, even though he´s won over it before, but he´s in tremendous form and we have to go for it, because there´s not much for him over seven furlongs and there´s fantastic prize money on Saturday.

'The horse has never been better and he´s come back like a lion after America. A true run race is the key to him though, so we´ll ride him differently this year and sit closer to the pace.'

Also confirmed on target for Saturday´s contest is Boule D´or, trained by John Akehurst. The five-year-old has been a model of consistency this season, finishing second three times, including in Group Three company twice, and produced another great effort when sixth of 16 in the Wolferton Handicap at Royal Ascot last month.

'Boule D´or will run on Saturday. He comes out of his races like a lion every time and if you don´t do something with him he gets on top of himself. He´s so easy to train and never needs a lot of work. He enjoys the game and Michael Tebbutt is booked to ride,' explained Akehurst.

'His best form has been over 10 furlongs but he needs pace in his races and the quicker they go the better for him - they almost want to take him off his feet. He´s a hold-up horse and he´ll need to fight his way from the back, although he was ridden more prominently when edged out by Kew Green at Lingfield in November [in the Listed 10-furlong betdirect.co.uk Churchill Stakes].'

Epsom-based Akehurst concluded by saying: 'I can see him winning one of these big races one day because he´s so consistent. He´s very unlucky not have won a black-type race by now. I´m sure if he keeps sound he´ll do it - it will be a shame if he doesn´t. He´ll probably be in the first four - it´s a very valuable race and we need the money!'

The Gerard Butler-trained Nayyir has proved himself a top performer over the past few seasons, scoring five times in Group company, and could bid to bounce back from a luckless run at Newmarket last time in the Group Three Criterion Stakes, where he finished a close fourth behind fellow entry Suggestive.

Satchem, one of three entries for Godolphin, could renew rivalry with Stronghold, whom he beat by a short-head in a Listed event at Goodwood on June 10. Caradak and Echo Of Light are both unraced this season, with the former, a dual Group Three winner when trained in Ireland by John Oxx, yet to make his Godolphin debut.

Trainer James Fanshawe is double-handed with Cesare, victorious in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot, and Musicanna, second in the Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom last month.

Other interesting entries include Spectait from the Sir Mark Prescott stable, while Royal Alchemist acted as a pacemaker for stablemate David Junior in the Group One Coral Eclipse at Sandown last Saturday, on her first start for Brian Meehan.