'Her work has been superb and I've no doubt she's top class'
| Date | 16 June 2021 |
| Published date | 16 June 2021 |
| Publication title | Weekender |
Twelve months ago the team landed the Commonwealth Cup with the flying Golden Horde and this week there are three candidates, each with realistic claims.
"For me it's not about numbers, but quality," said Cox. "Thankfully we've been very lucky again to have such a strong team. Last year we won with Golden Horde, who was strongly fancied, while Nando Parrado stunned everyone at 150-1 and my point is that you just never know. All of our string who are heading to the royal meeting go in very good order and have varying degrees of chances. I couldn't be happier with the team we've assembled."
Cox, a shrewd and likeable trainer, has a remarkably successful partnership with Adam Kirby that has seen them unite for 365 winners in Britain. Amazingly, after 2,362 rides for the Lambourn trainer, the jockey has yielded a profit of more than £15 to a £1 stake.
With several hopefuls among the market leaders this week Cox suggested the one who could go under the radar is Dance Fever in the Buckingham Palace, providing the ground is on the quick side. Last year the stable struck at big odds - could this be the one to do so again this week?
Older horses Dance Fever 4 b g Sir Prancealot - Silk Fan A smart juvenile who won two of his three races and ended the year on a mark of 87. He only raced twice last season, both very good efforts at Windsor and Ascot, before we had to draw stumps as the ground was always soft when we had a race for him. He simply has to have a dry surface. He loves Ascot and, if the weather continues to be nice, he'll make his seasonal debut in the Buckingham Palace Handicap this week. The 7f is perfect for him and he certainly showed a liking for the course last time he ran. He could be one who goes under the radar, but I can report him in very good form at home and he's worth closer inspection this week.
River Nymph 4 b c Cable Bay - Little Nymph He gave us a huge thrill when winning the Victoria Cup at Ascot in the spring - an iconic race that's just so hard to win - so to finally achieve that was very exciting and I was delighted for his ownerbreeder Trevor Fox. He clearly loves Ascot and dropping him to 7f here with some give underfoot proved the winning formula as he beat 26 rivals to land the great old handicap. He ran at Haydock three weeks later but didn't have the same fluency as he had at Ascot. He didn't disgrace himself and has earned a recharge. When the ground is really dry he prefers to be at home. Looking ahead, he has proved he's worth the step up to Pattern company and these races will allow him to be successful with the tactical speed he possesses. As long the ground isn't too firm I expect him to progress further.
Streamline 4 b c Due Diligence - Ahwahnee A relatively lightly raced colt who did well...
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