Desert King and Benny The Dip were yesterday declared for Saturday's Dubai Champion Stakes, the centrepiece of Newmarket's "Champions Day". The two Derby winner were among 10 acceptors for the £250,000-added Group One event, along with Pilsudksi and Singspiel - neither of whom has been confirmed a definite runner by trainer Michael Stoute.
Aidan O'Brien will decide later this week whether to run dual Classic winner Desert King. O'Brien has left in both Impressionist and Saratoga Springs in the Thoroughbred Corporation Dewhurst Stakes, the other Group One on the card. Inpressionist, the stable's likely representative, is a 14 to 1 chance and may clash with leading 2,000 Guineas hopes Central Park, Daggers Drawn and Xaar. Daggers Drawn, trained by Henry Cecil, is unbeaten after three starts, most recently landing the Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last month.
Paul Cole's Central Park completed a hat-trick with victory in the Lanson Champagne Vintage Stakes at Goodwood in July on his latest start.
French raider Xaar, whose trainer Andre Fabre has landed the prize with Zafonic and Pennekamp in recent years, leapt to prominence in betting for next year's Classics with an impressive success in the Prix de la Salamandre at Longchamp last month.
Mawared, the winner of his last four races, came through his Cesarewitch warm-up yesterday morning and was reported "in good form" for Saturday's twoand-a-quarter-mile handicap.
A total of 34 horses have been left in the second leg of the autumn double, including leading fancies Media Star and Top Cees.
Redcar stages its most valuable race of the season on the same day, the Comcast Teesside TwoYear-Old Trophy. Aidan O'Brien has left three in the six-furlong event - Heeramandi, Hopping Higgins and Boat Strand.
Richard Hannon, who has won the race twice before with Osario in 1989 and Pips Pride three years later, has left Pool Music and Rejected in the contest with guaranteed minimum prize money of £100,000.
At Newton Abbot yesterday, Richard Dunwoody rode his 1,500th British winner on the Philip Hobbs-trained Ashwell Boy in the Sapphire and Diamond Novices' Chase. "I'm delighted to have done it at Newton Abbot and for Philip Hobbs," said a jubilant Dunwoody. "It's brilliant. I think I've been very lucky to get there.
"I hope it won't be too long before I reach the 2,000 mark."
The Antrim man, who has been champion rider three times, holds the record for successive centuries for a jump jockey, having reached that score in the last eight seasons.
Dunwoody first reached three figures in 1989/90 and has repeated the feat every campaign since.
"I think Peter Scudamore rode around 1,670 winners so I would like to beat that," added Dunwoody.
"I have ridden 1,500 winners in Britain, over 120 in Ireland and 10 more in other countries. As long as I can keep in one piece, that is the main thing."
The jockey will not be riding today as he will be attending the Motor Show, but hewill be back in the saddle at Wetherby tomorrow. Dunwoody, who has finished fifth and sixth in recent motor races, is hoping to be driving in the Formula First championship next year.
"I get a kick out of motor races and I like winning whether in a car or on a horse," he remarked.
Frankie Dettori was the jockey to follow at Leicester, landing a 48 1/2 to 1 treble on Literary, Asakir and La Nuit Rose.
Asakir, who made a winning debut at Nottingham last month, followed up in fine style. Dettori elected to make all the running on the 5 to 4 favourite for the threerunner Kenneth Mann Conditions Stakes and, picking up entering the final quarter mile, the son of Nashwan lengthened his stride in magnificent style on the soft ground to win by one and a half lengths from St Helensfield.
Saeed bin Suroor, trainer of Asakir, ruled the colt out of the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, but added: "He will probably go for another mile and a quarter race, the Zetland Stakes at Newmarket next month.
"He is a nice horse and we are very pleased with him. He seemed to handle the soft ground, but I think he would prefer it good," added bin Suroor, who completed a double with newcomer La Nuit Rose in Division Two of the Hare Fillies' Maiden.
Champion jockey elect Kieren Fallon was at Ayr, where he took his score to 176 for the campaign when driving home Court Lane in the EBF Kirkoswald Maiden. He now leads the championship by 17.
