Fresh from St Leger success at Doncaster, Saffie Osborne has the chance of picking up another valuable prize at Sandown on Wednesday when Room Service steps up to a mile for the Trainor Stone & Tile Fortune Stakes.
While it was Joseph O’Brien calling on Osborne’s services on Town Moor, she will be back in the plate for her father Jamie aboard the Newcastle scorer now attempting to deliver Listed honours.
A surprise 22-1 winner in a seven-furlong handicap on his stable debut at Gosforth Park, his trainer is eager to see how the five-year-old fares back up in grade and over a new distance.
Jamie Osborne said: “It’s been tough for this horse over the summer because of the firm ground. I don’t think he needs it soft, but he does need to get his toe in a little bit.
“We’re trying a new trip and he’s never been this far before, but from what I saw at Newcastle, he needed the full stiff seven furlongs to win the race and it will be interesting to see if he gets this mile OK.”
Room Service could have continued plying his trade over seven furlongs in the Listed Dubai Duty Free Cup at Newbury later this week, but a trip to Esher will give connections a gauge over options for the future.
Osborne added: “He could have gone to the race at Newbury on Friday, but I wanted to try the mile now and establish whether it is within his compass.
“If he is restricted to just running over seven furlongs your options are limited. If he proves he gets a mile OK then it opens up more avenues for him.
“I think he will get the trip, but he does take a lot of work this horse, so there is also the chance he will come forward for the run as he hasn’t run for three months.”
Room Service is the highest rated of the 10 Fortune Stakes runners, but the untapped potential is provided by Charlie Appleby’s Cerro Blanco, a winner of two of his three outings and always held in the highest of regard by the Moulton Paddocks team.
Owners Godolphin are also represented by Roger Varian’s Avicenna, last seen in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, but prior to that second in the Craven Stakes before an early-season tilt at Classic honours in the 2000 Guineas.
It seems a long time ago that Centigrade sent the mercury rising with some noteworthy juvenile displays, but he remains lightly raced having returned from a two-year injury absence this season.
Always held in high regard, Ralph Beckett’s four-year-old moves into Listed level for just a fifth career appearance.
Harry Herbert of owners Highclere Thoroughbreds said: “He’s very lightly raced and we were so frustrated by the York run as he blew the start and then ran free, and Rossa was at pains to anchor him and he got so far back he just couldn’t possibly be competitive.
“He ran really well to finish sixth and wasn’t beaten that far in the end, and the form of the race is extremely good since.
“We’ve always thought the world of him and he’s a magnificent looking horse. He got injured early into his three-year-old season which knocked him out of last year and we’ve just been sort of waiting for the right ground since getting him back and also for a while Ralph wasn’t overly happy with his horses, so it’s been a bit stop-start.
“This horse really needs to race and we want to see where he fits in the bigger picture. I’m always a big believer if you have a nice horse then run in a good race rather than lugging 10 stone around in handicaps.
“This is where I’m happy seeing him and he ran very well at Sandown on debut. The track and ground should be fine for him. He’s trained really well leading into this and it’s great seeing Ralph’s horses flying at the moment.
“The Godolphin horse may prove a tough nut to crack, you can argue there are holes in the form of the others and if he can put everything together and run a sensible race we hope he will pick up black type of some sort and we’ll find out where he fits in the bigger picture going forward.”
John and Thady Gosden’s Nahraan built up a fine reputation last term, and drops to a mile seeking a first win of the campaign, while Andrew Balding’s Pacific Mission is another in the line-up with smart form to her name.
Eve Johnson Houghton’s Balmacara, Ed Dunlop’s Skukuza, William Haggas’ Crown Of Oaks and and James Tate’s Blue Rc complete the field.
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