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Trainer James Tate is preparing an exciting juvenile team for this year's Royal Ascot meeting, with Blue Storm and Natural Force aiming for landmark victories.
Trainer James Tate is preparing an exciting juvenile team for this year's Royal Ascot meeting, with Blue Storm and Natural Force aiming for landmark victories.
The two-year-olds have the chance to record a first Black Type success for their respective first-season sires, Blue Point and Land Force.
Blue Storm was an eye-catching winner of a five-furlong novice event at Newmarket in April, with subsequent Chester winner Hackman in third. The form of the race could receive an additional boost this week, with the second-placed horse Cuban Thunder entered at Newbury and York.
Natural Force out-ran his odds to take the five-furlong novice stakes at Ascot on Saturday, a race that has produced subsequent Group winners from the last two renewals.
"Blue Storm hasn't run for a while. We have saved him for the National Stakes a week on Thursday and if we're lucky enough for all to go well in that, we will be off to Ascot afterwards," Tate said.
"Natural Force, when you obviously win first time at Ascot, your immediate thought would be Royal Ascot. He is all good and we will have a chat with owner Saeed Manana.
"The only question is really whether he wants to go straight there or whether he will want to take on something in the middle. The timescale is getting a little bit tighter.
"He took the whole prelims and things well, because obviously Royal Ascot is a very exciting place for a two-year-old and we've had more than one been over-faced by it in the past.
"Neil [Callan] said he was very professional and very easy, and won with a bit in hand, so let's hope he is right. I would have thought he will stay at five [furlongs], with the Windsor Castle for him and the Norfolk for Blue Storm."