3 minute read
It could be an exciting few days for jockey Tom Marquand as he looks set to partner the likes of Relief Rally, Lake Forest, and Maljoom on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile.
Firstly, all eyes will be on Maljoom, who makes his eagerly anticipated return to action for the first time in the Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Joel Stakes since finishing a luckless fourth in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last year.
He said: "It is great to have Maljoom back on a racecourse. He was an extremely exciting horse but didn't have things go his way and unfortunately, he found a few bumps in the road.
"I jumped on him the other morning and he felt great. He has been off the track for a long time, and you worry he might be a bit rusty, but he feels and looks great, and everyone is happy with him.
"Hopefully he can make a good reappearance and show us what he showed before and get back on the right road.
"William had a couple of options for him, but he chose this for a reason, and it looks like a good starting place back. Hopefully, it will be a good gauge as to where he is and what we do in the future with him.
"Fingers crossed this next chapter in his book can be a bit longer than the last one and he can have a clear run at it all."
Relief Rally has been one of the juvenile stars of the season and Tom Marquand is hopeful she can take another step forward in order to bag a first Group 1 prize in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
The William Haggas-trained filly made a winning debut at Windsor in April and the daughter of Kodiac swiftly followed that up with victory at Salisbury. She suffered the only defeat of her career to date when going down by a nose in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot in June but lost little in defeat, and quickly returned to winning ways when brushing aside her rivals in the valuable Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury.
A first start over six furlongs followed and the speedily bred Kodiac filly made sure it was a winning one with a tenacious success in the Group 2 Sky Bet Lowther Stakes at York last month.
Marquand said: "Relief Rally has been foot-perfect all season. She is a little battler and has the ability to go with it which is great.
"I'm looking forward to the weekend as it would be her big opportunity to get a well-deserved Group 1 on the board.
"Realistically, she probably has to take another little step forward as there are other fillies who will be progressing at the end of the year, but it is a step, not a leap.
"She has been super versatile everywhere we have gone with her. The way she has done everything else I can't imagine the track will be a problem.
"If she takes a small step forward, she should be putting up a big performance and that should be enough to win."
Relief Rally isn't the only William Haggas two-year-old Marquand has to look forward to this weekend, with Lake Forest likely to take his place in the Group 1 Middle Park on the Rowley Mile.
The son of No Nay Never caused something of a surprise when taking out the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes on the Knavesmire last-time-out, but Marquand feels it would be dangerous to underestimate on the back of that performance.
Marquand said: "He flashed what he could do up at Haydock on his first start and the July Stakes at Newmarket was similar.
"Getting beat in the novice was the curve ball that probably made him completely unfancied in the Gimcrack, but if you went back to that July Stakes form you probably had to think he was not too far away from having a real good shout in it.
"It is going to be an extremely tough race and there are those horses that are proven at the top level already, but he is a Gimcrack winner, and you have to be a pretty good horse to do that and hopefully he can continue on that path."
