LONDON: Saudi prince Khalid Abdullah could have another superstar horse on his hands after the impressive Calyx won the Group Two Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The owner of the great Frankel, Abdullah watched the son of Kingman hit the front two furlongs out and won the race for two-years-olds by a length.
Trainer John Gosden said the winner was the type of horse “who makes you get up in the morning.”
“He’s very talented, his father was exceptionally talented and he has all of those attributes,” he said. “The high draw may not be the best, and he’s had to race on his own for two furlongs with a huge crowd screaming — that’s a big ordeal for him and I think he’s done amazingly well to win. It was a big achievement and he is worth more than the winning margin of a length to say the least. He’s a bit of show-off and I have to give him a bit of time now. His father never ran until July, whereas this boy has been out in June. I’d love to give him a nice holiday now and come back for the Prix Morny (at Deauville on Aug. 19).” His attention quickly turned to the 2000 Guineas. “I don’t see why not (be a Guineas horse), but I think at the moment we should see if we can win a Group One with him and then think about stepping up,” Gosden said.
Calyx’s win was part of a Royal Ascot treble for the formidable team of Frankie Dettori and Gosden. Dettori knows a thing or two about special horses and he thinks Abdullah could have a gem in Calyx.
“He’s pretty special,” Dettori said. “He is still green and a bit quirky but a real natural talent. My two lead horses kind of ran out of petrol and Calyx was going so easily that I had to make my own way home because it is very hard to judge how close the other side are.
“To be able to put the race to bed between the three and the one is pretty spectacular.”
Saudi prince unearths another 'pretty special' horse in Calyx
Saudi prince unearths another 'pretty special' horse in Calyx
- Two-year-old storms to victory at Royal Ascot
- Target is now the 2000 Guineas
