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Warrsan faces top-class opposition in bid for historic third Vodafone Coronation Cup
13/04/05

The Clive Brittain-trained Warrsan, winner of the last two Vodafone Coronation Cups, is one of a superb 33-strong entry revealed today for the 2005 renewal of the Group 1 race, run at Epsom Downs on Friday, June 3, and worth £250,000.

No horse has ever won the mile and a half contest, first staged in 1902, three times and Warrsan is likely to face some formidable opponents in his bid for glory.

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Bago, last season's Horse Of The Year Ouija Board, and last season's Irish Derby hero Grey Swallow lead the opposition.

Ouija Board followed her seven-length Vodafone Oaks triumph last year with victory in the Darley Irish Oaks, third place in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before justifying favouritism in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Lone Star Park in October, earning an American Eclipse Award and many other plaudits as a result.

The Dermot Weld-trained Grey Swallow is another classic winner engaged while Aidan O'Brien - who has yet to land this prize but has his strongest ever team of older horses this year - has seven entered including Powerscourt, last year's Tattersalls Gold Cup winner and Breeders' Cup Turf third, 2004 Vodafone Oaks second All Too Beautiful and the highly-regarded and unbeaten Yeats, the one-time favourite for the 2004 Vodafone Derby who has not run since May. The Ballydoyle team is completed by Ace, Acropolis, Magritte and Wolfe Tone, a Sadler's Wells colt who has not raced since scoring on his debut at Galway in August, 2003.

Godolphin's royal blue colours have been carried to victory in the Vodafone Coronation Cup by Daylami in 1999 and Mutafaweq two years later and this year the Maktoum family's stable has seven entries including Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe second Cherry Mix, last year's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes hero Doyen, who finished second in the 2004 Vodafone Coronation Cup, Vodafone Oaks third Punctilious, Gold Cup hero Papineau, Fight Your Corner, Naheef, and Razkalla.

Andrew Balding's stable star Phoenix Reach - who is set to contest Sunday's Grade 1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin in Hong Kong this week - has accrued over £1.7 million in prize money and landed Grade 1 successes in Canada, Hong Kong and, most recently Dubai, and could bid for a first domestic win at the highest level in the Vodafone Coronation Cup.

The 2003 Italian Derby winner Osorio, who has now joined Mark Johnston, the 2004 German Derby victor Shirocco, trained by Andreas Schutz, are other entries as is the Alec Wildenstein-owned Policy Maker could bid to make amends for the same connections' Vallee Enchantee, who was unlucky in running in last year's Vodafone Coronation Cup.

Stephen Wallis, Managing Director at Epsom Downs Racecourse, said today: "We couldn't have asked for a better set of entries for the Vodafone Coronation Cup and it is shaping into a mouthwatering contest as Warrsan bids for an historic third success."

THE VODAFONE CORONATION CUP
Class 1, Group One, £250,000 Total Prize Fund, Epsom Downs, Friday, June 3, 2005. For four-year-olds & upwards. One mile, four furlongs and about ten yards. Weights: colts & geldings 9st; fillies 8st 11lb. Entries closed April 6, entries revealed April 13 (33 entries), forfeit stage May 17, £20,000 supplementary entry stage May 28, five-day-confirmation stage May 28, final declaration stage 10.00am, June 1. Form figures are correct up to and including Tuesday, April 12, 2005.

Form Horse Age Owner Trainer
1115- ACE (IRE) 4 Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor, Mrs Harry McCalmont Aidan O'Brien IRE
163/14-2 ACROPOLIS (IRE) 4 Michael Tabor & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
4311-14 ALKAADHEM 5 Hamdan Al Maktoum Marcus Tregoning
22/2112- ALKAASED (USA) 5 M R Charlton Luca Cumani
11243- ALL TOO BEAUTIFUL (IRE) 4 Michael Tabor & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
1/11331- BAGO (FR) 4 Niarchos Family Jonathan Pease FR
010330- BANDARI (IRE) 6 Hamdan Al Maktoum Mark Johnston
2112-(4)0 CHERRY MIX (FR) 4 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
4/21100- DOYEN (IRE) 5 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
0/03-120 FIGHT YOUR CORNER 6 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
143140- GREY SWALLOW (IRE) 4 Murry Rose Bloodstock Dermot Weld IRE
230241- HIGH ACCOLADE 5 Lady Tennant Marcus Tregoning
1642-25 LORD DU SUD (FR) 4 Mrs B Hermelin Jean Claude Rouget FR
13/- MAGRITTE (IRE) 4 Sue Magnier & Mrs David Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
620220- MAKTUB (ITY) 6 Gary Tanaka Michael Jarvis
112/104- MUBTAKER (USA) 8 Hamdan Al Maktoum Marcus Tregoning
(3)50150- NAHEEF (IRE) 6 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
41/211/- OSORIO (GER) 5 Renata Jacobs Mark Johnston
3/11131- OUIJA BOARD 4 Lord Derby Ed Dunlop
115/111- PAPINEAU 5 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
66061-1 PHOENIX REACH (IRE) 5 Winterbeck Manor Stud Andrew Balding
512104- POLICY MAKER (IRE) 5 Ecurie Wildenstein Elie Lellouche FR
43304-5 POWERSCOURT 5 Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
352301- PRIDE (FR) 5 N P Bloodstock Alain de Royer Dupre FR
131242- PUNCTILIOUS 4 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
450-212 RAZKALLA (USA) 7 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
311021- REEFSCAPE 4 Khalid Abdulla Andre Fabre FR
65523(4)- SELF DEFENSE 8 Fraser Miller Racing Pat Chamings
213131- SHIROCCO (GER) 4 Baron Georg von Ullmann Andreas Schutz GER
2421/11- VOIX DU NORD (FR) 4 Baron T Zuylen de Nyevelt David Smaga FR
201000- WARRSAN (IRE) 7 Saeed Manana Clive Brittain
1/- WOLFE TONE (IRE) 4 Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
1/11- YEATS (IRE) 4 Sue Magnier & Diane Nagle Aidan O'Brien IRE

33 entries
8 Irish-trained entries
6 French-trained entries
1 German-trained entry

BREAKDOWN OF TRAINERS' ENTRIES IN THE VODAFONE CORONATION CUP WITH PAST SUCCESSES

Seven Entries
Saeed bin Suroor UAE (2001 Mutafaweq, 1999 Daylami)
Cherry Mix
Doyen
Fight Your Corner
Naheef
Papineau
Punctilious
Razkalla

Aidan O'Brien IRE
Ace
Acropolis
All Too Beautiful
Magritte
Powerscourt
Wolfe Tone
Yeats

Three Entries
Marcus Tregoning
Alkaadhem
High Accolade
Mubtaker

Two Entries
Mark Johnston
Bandari
Osorio

One Entry
Andrew Balding
Phoenix Reach

Clive Brittain (2003 & 2004 Warrsan)
Warrsan

Patrick Chamings
Self Defense

Luca Cumani
Alkaased

Alain De Royer Dupre FR
Pride

Ed Dunlop
Ouija Board

Andre Fabre FR (1996 Swain, 1995 Sunshack, 1994 Apple Tree, 1990 In The Wings, 1986 Saint Estephe)
Reefscape

Michael Jarvis (1982 Easter Sun)
Maktub

Ellie Lellouche FR
Policy Maker

Jonathan Pease FR
Bago

Jean Claude Rouget FR
Lord Du Sud

Andreas Schutz GER
Shirocco

David Smaga FR
Voix Du Nord

Dermot Weld IRE
Grey Swallow