Ladies Church aims for her Sunday best

Ladies Church can book her ticket to Royal Ascot when she lines up in the Sole Power Sprint Stakes at Naas today.

A high-class cast of sprinters have assembled for this five-furlong contest and Johnny Murtagh’s filly brings track-and-trip form to the table as she bids to continue her rise up the sprinting ranks.

Last seen in the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night, she secured Group Two honours when accounting for the reopposing Mooneista in the Sapphire Stakes last term, and her handler is eyeing the King’s Stand Stakes at the big meeting for the speedy daughter of Churchill.

Murtagh said: “We were happy with her first run back in Meydan when she finished second and she probably ran better than her finishing position on World Cup night. So with the ground drying up — she wants good, fast ground — the drier the better the chance she will have and everything leads to the King’s Stand.

“It is always tough for three-year-olds and she’s a year older now. We’re really happy with her and looking forward to her.”

Another aiming for Ascot is Ken Condon’s Moss Tucker who built on his reappearance to claim the scalp of Tenebrism over course and distance last month.

“He came forward from his first run of the year and we were delighted with him the last day,” said Condon.

“It will be contrasting ground this time but he has shown in the past, albeit in handicap and conditions company, that most ground is all right for him. He’s particularly effective when it is soft, but I don’t think the ground will be an issue.

“He has obviously won at Naas and that is encouraging when you go back to these places and he’s been in good form since. It’s a competitive heat, as you would expect, but he seems to be still improving which is the nice thing about him.

“He will go for the King’s Stand and he ran very well in the Prix de l’Abbaye last year — he just made a bit of a tardy start, so he did very well to run as well as he did. I think that would be on the agenda as well if he remains in good shape.

“He didn’t run at two so it’s only his third season racing. He certainly looked in the second half of last season that he was on the improve and hopefully we can find a bit more improvement from him.”

There is British interest in the form of Robert Cowell’s Arecibo and Adrian Nicholls’ Tees Spirit with the latter looking to add to the Abergwaun Stakes he secured on his travels last term.

“They are never easy races, but you’ve got to start somewhere in these Pattern races,” said Nicholls.

“I know the track well from when I was riding and I think it will suit him. There’s a couple of nice ones in there and he carries a penalty like Moss Tucker, but it’s a nice starting point and we’ll find out where we are.

“He’s in really good form and I think he’s improved again this year again. I’m looking forward to seeing him out on the track, the horses are running well so I don’t see why he won’t.

“He has a little pony called Scooby who travels over with him and he doesn’t mind travelling. The Irish look after us well. It’s not easy, but it’s a nice starting point and we can see where we go from here.”

Also on a raiding mission is Ziggy’s Dream who runs for Alice Haynes in the Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes on the back of a fine second in an above-average renewal of the Lily Agnes at Chester last week.

This Group Three was won by Meditate last year before going on to land the Albany Stakes, and Haynes sees this step up to six furlongs as the perfect chance for Ziggy’s Dream to to test the waters at this level before she potentially makes her own appearance at the summer showpiece.

“She came out of Chester very well,” said Haynes. “She didn’t really have a race early on after missing the break and then finished like a trooper.

“The step up to six furlongs on better ground will suit and drawn 13 straight down the rail is ideal. We go there hopeful.

“The winner of this last year went on to win at Royal Ascot and I’m sure if she wins then she will be near enough favourite if she goes for the Albany.

“This is the first really nice horse we’ve had for Middleham Park, who are keen supporters and even though there are a couple of unexposed ones in there, she definitely deserves to be there.” Shartash was a regular in the top two-year-old events last season and with the decision made to stick to sprinting distances for the time being, is out to get his Commonwealth Cup ticket stamped in the Group Three Goffs Lacken Stakes.

“We think he is a sprinter,” said Murtagh. “We were a bit disappointed with his first run back at Navan, but the ground was very soft. Ben (Coen) said he never got going — he jumped sluggish and never got into the race.

“We’re looking forward to a much improved performance and the ground should be ideal for him. Six furlongs at Naas, I think he’ll get up the hill well.

“I think six is a good trip for him and maybe later in the year he will be able to step up to seven. But we’re going to see how he goes over six first.”

Connections also hold strong claims in the Owenstown Stud Stakes where Sharlouk steps up to Listed class having shed his maiden tag in style at Leopardstown two weeks ago.

Murtagh added: “I think he deserves to step up. He ran well on his penultimate start and perhaps didn’t stay the mile on heavy ground and then broke his maiden well last time.

“It’s a big step up and looks a very competitive race, but we want to see how good he is and he should be well tested.”