All eyes will be on Newcastle where our stable star Cornerstone Lad attempts to win the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle for the second year running at 2.05.pm. but over at Doncaster the above average performer Elysees will try to take some of the limelight.
Elysees is a battle hardened performer, having won five of his 23 starts, racing out of two previous yards, receiving a best official mark of 134 back in March 2019, when staying on in to forth in a Grade 2 juvenile hurdle at Newbury. He has won on the flat as recently as June from a mark of 72, and although his hurdles form dipped since winning, he did signify a return to form at Sedgefield last month. He starts out for us with a rating of 125, with Joe Colliver taking the ride at 2.53.pm.
To read about Cornerstone Lad, and see an updated list of the 87 racehorses currently in training at Oakwood Stables, and Sharp Hill,go to www.mickyhammondracing.
ELYSEES. 07 May 2015. Champs Elysees-Queen Of Tara. Owner-Craig & Laura Buckingham.
Elysees is a dual purpose performer, who to date has raced on 23 occasions, seven on the all weather, seven on the turf, and nine times over hurdles, he is the winner of five races, and has been placed a further six times. His dam is an unraced daughter of Sadlers Wells, who has had seven racecourse representatives, including the 100 Racing Post rated Mar Mar.
Elysees didn't make his racecourse debut until he was three, in February 2018, on the all weather at Wolverhampton, and racing out of the Alan King yard.He actually raced on five occasions between February, and May, all at Dunstall Park, getting off the mark at the forth attempt, by a neck, over 12 furlongs, on his handicap debut, from a mark of 66.He made his turf debut at Sandown from a mark of 70 in June, stepping up to 14 furlongs, and winning by four and a half lengths.Six days later he finished third at Chelmsford, beaten a length and a half off 76. He put up another good effort, when finishing third, back at Sandown in August, and was only beaten half a length at York over two miles, when finishing fourth on good to soft ground on his next run.
Elysees made his hurdles debut at Warwick in November, in a juvenile hurdle, winning by 12 lengths at odds of 4/6, and followed up under a 6lb penalty at Ludlow six days later at 1/2. In December he stepped up to Grade 2 company at Doncaster, going down by only a neck to the 142 rated, Paul Nichols trained Quel Destin. He had a short break, before returning in February 2019, when back on the flat at Wolverhampton, he finished third, beaten by nine and a quarter lengths.and then from a mark of 132, in March, he ran at Newbury in the Class 2 Juvenile handicap hurdle, and finished in fourth place, beaten by four and a quarter lengths.He raced twice more in May and June, both times on the flat, but finishing down the field.
After his first long break, he returned at Kempton on Boxing Day, but pulled up, from a mark of 134.He didn't race again until June 2020, when back on the flat over two miles at Chepstow, he won for the fifth time, by a neck off 72. His final start for Alan King was at Bangor in July, when finishing down the field.He was sold over the summer, and sent to Fergal O'Brien by his new connections. He raced twice for the O'Brien yard, in September at Uttoxeter, he was fourth, although beaten 24 lengths, but ran a lot better at Sedgefield in October, attempting to make all, but keeping on when headed to finish second, a run which gives every indication that a sixth success is not too far away.
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