The unbeaten Defence Minister (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) has been supplemented by owners Wathnan Racing for Saturday's G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury at a cost of £5,000.
Last seen defying a penalty in decisive fashion at Haydock, Defence Minister is one of 19 horses in contention for the prestigious two-year-old contest as he tries to make it three wins from as many starts for his Qatari-born, Newmarket-based trainer Hamad Al-Jehani.
G2 Gimcrack Stakes winner Cool Hoof Luke (GB) (Advertise {GB}) and Aidan O'Brien's G3 Round Tower Stakes scorer Ides Of March (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) are among the potential opposition at Newbury, but Richard Brown, Wathnan's racing adviser, is confident of more improvement from a horse who was bought by the team for €210,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-up Sale in May.
“He's still quite green for a breeze-up horse and I still think he has plenty to learn and will come on again for that Haydock run,” said Brown.
“He defied the penalty in style, though, and I think he had plenty in hand at the line.”
Defence Minister is one of five individual winners for Al-Jehani since he sent out his first runners in Britain in May, with his overall record in 2024 now standing at six winners from 30 runners.
“Hamad has done an absolutely tremendous job,” Brown said of the the trainer who set up in Newmarket earlier this year with a small team of horses owned by Wathnan.
“He's only got 10 horses and he's done a phenomenal job coming in from Qatar and obviously having to learn the gallops and everything. He has surrounded himself with a great team and they're all doing a fabulous job.”
Chancellor Team Eyeing Royal Lodge After Champagne Mishap
The Mill Reef is one of several big two-year-old prizes on the horizon heading into the autumn and connections of Chancellor (GB) (Kingman {GB}) have been busy scouring the programme book for other options following his late withdrawal at Doncaster on Saturday.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Chancellor was already a two-time winner at Doncaster before his intended appearance in the G2 Champagne Stakes, but he was denied the opportunity to bid for a third success on Town Moor after he broke out of his starting stall and suffered a cut to his mouth.
Chris Richardson, managing director for owners Cheveley Park Stud, reports Chancellor to be none the worse for that “frustrating” experience, with the G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday, September 28 now under consideration for his next start.
“Saturday was obviously very frustrating, but fortunately he seems fine afterwards,” said Richardson. “Rab [Havlin, jockey] reported that he was fine in the stalls and then another horse kicked out and he thought it was time to go. It was just one of those frustrating, unforeseen events that was very bizarre, but we move on.
“We'll see how he is, but we'll have to consider the Royal Lodge–a Group 2 over a mile. He's got a couple of smart entries for later in the year that are still sort of pending, including the Futurity Trophy back at Doncaster, which is once again over a mile.
“We'd like to get a run in before then, probably in the Royal Lodge or something like that.”
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