Cold As Ice hopes for All Weather Championship qualification
Cold As Ice drops back in trip for the £45,000 Listed Unibet Cleves Stakes, the first of two Fast-Track Qualifiers on Polytrack at Lingfield Park on Saturday, 6 February 2016.
The winner of the six-furlong contest is guaranteed a free start in the £150,000 Unibet All-Weather Sprint Championships over the same distance at Lingfield Park on Good Friday, 25 March 2016.
A dual Group Two winner in South Africa under the care of Cape conditioner Joey Ramsden, Cold As Ice is now based in Newmarket with William Haggas. The four-year-old ran below expectation on her British debut when fourth to Lamar in a Fast-Track Qualifier at Wolverhampton in November, but made no mistakes at the second time of asking in a valuable seven-furlong conditions race at Chelmsford City on 21 December 2016.
Haggas said today: “She’s very well, she doesn’t have to carry a penalty now and she’s got a good draw, so it’s all positive right now. She’s been lugging round a 10lb penalty in her first two races here, but she doesn’t have to carry that any more. She’s back in trip, but the owners tell me she is going to be better over six furlongs.”
He added: “I thought it was pretty good performance at Chelmsford and she should keep improving. This run qualifies her for Good Friday and I would say this will be her last run before then. I suppose this will tell us whether we go for the fillies’ race or the sprint. It will be interesting to see how she gets on.”
Cold As Ice will join a maximum field of 12 at the post for the Unibet Cleves Stakes and there is further international interest courtesy of German challenger Gamgoom (Mario Hofer/Martin Harley), who was runner-up to Lancelot Du Lac at Chelmsford City last time out when making his British debut. Other notables include prolific All-Weather performer Chookie Royale (Keith Dalgleish/Tom Eaves), potential improver Angelic Lord (Tom Dascombe/Richard Kingscote) and Alben Star (Richard Fahey/Tony Hamilton), who triumphed on All-Weather Championships Finals Day in 2014 and was runner-up last year.
Lightscameraction (Gay Kelleway/Luke Morris), winner of the 2015 Unibet Three-Year-Old Sprint Championships on Good Friday, also runs, as does course and distance Listed scorer Intransigent (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy), last year’s winner Rivellino (Karl Burke/Dougie Costello), Godolphin’s lightly-raced four-year-old Shamardal filly My Call (Saeed bin Suroor/William Buick), Goodwood winner Golden Steps (Marco Botti/Andrea Atzeni), consistent Boomerang Bob (Jamie Osborne/William Carson) and three-time victor Justice Good (David Elsworth/Tom Queally).
Cold As Ice is by Western Winter out of the seven-time winning Viva (National Assembly x Hot Grass). Cold As Ice was bred by Avontuur Stud and was a R875,000 purchase on the 2013 Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 1. She races in the interests of of Kathy Finch and Belinda Kieswetter.
Runners will face the post at 15:45 local time.
(source: awchampionships.co.uk)
