Very Nice Name is set for Saturday's King George at Ascot
Very Nice Name is to provide an exotic addition to Saturday's King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Last Updated: 23/07/13 9:52am
While trainer Alban de Mieulle is as French as his own name might suggest, the colt can count as a runner from Qatar as his official stable is in Doha.
De Mieulle dominates the Arabian racing scene in the Gulf state as trainer for the Umm Qarn team, owned by Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani.
The Sheikh, like many others in the family, has been extending his interests into thorougbred racing and transferred Very Nice Name from Freddy Head to De Mieulle's care towards the end of last year. He has good horses with other French trainers like Yellow And Green and French Fifteen.
Qatar has been the making of the son of Whipper, as he won five consecutive local Group races between December and February before he finished third on by far his biggest test when staying on behind St Nicholas Abbey in the Sheema Classic on Dubai World Cup night.
"I was based in France before, but I came to Qatar in 1995," said De Mieulle. "We have no races for young horses in Qatar, so I have 30 to 40 Arabian horses from three-year-olds upwards, and then I have 15 to 20 thoroughbreds."
Of Very Nice Name, the trainer said: "He had a very hard winter in Qatar, running five times, so we always planned to give him a bit of a break. We have a stable in France as well as Qatar, so he has been there since May, in training all the time.
"We were going to run in the Grand Prix de Chantilly a few weeks ago, but it did not work out, but he's OK and working well even though it has now been a long break. Sheikh Abdullah likes a challenge and it's exciting to be coming to Ascot."