Penitent and Excelebration are among 41 entries for the £100,000 Group Two OLBG Park Stakes, run at Doncaster in September.
Park run option for Penitent
Penitent is among 41 entries for the £100,000 Group Two OLBG Park Stakes, run at Doncaster on Saturday September 15, 2012.
The six-year-old moved from William Haggas' yard to David O'Meara after he was sold to Middleham Park Racing and has made great strides this season. He immediately rewarded connections when making a winning return to action in the Listed Doncaster Mile in early April, and added the Group Two Sandown Mile to his CV on April 27.
On his latest start at Longchamp on May 27, he finished last of the eight runners in the Group One Prix d'Ispahan.
O'Meara said: "Penitent is going to run in the Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown (August 16) and then it's possible he could go on to the OLBG Park Stakes after that.
"He has had a little break after his run in France just to freshen him up. It was firm ground at Longhchamp. We went over there for soft ground and we declared him on soft to heavy ground, but by the time we got there, it had dried out to fast ground which wasn't really his thing. Soft ground is crucial to him.
"We were very pleased with his progress before that and he is two from two for us in this country which is great. He surprised us a bit that he was able to win at Group Two level at Sandown.
"Dropping back to seven furlongs could be a negative as it will be his first run at the trip for a long time, but looking at his form, every time he steps beyond a mile he gets beaten.
"We thought that it would be worth experimenting below a mile. The horse has a good record at Doncaster and hopefully we will get a bit of rain and he can run there."
Excelebration Time
Other leading entries for the OLBG Park Stakes include Group One winning miler Excelebration,who is one of nine possibles for Aidan O'Brien, including Europe's leading sprinter in 2010 Starspangledbanner, who is back in training after fertility problems at stud.
The Group Two OLBG Park Stakes is run with Group One conditions, meaning there are no penalties for previous Group Two or Group One winners.
Alan McCabe has entered Caspar Netscher, who triumphed in the German 2,000 Guineas in May, while Bryan Smart could be represented by Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up Foxtrot Romeo.
Richard Hannon has entered the highly-touted Harbour Watch, who hasn't raced yet as a three-year-old, but created a big impression when winning the Group Two Richmond Stakes at Goodwood last August. Hannon could also saddle multiple Group winners Strong Suit and Libranno.
