Crisfords have another top stakes runner in Vandeek for Middle Park Stakes

From Newmarket to New York, it will be a day of high-level racing for the father-and-son co-training team of Simon and Ed Crisford. Team Crisford has sent Algiers to the Grade 1 Woodward on Saturday afternoon, while earlier in the day they start favored Vandeek in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes in England.

Vandeek is favored over River Tiber in the six-furlong straight course Middle Park, which is restricted to 2-year-old colts. The race drew eight entrants with the top two betting choices far shorter in antepost wagering than the other six runners.

The Middle Park shares top billing Saturday with the Group 1 Cheveley Park, run under the same conditions as the Middle Park but restricted to fillies. This race drew 13 entrants with Relief Rally solidly favored.

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For American audiences, the Group 2 Royal Lodge for 2-year-old colts and geldings over a straight mile holds importance as part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. The race often yields runners for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and this year is likely to be no exception. Capulet, the antepost favorite, looks like a prime Breeders’ Cup candidate for Coolmore and trainer Aidan O’Brien, heavy supporters of the event.

Capulet, by Justify, appears to be a talented colt, but he rates below City of Troy, Henry Longfellow, and Diego Velazquez – if not others – in the pecking order among O’Brien-trained 2-year-old males. That’s exactly the sort of horse O’Brien is liable to point for the Juvenile Turf, and Capulet already has raced twice around turns. He did so in a winning debut over the all-weather track at Dundalk and in his second start, on Sept. 7, when he was a fine second to Diego Velazquez in the Group 2 Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown.

Aablan, a Godolphin homebred trained by Charlie Appleby, also could be a Juvenile Turf candidate. He debuted with a Newmarket win and most recently landed the Solario Stakes on Sept. 2 at Sandown Park, a race won last year by the Appleby-trained Silver Knott, who went on to finish second in the BC Juvenile Turf.

Vandeek, meanwhile, has started his career with three wins, following a victory in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood with a Group 1 success in the Prix Morny last month in Deauville. Light rain was falling Thursday night at Newmarket, but the course as of Thursday was listed good to firm and doesn’t figure to soften considerably before Saturday’s racing. Vandeek, by Havana Grey, won over very soft going at Deauville and on soft ground at Goodwood and could well prefer more cut in the ground than he’ll get at Newmarket.

That might not be the case with River Tiber, third behind Vandeek in the Morny after a pair of victories on good turf, the second of them in the Group 2 Coventry at Royal Ascot. Ryan Moore rides River Tiber for O’Brien and Coolmore.

Relief Rally was second by a nose in the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot but has won her four other starts, including two since Royal Ascot, and subsequently is favored in the Cheveley Park. Tom Marquand rides the daughter of Kodiac for trainer William Haggas, and while Relief Rally lacks upside after a busy campaign, it’s difficult to guess who among her dozen opponents is set for a breakthrough.

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