Mel Smiths horse The Cheka a possibility for Park Stakes

21/8/09

Trainer Eve Johnson-Houghton is considering letting her stable star The Cheka take his chance in Group Two DFS Park Stakes, one of the highlights of racing on the fourth and final day of the Ladbrokes St Leger Festival at Doncaster, Saturday, 12 September.
 
Entries for the prestigious seven-furlong contest closed early for the first time this year on 21 July, with record prize-money of £160,000, as the Doncaster executive looks to advance the merits of the prestigious race, which it is hoped will one day attain Group One status.
 
In a promising juvenile campaign, The Cheka, who is owned by comedian Mel Smith in partnership with Anthony Pye-Jeary, blitzed to a 10-length victory on his debut in a novice stakes at Ascot last July and found only Sri Putra half a length too strong in the Group Three Solario Stakes at Sandown the following month.
 
A series of minor injuries forced the three-year-old Xaar colt to miss the first half of the season, but he made a winning return in a seven-furlong novice race at Newbury on 17 July, when he flew home to beat Ashram by a neck. 
 
Johnson-Houghton revealed today: “The DFS Park Stakes is a possibility for The Cheka as things stand. He’s definitely not going to Deauville for the Prix Quincey at the end of this month but the moment I make a definite plan for him, I am sure that he reads the newspapers and finds some reason not to go!
 
“I was absolutely delighted with his comeback at Newbury. He proved what I have always known, that he is a very good horse. He came out of that run fine but then he picked up a stone bruise and, as per normal, there are always never-ending niggles and problems with him - nothing is straightforward.
 
“I think that he has the pace to run well over seven furlongs, but he will be best over a mile in time. I dare not make any long-term plans for him but we could hopefully be looking at all of the top mile races next year.”
 
This year’s DFS Park Stakes looks set to be another superb renewal with dual Group One winner Paco Boy among the 49 entries remaining. Other notable contenders include Group One July Cup runner-up Main Aim, Group Two Betfair Cup scorer Finjaan, and Arabian Gleam, who is set to bid for a third success in the DFS Park Stakes after taking the spoils in 2007 and 2008.