Going concern for Midday

Henry Cecil has stressed the jar will need to be taken out of the Churchill Downs ground for Midday.

The defending Filly & Mare Turf champion loosened her limbs with a gentle stretch on the dirt course on Tuesday morning but it’s the condition of the turf track that concerns the trainer.

“They’ve got to take the jar out of the ground, you can’t expect million pound horses to run on a road. Unless they take the jar out, which I’m sure they will, there has to be a possibility that one or two horses won’t run,” he warned.

There’s a lovely cover of grass but it is a tight track. They shouldn’t change the ground, that would be unfair to fast ground horses, but we don’t want any jar.”
Rain forecast

Rain – and a signifcant amount – is forecast at some stage on Friday and the

watering continues at Churchill Downs.

Apart from that concern, Cecil admits he will have “no excuses” if his star doesn’t win the race for the second successive season.

“She’s had a good year, those three Group One wins in eight weeks, I’ve managed to give her a bit of a breather and she seems in really good form. I think the extra furlong will suit her and she’ll handle the tight track, she’s not a big filly. We’ve no excuses…at the moment,” he grinned.

A long season can catch up with horses at this time of year but the trainer insists there are no such worries with Midday.

“I ran a horse (Picture Editor) on Saturday who was second favourite for the Derby, he was working beautifully and i couldn’t see him being beaten and overnight he just went. I think this filly is fine, she’s tough and is in good order,” he added.

Midday is 4-5 with Sky Bet for Friday’s race.