Sandown Park plays host to the highest-class evening fixture of the whole season next Thursday, May 26, when the six-race programme features a Group Two contest, a Group Three event and two Listed races.
With £195,800 on offer in prize money, this is the richest evening fixture of the year in Britain and all race values meet the tariffs laid down by the Horsemen's Group. Sandown Park is also delighted to welcome Piper Heidsieck Champagne as a new sponsor.
The £50,000 Group Three Piper Heidsieck Champagne Brigadier Gerard Stakes (7.40pm) boasts an impressive roll of honour with Notnowcato, Bosra Sham, Pilsudski, Opera House and Mtoto all having taken the 10-furlong contest.
Workforce, who won the 2010 Investec Derby in record time before going on to annex the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, is one of 14 entries for the 2011 renewal. Should the Sir Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old make his seasonal debut in the contest, he could face some stiff competition from the Aidan O'Brien-trained pair of Jan Vermeer, fourth when starting favourite in last's year Investec Derby, and Viscount Nelson, who was third behind Twice Over last season in the Group One Coral-Eclipse over the course and distance. Sri Putra, runner-up in last year's Coral-Eclipse, is another possible starter.
Elusive Pimpernel was one of the best juveniles of 2009, including when finishing runner-up to St Nicholas Abbey in the Group One Racing Post Trophy. Last season, he made a winning debut in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket, before taking fifth behind Makfi in the 2,000 Guineas. A setback after Newmarket forced Elusive Pimpernel to miss the remainder of 2010, but the John Dunlop-trained four-year-old made a pleasing comeback when third on his seasonal debut in the Group Three Earl of Sefton Stakes over nine furlongs at Newmarket on April 15.
Patrick Cooper, racing manager for owners Windflower Overseas Holdings, said today: “The intention is for Elusive Pimpernel to run in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes.
“We were delighted with his comeback run at Newmarket. He had been off the course for a very long time, so we were absolutely thrilled. Hopefully, he can step up on that and away we go.
“The trip shouldn't be a problem for him, as we were intending to go for the French Derby with him last year before he went wrong.
“In my view the trip, the ground and the uphill finish at Sandown should suit him well.”
High-class stayers come to the fore in the £80,000 Charles Heidsieck Henry II Stakes (7.05pm) over two miles. Often an informative guide to the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, among this year's entries is Blue Bajan, who was narrowly beaten in the Group Two Yorkshire Cup last week. Godolphin has won this Group Two race twice, thanks to Papineau (2004) and Fight Your Corner (2005), and the Maktoum family's racing operation has three entries this year - the Saeed bin Suroor-trained pair of Darley Sun and Holberg as well as Opinion Poll, trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni.
There could also be some Royal Ascot clues on offer in the £21,500 Listed Piper Heidsieck National Stakes (6.30pm) over five furlongs for two-year-olds. The 15 entries for this race include five horses who have yet to taste defeat - Bapak Chinta, Boomerang Bob, Caspar Netscher, Jack Who's He and Sixx.
Smart three-year-olds feature among the entries for the £30,000 Listed Charles Heidsieck Champagne Heron Stakes (8.15pm) over a mile, including the Richard Hannon-trained Pausanias, who is part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson and won the Listed European Free Handicap at Newmarket last month. Fury and Happy Today finished fifth and sixth respectively behind Frankel in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket while Tazahum was a comfortable winner of the Esher Cup over the course and distance last month.
The evening gets underway at 6.00pm with the Kingston Handicap over 10 furlongs and concludes with the £10,300 Whitsun Cup Handicap (8.45pm) over a mile.
