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Bow Creek to return to UK after Sha Tin outing

Bow Creek, who represents Godolphin's Australian division as one of two runners for the operation in Sunday's HK$14 million (£1.16m) Champions Mile at Sha Tin, will fly from Hong Kong to England the following day with the other, Charlie Appleby-trained Safety Check.

Bow Creek at trackwork for Champions Mile
Bow Creek at trackwork for Champions Mile Picture: HKJC

Henry Plumptre, who manages Godolphin's interests in Australia, said on Friday: "Bow Creek will spend the summer in Newmarket and may have one or two races before he goes back in September, but Ascot is not on the schedule at the moment.

"He's a six-year-old by Australian standards, a bull of a horse, and his trainer John O'Shea wants to keep him on the move. We're going into our winter in Australia and John believes it would be difficult to keep him fit in a paddock there, whereas he can go to England and be kept ticking over, ready to start again next spring."

Holler a definite for Royal Ascot

Bow Creek, who will be Zac Purton's first ride for Godolphin on Sunday, ran 15 times for Mark Johnston in Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed's colours, and progressed to win two Group 2 races, including the Celebration Mile, before being switched to Appleby's Godolphin team. Last in both races in 2015, he was then transferred to O'Shea, for whom he won a Group 2 over 1m1f at Caulfield in February.

Plumptre, who was at Sha Tin on Friday to see Bow Creek complete two very steady laps of the all-weather circuit, added: "Whatever he does in England, he'll be a companion for our three-year-old Holler, who is definitely going to Ascot for either the King's Stand or Diamond Jubilee Stakes."

Holler won the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes at Randwick at the beginning of March, before going down by a short head in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley later in the month. Plans for Japonisme, third in the William Reid, and fifth-placed The Quarterback, to take up Royal Ascot sprint entries are being finalised, the course's international director Nick Smith confirmed on Friday.

Bow Creek's leisurely Sha Tin exercise was preceded by a more strenuous work-out on the turf track by Safety Check under former Derby-winning jockey Willie Ryan. With Appleby busy at Newmarket, Safety Check's preparation has been supervised by assistant Sophie Chretien, who said: "He's coming from Dubai, which has become his garden, but he has settled in well and is coming into the race fresh. We couldn't have him any better."


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