Sense Of Duty, the filly trained by William Haggas, is set to make her highly-anticipated return to racing at Newbury on Saturday. After claiming her fourth straight victory at Newcastle’s Chipchase Stakes in June last year, an injury sidelined her for over 450 days. However, her connections have taken a cautious approach and given her the time she needed to recover.
Richard Brown, racing manager for owners St Albans Bloodstock, confirmed that Sense Of Duty is “ready to roll” and has shown all the signs that she is in great shape. She will run over the minimum distance for the first time at Newbury, and a strong showing could lead to a return to further races, including the Group One Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot on October 21.
Brown also stated that they are not sure if Sense Of Duty is ready to win over that trip, but they are running her with Ascot in the back of their mind. They look to have a strong hand in the Group Three contest, as they are also poised to be represented by Nymphadora. Trained by Andrew Balding, the four-year-old claimed the City Walls Stakes at York earlier in the season and will head to the Prix de l’Abbaye for one final career outing after her trip to Berkshire at the weekend.
St Albans Bloodstock is confident that both Sense Of Duty and Nymphadora will take their chances. Brown confirmed that Nymphadora will almost certainly run and then have a swansong in the Abbaye before heading to the paddocks.
The racecourse at Newbury is familiar territory for Sense Of Duty, having won there before. The weather forecast predicts rain, which could affect the performance of other horses such as Waiting Patiently, who is set to run in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase over a two-mile trip. Other notable horses to watch out for include Fox Norton and Un De Sceaux, who will compete in the Agetur UK Kingmaker Novices’ Chase.
