THE sprinter, Halmahera, who
has almost made the Portland Handicap at Doncaster his private property in recent times, will not be in the line-up when the runners are pushed into the starting stalls prior to the Ayr Gold Cup on Saturday.
Kevin Ryan, who trains the ageing but still speedy sprinter, claims his boy has earned a break before returning to action later this season.
Halmahera defeated Texas Gold by a head at Doncaster last Wednesday to earn his third Portland win, and it was expected he would be among the runners in Ayr's feature, but he has now been withdrawn.
''I haven't really decided where he's going to run next,'' said Ryan. ''I'm going to give him a couple of weeks off. It was a great achievement by the horse at Doncaster, but he had a hard enough race in the Portland, so we'll just freshen him up.
''I ran him in a Group 3 [Bentinck Stakes] at Newmarket last year and he got absolutely murdered. We'll probably go for that.''
Halmahera may be lounging about in his box on Saturday afternoon, but one animal who will be on duty in the Ayr Gold Cup is Conrad Allen's Prince Aaron, and the trainer is full of confidence about his runner, who is the ante-post favourite for the big race.
The four-year-old, an 8-1 chance on many bookmakers' lists, is in top form having won his last two starts at Ascot and Newmarket. ''I've not galloped him since his last run but he's in great form, and if I didn't think he was capable of winning the Ayr Gold Cup off 96, I wouldn't have run him in a Listed race last time,'' said Allen.
''The form book shows he deserves to be favourite. He's not a talking horse - he has done it on the track. He has been in tip-top order all season and, touch wood, I've had no problems with him. I hope he arrives at Ayr in the same great form he's in at the moment.
''He's never run there before, but I don't see why the track wouldn't suit him. He's won at Kempton, which is a similarly flat track. Gary [Carter] would have done 8st 3lb to ride him, but his penalty means he carries 7lb extra. The going is ideal at the moment, but I'm not worried anyway, as he's won on fast and soft.''
There is every possibility that jockey Darryll Holland will be persuaded to turn up at Ayr on Saturday, although a final decision has not been made yet, but should the popular rider be in Scotland, it would mean that Airwave will have another new jockey when she tackles the Dubai International Airport World Trophy at Newbury.
Kevin Darley rode the four-year-old when 11th, beaten five lengths, in the Stanleybet Sprint Cup on her latest start, taking over from Holland, who had been in the plate on her previous two runs.
''Darryll Holland's agent rang up and asked for the ride, but I think he has now been switched to Ayr, so Richard Quinn will probably ride her.'' said trainer Henry Candy.
''It's a pity to have to keep chopping and changing, but there we are. She's very well. She has changed her attitude completely and now likes to jump out of the stalls and go too quick, so it's a case of getting her to settle in her races so she can finish.
''However, they ought to go quick enough over five furlongs at Newbury, and we'll see how we get on. She'll be retired at the end of the season.''
If Candy is hoping for a big run from Airwave, the same belief must apply to the Godolphin organisation about their colt, Dubawi, whom they have supplemented for the National Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday - at a cost of e30,000.
The son of Dubai Millennium has won both his starts to date, the most recent coming in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket, where he ran on strongly to beat Henrik by half a length and earn a position at the head of the market for the 2005 Derby.
The seven-furlong Irish Group 1 contest has attracted 16 entries, which including an eight-strong Aidan O'Brien squad, headed by Tiger Dance, a full-brother to Giant's Causeway.
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