CORONAVIRUS restrictions mean Michael Dods’ latest flying machine Que Amoro will likely be grounded this year.
The filly gave the mighty Battaash a fright when pushing him close in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York last week.
She showed incredible speed that day, taking some top-class rivals off their feet in the early stages.
It was a performance which earned her quotes of 10-1 for the Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc day, but Dods said she would not travel abroad unless there was a change in current Covid-19 constraints – meaning a Battaash rematch will likely have to wait until 2021.
Dods said: “She has come out of the Nunthorpe really well. We hoped she’d run a big race and she did, she gave Battaash a big fright.
“The press were more interested in saying how the ground didn’t suit Battaash, but it didn’t suit Que Amoro either, she wants nice fast ground.
“It was a very good performance to get that close to what is the best sprinter in the world. We are very pleased with her and we have a lot to look forward to.
“We were thinking about the Flying Five but with all the restrictions around at the moment it would be unlikely she will go there.
“We decided against an entry in the Abbaye and thought if she ran a big race in the Nunthorpe then we could always supplement her for it later on.
“But we aren’t keen to travel her to Ireland or France if it meant we would have to break the relationship with her and Paul Mulrennan. She is so fast and we want to keep Paul on as he knows her inside out.
“There is a big possibility that if all these restrictions remain in place, we will go to Newbury for the Dubai Duty Free Sprint next month, a race we won with Mecca’s Angel, it could be a good spot for her.”
Dods, who guided top speedsters Mabs Cross and Mecca’s Angel to multiple big-race wins, reckons he has never trained a horse with as much raw pace as Que Amoro.
He said: “We don’t work her at home with another horse because it would be unfair, she is just so fast.
“In the early days we were trying to restrain her and we got her beat, we kept trying to get her to go steady but it just wasn’t working.
“When we let her get on with it that’s when we saw the speed she’s got. I don’t think there would be many horses around who could match her early speed, she is blistering over the first three or four furlongs.
“We have had some quick horses, Mabs Cross and Mecca’s Angel, but from a standing start none of them are quick as Que Amoro.”
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