‘OLD SOD’ Accidental Agent has a massive chance in the Hyde Stakes on Wednesday night, reckons trainer Eve Johnson Houghton.
The 2018 Queen Anne hero will attempt to snap a 10-race losing streak in Kempton’s Listed feature, which has attracted a high-class field.
The five-year-old enjoyed his finest hour when swooping from off the pace to win the Group 1 at Royal Ascot 17 months ago.
But this term he has developed a frustrating habit of fluffing the start, even refusing to race when lining up to defend his Queen Anne title in June.
He again missed the kick when third at Newmarket last time, but Johnson Houghton has shouldered the blame for that and is hoping he will be on his best behaviour.
Johnson Houghton said: “He’s in good form, whether he decides to jump off or not, who knows!
“He is getting a temperamental old sod but he has still got loads and loads of ability.
“He was slowly away at Newmarket last time but it was my fault, I didn’t take a ticket to go in last and they were in the stalls for a long time waiting for a race to finish at Wetherby and he just went to sleep.
“Hopefully we will go into the stalls last this time and that will sort him out, he doesn’t like to spend too long in there. He was as good as gold and jumped out fine in his work this morning, so fingers crossed.
“He has a massive chance if he’s in the mood, I’ll look into his eyes and ask him if he is in the mood, but I don’t expect an answer!”
The current market leader is Roger Varian’s exciting three-year-old Khuzaam, who produced a jaw-dropping effort to win by seven lengths over C&D last month.
Big-race jock Jim Crowley has been looking forward to getting the leg up on him ever since and he reckons the colt is ready for this rise in grade.
Crowley said: “I’m really looking forward to riding him. We have always held him in high regard so I was expecting him to win like he did last time.
“He is definitely ready for this step up in class. He is on the way up whereas some of the others horses in the race have been around for a few seasons and maybe reached there level.
“But it’s up to him to go out there and do it and continue to progress.”
Another runner who remains open to improvement is David Elsworth’s three-year-old filly Dandhu.
She set up a 1000 Guineas tilt after winning the Fred Darling in April, but she picked up an injury in the Classic itself.
She has only been seen once since May, finishing 10th in a Listed contest at Ascot on testing ground.
Elsworth said: “She injured herself in the Guineas and she had to have a chip removed from a fetlock joint.
“That all seems to have recovered now and I probably ran her quick enough at Ascot last month because I though her class could see her through, but she got tired in the bad ground.
“We’ve been looking for a race for her before the end of the season and this seems the most suitable. The surface is fair and she has won around there.
“She is still a very lightly-raced filly, she has only had seven runs in her life. She is pleasing us in her work, she always does and she has always been a good work horse.
“We are hopeful that she’ll win, but there are a lot of old pros in there, it’s not a donkey race, so she will have to raise her game a bit.”
Elsworth also saddlesRipp Orf, though he admitted it was the owner who encouraged him to run.
He continued: “The owner wants to run him, I’m a bit worried in case he runs too well and mucks up his handicap mark, but I’m here to serve!
“He has run well this season, he is on a mark where he is clearly effective. If he did run well a couple of pounds more would get him into the handicaps that are tough to get in.”
Defending Hyde Stakes champ Flaming Spear is an 11-1 shot for Dean Ivory, who also saddles Group 1 winner Librisa Breeze in the 45,000 heat.
The Tony Bloom-owned pair, who will break from stalls seven and six respectively, found life tough on heavy ground at Ascot on Champions Day.
Ivory said: “Both of them are well. Flaming Spear won the race last year and he won it quite nicely. I’m very hopeful of a repeat performance.
“Librisa Breeze is back up to a mile, he has got a bit of form and a bit more to offer over that trip.
“It’s a fair track, it’s a hard race as you’d expect, but they’re both well and we are hopeful they’ll both run well.
“The ground was bottomless at Ascot and they weren’t the only horses to fail to act on it so you can excuse them the run there.”
