Carl Spackler adds truly international flavour to Queen Anne cracker
Connections feel they have the right type of horse to be competitive, with William Bourne, Maher's bloodstock manager, saying: 'The sample size (of international runners in the Queen Anne) isn't huge, but his times really stacked up and just his temperament and attitude, he's the perfect horse to travel – he's an absolute dude and I think he's going to run a big race.
Yulong Investments have confirmed the purchase of Carl Spackler, who will target the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal @Ascot!
The horse, who has joined @cmaherracing, will become the first Australian-trained runner in the race before heading down under for a spring campaign. pic.twitter.com/FefgVwlxuK
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 26, 2025
'He's a very straightforward horse, there's not much to know – what you see is what you get. He's got a great temperament, he's like a kid's pony, he's made it so easy to bring him here, get him into the rhythm and train him. He's definitely made life easy for the boss.
'It's a red-hot race, there's no hiding, you're at Royal Ascot in a Group One so you're under no impression you're going to get an easy field. It is what it is, we think he's a pretty good horse and hopefully he can show up on Tuesday.
'When you speak to English owners and trainers at the Melbourne Cup, the buzz is the whole week and this is very similar – great weather, a lot of people, a lot of hype. It's a very international raceday and world class so just to even be here as a spectator or have a horse here, it's a privilege and to have Yulong entrust us with the horse is just amazing.'
Lead Artist, Dancing Gemini, Rosallion and Notable Speech set a high standard for Carl Spackler to aim at, having filled the first four places in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
With Sardinian Warrior a non-runner due to being off colour, John and Thady Gosden will rely on Lead Artist in Berkshire.
John Gosden said: 'I think the stiff mile at Ascot will suit him well rather than a slick mile and it's a wonderful race.
'You have the first four in the Lockinge all turning up and will they finish in the same order, that will be the question.
'He got stuck in the ground at Sandown and he doesn't like that. He likes what we got at Newbury in the Lockinge and what we're hopefully going to get at Ascot on Tuesday.
'He was in need of the race at Sandown and he came there travelling nicely, it was just on that ground he struggled to get home. He turned that round and it wasn't a huge surprise. Did I think he would win? Probably not, but I did think he would run a huge race.'
Notable Speech won last year's 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes and Charlie Appleby expects him to take a good step forward from his Lockinge reappearance.
He told the Godolphin website: 'Notable Speech comes into this in great order and we are looking forward to seeing him on the straight track at Ascot.
'The Lockinge was his first start of the year and he has definitely come forward for the run. Conditions are there to suit him and it looks a fantastic race to kick off the meeting.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The simple eye trick to fall asleep in seconds if you keep waking up at 3am: 'You've saved my life'
Millions have been left stunned over a bizarre-but-brilliant sleep hack that promises to knock you out in seconds. And all it involves is moving your eyes around. Jenna Coak, an American content creator known for testing wellness tips, has gone viral after posting a clip now viewed 2.6 million times. In the video, she explained how a trick she saw on Instagram helped her fall back asleep in the middle of the night, something she says she normally struggles with every single night. 'I saw this trick on Instagram for falling back asleep after you wake up in the middle of the night,' she told her followers. 'I was like no way does this actually work. But I've tried it a couple of nights in a row and it literally works.' In the clip, Jenna, who wears an Aura ring to track her sleep, revealed her shocking data showing how often she normally wakes during the night. 'I usually wake up this much. It's insane I know,' she said, flashing a screenshot of her restless stats. Jenna Coak, an American content creator said the trick is: 'You look to the left, you look to the right, you look up, you look down, then they go round in a circle one way, and then you go the other way. And that's it. You just repeat it until you fall back asleep.' 'This was the first night I tried it. So much more restful. Second night it also worked!' Her fail-safe hack couldn't be more low-effort. 'This is what you do. I'm going to demonstrate it,' she said, eyes closed. 'You look to the left, you look to the right, you look up, you look down, then they go round in a circle one way, and then you go the other way. 'And that's it. You just repeat it until you fall back asleep.' To prove her theory, Jenna said she tested the technique multiple nights in a row. 'One night I swear I did it twice and I remember thinking 'no way is this going to work',' Jenna said. 'And the next thing I knew it was 7.30am and my alarm was going off.' To prove her theory, Jenna said she tested the technique multiple nights in a row and recorded it on her Aura ring (pictured) Jenna claims there's a science-based reason behind the success of the technique. 'I obviously looked at the science behind it, and it sounds like it activates our parasympathetic nervous system because it tricks your brain into thinking it's in the REM cycle,' she explained. 'It feels like some type of voodoo magic.' Her followers were blown away by the trick, flooding the comments with praise, personal hacks and pleas for it to work on small children. 'Yes! We do this in therapy and it regulates your nervous system,' one viewer confirmed. 'Can someone tell my baby this hack?' another joked. 'You've saved my life,' a third wrote. And others who tried it were instantly convinced. 'I am chronically up every night, and I tried this last night,' wrote one fan. 'I am sold! It was the weirdest thing. I was very aware of how I was moving my eyes around, and then that would be the last thing I remembered. Thanks for sharing!' Another user added: 'I close my eyes, and say 'nothing, nothing, nothing,' over and over again in my mind. 'It keeps all the intrusive thoughts away. Works every time.'
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
David Gray delighted as Hibernian respond to Midtjylland loss with win at Dundee
The Easter Road boss admitted it was a 'difficult' decision to make just one change to the side that started Thursday's extra-time defeat by Midtjylland in the Europa League. However, Gray was rewarded with a strong display as Kieron Bowie's first-half double proved enough to overcome a Dee side who pulled one back through Fin Robertson. 'I'm delighted because after everything the players put in Thursday night, everybody would be looking at today's game wondering would there be a hangover, how will the players react the first time they went Thursday-Sunday,' the manager said. 'The players reacted in the best possible way with a real professional performance. I thought we controlled the game from start to finish.' Gray was heartened to see recently-capped Scotland forward Bowie get off the mark so early in the campaign after he endured an injury-disrupted first season at Hibs. 'That's the reason he was brought to the club,' he said. 'He's suited to Scottish football as well, with the physicality, he really enjoys that side to the game. 'The confidence levels will be high with the Scottish recognition as well, which is fantastic for him on a personal note, but he's working hard every day, he's getting fitter, he's getting stronger and really benefiting from a strong pre-season.' Gray was typically coy when asked about the future of defender Lewis Miller, who is understood to be close to joining Blackburn. The Australian is currently recovering from injury. 'There has been interest in him, but right now he's still a Hibs player and until he's not, my focus is on trying to get him back on the pitch as quick as we can,' he said. Dundee boss Steven Pressley said he saw some 'green shoots' of recovery against the Hibees after his side's demoralising Premier Sports Cup group-stage exit last month. However, the 51-year-old, taking charge of a match in Scotland's top flight for the first time in 15 years, felt they were 'nervy' in possession and was keen to stress the scale of the task he inherited in June. 'Almost every single goal from the team of last season was not there today,' said Pressley, whose talismanic captain Simon Murray missed out with injury. 'It's a big rebuild. I'm not trying to pull the wool over anybody's eyes. 'There's a lot of hard work ahead. We probably need another six players in to bolster the squad and it's a real challenge.'
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
David Gray delighted as Hibernian respond to Midtjylland loss with win at Dundee
The Easter Road boss admitted it was a 'difficult' decision to make just one change to the side that started Thursday's extra-time defeat by Midtjylland in the Europa League. However, Gray was rewarded with a strong display as Kieron Bowie's first-half double proved enough to overcome a Dee side who pulled one back through Fin Robertson. 'I'm delighted because after everything the players put in Thursday night, everybody would be looking at today's game wondering would there be a hangover, how will the players react the first time they went Thursday-Sunday,' the manager said. 'The players reacted in the best possible way with a real professional performance. I thought we controlled the game from start to finish.' Gray was heartened to see recently-capped Scotland forward Bowie get off the mark so early in the campaign after he endured an injury-disrupted first season at Hibs. 'That's the reason he was brought to the club,' he said. 'He's suited to Scottish football as well, with the physicality, he really enjoys that side to the game. 'The confidence levels will be high with the Scottish recognition as well, which is fantastic for him on a personal note, but he's working hard every day, he's getting fitter, he's getting stronger and really benefiting from a strong pre-season.' Gray was typically coy when asked about the future of defender Lewis Miller, who is understood to be close to joining Blackburn. The Australian is currently recovering from injury. 'There has been interest in him, but right now he's still a Hibs player and until he's not, my focus is on trying to get him back on the pitch as quick as we can,' he said. Dundee boss Steven Pressley said he saw some 'green shoots' of recovery against the Hibees after his side's demoralising Premier Sports Cup group-stage exit last month. However, the 51-year-old, taking charge of a match in Scotland's top flight for the first time in 15 years, felt they were 'nervy' in possession and was keen to stress the scale of the task he inherited in June. 'Almost every single goal from the team of last season was not there today,' said Pressley, whose talismanic captain Simon Murray missed out with injury. 'It's a big rebuild. I'm not trying to pull the wool over anybody's eyes. 'There's a lot of hard work ahead. We probably need another six players in to bolster the squad and it's a real challenge.'
