At roughly 3.25pm on September 11 2022, a gelding named Kinross crossed the finish line at Doncaster in front to win the Group Two Park Stakes at the same time as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s cortege passed through the Scottish town of Kinross on its way to lie in state.
Pure coincidence in the eyes of some; a curious twist of fate according to others.
Among those acknowledging the poignancy of the result was the horse’s owner, Hong Kong-based Marc Chan.
A great admirer of the late monarch, Chan went on to purchase a bronze maquette of Queen Elizabeth II with a mare and a foal at Tattersalls in November to commemorate Kinross’ win at Doncaster.
Fast-forward eight months to this Sunday, and Chan has every chance of hitting the racing headlines once again over another momentous period for the British royal family, this time against the backdrop of King Charles III’s coronation celebrations.
Lezoo, a filly owned by Chan in partnership with American fashion executive Andrew Rosen, will take aim at a first Classic win for the owners when lining up in a field of 20 hopefuls in the Group One 1000 Guineas (1,600m) at Newmarket.
Lezoo, winner of the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes on her last start as a two-year-old, has yet to prove herself at a distance further than 1,200m, but nevertheless oozed class during her juvenile season.
“We think that she’s competitive, but on pedigree, stretching out to a mile is very much unknown territory,” Chan’s racing manager Jamie McCalmont told Great British Racing International on Friday.
“It isn’t in her DNA per se, but she’s such a laid-back filly. If she was a buzzy type of six-furlong filly that just wants to get out of the gate and run, I don’t think we would be running in the race, but she’s not like that. If we find out we can run her at a mile, we’ve got a lot of options.
“The Dermot Weld filly [Tahiyra] was the most impressive filly with her performance in the Moyglare, without doubt. Meditate, she’s the only one with form past the mile in the race, so she deserves to be second favourite, but we’re 12-1 and I’d say we’re an 8-1 shot.”
McCalmont is hopeful that having the masterful Frankie Dettori in the saddle will give Lezoo every chance of staying the distance.
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Not only does Dettori have seven Guineas wins under his belt – four in this race and three in the colt’s equivalent – but the top jockey comes into the 2023 British flat season hungrier than ever for victory, thanks to his impending retirement at the end of the year.
Dettori has partnered many of Chan’s winners in Europe, and there have been plenty of them. Indeed, the owner has enjoyed an astonishing rate of success since starting out on his international racing journey in 2020, with most of his horses, including Lezoo, stabled with top trainer Ralph Beckett.
With the legendary jockey and owner being long-standing friends, as well as successful partners on the racecourse, it would be no surprise to see celebrations rival those in London should Lezoo get the job done on Sunday.
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