Hukum team on weather watch for Hardwicke favourite

With less than a week to go to the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, Sunday is a key day in the preparation of favourite Hukum.

But for Owen Burrows, the trainer of Shadwell's latest star, the increased anxiety is not because of a crucial piece of fast work, or a final veterinary check, but because of thunderstorms forecast in Berkshire on Sunday.

Ascot's clerk of the course Chris Stickels, who described the round course as good, good to firm in places on Sunday morning, said the thundery showers in the area were "very difficult to read", adding he had ceased watering for the time being as they could get "as little as 3mm, or as much as 12mm, maybe more".

Burrows is hoping for the upper end of that scale for the fragile brother to Baaeed, who has taken a while to reach the top level but already has a Royal Ascot win on his CV courtesy of the 2020 King George V Handicap and in the last two seasons has really established himself as a major force.

The trainer said: "We don't need it soft but hopefully some of the forecast rain does hit. He's been trained for the race and we'd be gutted not to go but we won't risk him [on ground that's too quick]. If it didn't rain, we'd have to walk the course and see what's what, but hopefully some of this rain hits."

Hukum made a winning return in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown last month, accounting for last year's Derby hero Desert Crown by half a length. He landed the 2022 Coronation Cup by more than four lengths from another high-quality opponent in Pyledriver, who could reoppose at Ascot.

Hukum (farside): won't be risked on quick ground

"Touch wood, he's come out of the Brigadier Gerard well," Burrows said. "It was a nice surprise and great that he was fine afterwards. We did speak about supplementing for the Prince of Wales's but there was never enough rain on the horizon and it was an easy decision to put that conversation to bed."

Burrows is hoping to make up for lost time with the six-year-old, who had almost an entire year off the track after the Coronation Cup due to a hind leg fracture, with his trainer keen to use the Group 2 at the royal meeting as a stepping stone to further Group 1 glory.

He said: "We're hoping it will be the Hardwicke and then the King George but we could be having the same conversation before the King George. We'll also give him an entry in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud."

Anmaat: heading for the Eclipse instead of Royal Ascot

Hukum is not the only chance of a Royal Ascot winner for Burrows. He has Tarrabb entered in the Kensington Palace, Halla Dubai in the Britannia and Embrace in the Sandringham, but one who won't be going is recent Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Anmaat, who will wait for next month's Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, for which he is a best-priced 10-1.

Burrows said: "He's good and hopefully going for the Eclipse. That's the plan at the moment and he came out of France well. He's not short of speed and we feel he'll travel around Sandown."

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