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‘I’m not afraid of the English horses’ – Dominik Moser plots German July Cup triumph with Namos

3 minute read

Dominik Moser says he will respect but not fear his opponents when he takes a tilt at the Darley July Cup with dual G3 winner Namos at Newmarket on Saturday.

Newmarket July (GB) Picture: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

The lifting of travel restrictions from Friday means both Moser and his staff are free to travel from his base in Schneverdingen, north west Germany, without having to complete a 14-day quarantine either way.

He has booked Coral-Eclipse Stakes-winning jockey William Buick to ride Namos for a G1 contest in which he will take on Royal Ascot sprint winners Golden Horde and Hello Youmzain.

"When I come to England I'm not afraid of the English horses," he said. "You have the best racing in the world, I know this, but I like the Timeform rating for Namos.

"This year he has won two G3 races, which is the highest level we have in Germany for sprint races," added Moser. "It makes no sense to stay in Germany but in coronavirus time there haven't been many options. I know this is a very tough race but I think he is a good horse."

In two visits to Britain last year Moser saddled another sprinter Waldpfad to win the G3 Hackwood Stakes at Newbury before finishing third in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup. 

The trainer rates Namos, who finished fifth behind Too Darn Hot in the G1 Prix Jean Prat last year, in the same bracket.

Moser, 47, said: "In training Namos is better than Waldpfad, but Waldpfad is more tough and Namos is more lazy.

"He has won over six furlongs and seven furlongs and he is good at both," Moser went on. "I know the track at Newmarket and there is a hill at the end so I think we need a bit more power than for six furlongs.

"The problem with him is he only does enough. He can go in the lowest handicap and only win by a nose or a head; he would never win by ten lengths but he wins his races easier than it looks.

"We have booked William Buick because especially in England on a straight course it is very good to have an English jockey. He knows the track and the tactics of the race. We never forget that England is the highest level so we need some local experience."

Moser, who has saddled three winners in the UK, had hoped to have brought Waldpfad back to Britain and was targeting races at York and Royal Ascot before the programme was disrupted by the pandemic.

"The plan is to come back to Haydock in eight to nine weeks' time," he said. "We had no races before and France and England were closed so we made a plan for the second half of the season."