Ambiente Friendly

“Ambiente Friendly has been a challenge. He is a horse with an extreme amount of ability. He has had two massive runs in the English and Irish Derby, but he has gone off the rails since then. It has been small steps on the way back. It is just nice to see him progress from that first Cheltenham run over hurdles. He is enjoying this now. If we can keep getting his form to rise over hurdles, we will come back on the Flat as he is still a young horse. We have always thought he is a horse that stays well and to be placed in an English and Irish Derby you have to stay well. It is just teaching him to run at fifteen seconds a furlong and not twelve seconds, but he is starting to do it. I was worried coming here on soft ground, but they have got to learn, and it was nice to see him do it today. It is a relief. He settled better today and I just love the way he battled. Usually, flat horses give up when they get headed, but he battled well and stayed well. We are still a long way off, but it is another small step back. He will get another couple of days' practice and the County Hurdle will be a right race for him at Cheltenham. There will be a big field, and they will go quick enough for him early on, and he will stay on well up the hill. We are a long way off, but he has got the class if he puts that together - James Owen, trainer.”

“Ambiente Friendly travelled really well to the two pole and just got outstayed in the last furlong. The winner and the second are both very good horses. I still think we'll probably be dropping back in trip next time - James Fanshawe, trainer.”

“I'm really thrilled with his run. Ambiente Friendly did absolutely nothing wrong. I thought coming to the two-furlong pole we had a real chance, and then obviously City Of Troy was back to his best, so we got beaten fair and square. No excuses, he ran a really good race and I'm delighted with him, and with the team back at home, who have done a great job. City Of Troy on his day is a very good horse, and so are we, but I hope there is more to come from him because he's still got a lot of maturing to do, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the season with him. He's taking his racing so much better now - he settled well today and stayed well, so there's a lot to look forward to - James Fanshawe, trainer.”

“That was exceptional. I've been riding Ambiente Friendly in lots of his work and he had come on so much from his run at Newmarket. They were much quicker conditions here, which he was unproven on, but he handled it beautifully. I couldn't speak highly enough of him - that was excellent. It felt to me like a proper trial. There was a nice even gallop and we got racing on the turn in, but I can't believe how he split the field so comfortably - Callum Shepherd, jockey.”

“Ambiente Friendly showed us a little bit of ability at home, but you never know until you get them on the track and I'm delighted for the Gredleys that he's looked as impressive as he did. He'll have really enjoyed that today. They haven't gone quick and Tom has got him relaxed and in a rhythm and he went through the gears. It's a field of newcomers so you don't know what you've come up against but he's done it in nice style and hopefully he'll be a horse to follow - Tom Fanshawe, trainer's son and assistant, speaking on Racing TV.”