21 June 2023 , 07:00
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Conrad Allen is returning to racing’s Premier League with a horse owned by the father of Chelsea and England U21 star Noni Madueke.
Since he started training in Newmarket 35 years ago, Allen made more trips to the major meetings during a short spell as Qatar ’s official handicapper. But he will be dusting off his top hat and tails to saddle Princess Chizara in Wednesday’s Queen Mary Stakes for new client Ify Madueke.
Allen’s introduction to Madueke came via former landlord Jim Lovat and, after they were underbidders for a number of six-figure lots at the breeze-ups, a pair of two-year-olds were bought for more modest sums.
Princess Chizara, who cost 65,000gns at the May Guineas sale, was first to run, hitting the back of the net on debut, when landing a Brighton maiden by four and a half lengths at 28-1, fulfilling Allen’s brief to produce a royal meeting runner.
Jockey Daragh Keenan, picked to help her at the stalls where she can be fractious, will keep the ride at Ascot.
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“He deserves his opportunity,” said 63-year-old Allen. “I’ve been given one and I certainly wouldn’t be keen to take one away from him.
“I would have been pleased with fourth at Brighton but she did everything right and won. She has a bundle of speed and she can kick off it too.. She set some pretty hot fractions at Brighton and went again.
“I am quite confident if everything goes right at Ascot and she doesn’t boil over, she’ll beat more than beat her.”
Allen hit the bar when Toocando finished third to Lyric Fantasy in the 1992 Queen Mary but has not had another Royal Ascot runner since the nineties.
Conrad Allen: trainer of Princess Chizora (PA)The son of an actor who was part of the cast of Half A Sixpence on Broadway during the sixties, Allen appeared in TV adverts as a child. Despite being introduced on Channel 4 Racing after a winner as ‘the Milky Bar Kid’, that wasn’t one of his roles.
“I was in adverts for Rice Krispies, Bisto, Jaffa Cakes, Tree Top, Smarties. It was part of my childhood,” he said.
His other claim to fame is being the trainer of the winner of Britain’s first all-weather race at Lingfield. He would rather be remembered for other accomplishments.
“I hope it’s not my epitaph because it was a claimer at Lingfield,” he said. “It’s great to be remembered for something but I’ve had the second in the Gimcrack, the second in the Cherry Hinton, the third in the Lowther, the fourth in the Nell Gwyn but I haven’t won a Group race.
“I want to get at least one Group winner and I now have some owners behind me that want to back my judgement.”