Air Force One ready for lift off at Ascot

Geoff Oldroyd believes Air Force One’s career could be ready for lift off as he leaves handicaps behind and takes aim at new heights in the BetMGM Rous Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

The veteran Pocklington trainer has produced the five-year-old to land two big-money handicaps in his last three starts including a valuable pot at York and the Portland at Doncaster last time out, netting £120,000 in the process.

It is a run of form that Oldroyd believes makes the step up to Listed level an obvious one and his handler is adamant he will not be out of place among better-rated rivals.

“Now we are rated 102 we thought we would go up a grade and see how we got on,” said Oldroyd. “He is in great nick. P J McDonald has been up this morning and ridden him and says he is unbelievable how he has kept his form. He looks a picture and we believe he can make the step up.”

Oldroyd said it has taken a small army of equine professionals to get Air Force One to this position, admitting he feared he might struggle to get him to the track let alone hit such a rich vein of form in his fourth season in training.

“He had a lot of problems and it has been down to the vet, physio and blacksmith really that he is doing so well. He has had everything. When we first got him he had four legs and was lame on three,” said Oldroyd.

“It hasn’t been tendons, just joints and feet and muscular stuff. But they have all done such a good job on him. They are all involved and have helped to get him where he’s got.”

He added: “He is a good to firm ground horse really but just with that slight ease of late he is not jarring his joints so he is coming off his races very sound.

“But while it has taken a long while to get him where we have got him, he’s in a good place at the moment and he has just kept improving.”

Air Force One has improved a stone since April according to official ratings and while he has only once been south finishing fourth at Sandown as a two-year-old for David O’Meara, Oldroyd believes the track and trip will suit.

He said: “He’s not been to Ascot before although he went to Sandown when David O’Meara had him. But his best trip is five and a half furlongs so a stiff five at Ascot should be bang on target for him.”