Clover still on cloud nine following Royal effort of Flowerhead

Queen Mary second Flowerhead is set to move up to six furlongs for her next start after giving rookie handler Charlie Clover a day to remember at Royal Ascot.

One of the newest names to the training ranks, Clover has enjoyed a dream June, saddling not only his first ever winner but quickly taking his tally to five. However, it is his 100-1 runner-up at the Royal meeting which has firmly shone a spotlight on his fledgling Newmarket operation.

“It’s getting increasingly hard to find words to describe Wednesday, it was a very special day,” said Clover.

“We love this filly and you hope for a run like that, but it’s hard to do it on that big stage and she was incredibly gutsy and did us incredibly proud.”

Flowerhead ultimately proved no match for Aidan O’Brien’s ultra-impressive scorer True Love in the Ascot Group Two, but having been drawn on the far side of the track, Clover was left to ponder what might have happened if able to race closer to the main action on the stands side.

“I saw Aidan’s horse in the pre-parade and I was seriously worried as she is the most impressive two-year-old filly I’ve ever seen,” explained Clover.

“But It would have been fun to see her drawn upsides True Love and have a bit of company and see if they could have had a hammer and tongs battle. Would we have come out on top? I don’t know, but I think we certainly could have got close.”

Although just failing to join brother and fellow Newmarket handler Tom Clover on the Royal Ascot roll of honour, the 29-year-old hopes to soon match his exploits in Group company, as connections plot the next move with Flowerhead.

Owned by Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing, the daughter of Starman appears set to step up in trip, with Clover highlighting Newmarket’s Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (July 11) or a return to Ascot for the Princess Margaret Stakes (July 26) as possible options.

“She seems to have come out of the race really well and we can now think of picking up some serious black type,” continued Clover.

“She shapes like she wants six and the data at home would back that up, but she was showing plenty of speed so that’s why we went for the Queen Mary over the Albany.

“However, Colin (Keane, jockey) felt she was little bit off her feet in the early stages and then when she found her feet she came home so strong that six furlongs next would be the right direction.

“There’s plenty of six-furlong races we can target. The Duchess of Cambridge is on the radar, although that might come to soon. She’s absolutely pinged out the race, but I am aware she has already had three starts and we just want to get our next move right.

“We’ll have that race on our radar, but failing that we can go back to Ascot for the Princess Margaret at the end of next month.”