Burke has Quiet Reflection primed
Burke's star sprinter has been scoped and is not suffering from the virus as she prepares for her biggest race at Ascot on Champions Day
KARL Burke is not unduly worried that a few horses in his yard are coughing ahead of Quiet Reflection's run in the Qipco British Champions Sprint on Saturday week.
Another victory for the flying filly at Ascot would give her huge claims of being crowned champion sprinter.
That would be no mean feat for a three-year-old considering the exploits of Mecca's Angel and Limato this season, but were she to be successful it will be a third Group One success following on from the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and the Sprint Cup at Haydock.
Her only defeat this term came in the July Cup at Newmarket on the quickest ground she has encountered, but as long as the ground is genuinely good at Ascot Burke would have no complaints.
"We've had a few horses coughing in the yard recently and mine haven't run that well in the last week," said Burke, speaking at a press morning to promote the Qipco-backed meeting.
"However, I'm not worried about her, we've had her scoped and it was clean as a whistle.
"What I want next week is proper good ground, because that wouldn't be too quick for her and I want to prove she's not a mudlark - some say she's only good on soft, but that's not the case.
"She was on the go early - we took her to France in April - and I wanted to give her a break after Ascot (June) really but then the July Cup came up.
"So while she was beaten there, I think she might have just been feeling it.
"We freshened her up for Haydock and she was brilliant again.
"She'll do a final good piece of work on Friday or Saturday and that will be it."
He added: "If we go there in the form she was in at Haydock then I think she'll be very hard to beat. Good ground would be perfect for her and if it's soft even better!"
