On The Rebound

After the anti-climax of his Royal Ascot appearance, Khalid Abdullah's Exosphere (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}) is placed back on the rails by Sir Michael Stoute for the G2 Princess of Wales's Arqana Racing Club S. at Newmarket on Thursday. Unbowed by the homebred's tame display when eighth of nine in the June 18 G2 Hardwicke S., the record-holding trainer with nine successes brings him back to home territory in either hope or expectation that he can reproduce his emphatic success in the Rowley Mile's G2 Jockey Club S. over this trip. Apr. 30.

Exosphere has to give three pounds to Frank Gillespie's The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), who is looking for a first success since upstaging Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in an epic G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown in September 2014. Amazingly, this will be the 5-year-old's first start outside of Group 1 company since his G2 Dante S. win in May of that year, and only his second over this trip, but it may be that he needs a boost to his confidence after seconds in last season's G1 Prince of Wales's S. and G1 Eclipse S.

This early in the season, weight-for-age can heavily favour a mature 3-year-old and Muntazah (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) appears just that as he come back a fresh horse having finished an unlucky fourth in the G2 Dante S. over an extended 10 furlongs at York May 12. Last year's winner Big Orange (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) bids to become the first since Millenary (GB) (Rainbow Quest) in 2003 to win this twice and, despite finishing nine lengths adrift of Exosphere when third in the Jockey Club S. last time, carries some stable confidence. “Big Orange is a bigger and stronger horse than in 2015 and the recent dry weather means that the ground is finally coming in his favour,” trainer Michael Bell commented. “He's a very easy horse to train, because he is so clean-winded and runs well fresh. He's in very good shape and acts well on the course, but The Grey Gatsby is rated eight pounds higher than him, albeit he is not proven over a mile and a half.”