Denied the chance to join his high-class stablemate Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) at Royal Ascot due to a minor setback, 'TDN Rising Star' Legends of War (Scat Daddy) is primed and ready for his first major test in Thursday's G2 Arqana July S. at Newmarket. Qatar Racing's four-length Yarmouth debut winner is up against proven pattern-race performers here, but John Gosden believes he is made of the right material to figure. “He got a temperature and a cough, and his blood was wrong which meant he missed the Coventry, so thank goodness we didn't run him,” Gosden revealed. “He comes here fresh and is in good form. We'll be looking to run a nice race and he's got a good turn of foot so we'll be looking to put it to best use.”
Second to Calyx in the G2 Coventry S. at the Royal meeting on June 19, Phoenix Thoroughbred Limited's Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) sets the standard on that form and trainer Martyn Meade is happy with his demeanour since that occasion. “He beat everything on his side in the Coventry, he just didn't know anything about the horse on the other side,” Meade said. “Having said that, you can't take anything away from Calyx, he looks very good. Nevertheless, it was a very good run from our horse and, thankfully, we're not bumping into him this time. He's got a favourite's chance and the ground should be fine for him, not dissimilar to Ascot. I toyed with the idea of running him in the Superlative [S. over seven furlongs] on Saturday as he took a bit of time to get going in both his races, but we decided to stick to six [furlongs] for now.”
Aidan O'Brien has opted to saddle the G2 Railway S. winner Van Beethoven (Scat Daddy) under a three-pound penalty for his success in that June 30 six-furlong contest, which came just a week after his fourth in Royal Ascot's Listed Windsor Castle S. His backing-up of his juveniles at this time of year is unusual, but this is a colt that seems to be taking a busy schedule in his stride.
Elsewhere on the card, the G2 Princess of Wales's Arqana Racing Club S. features Mirage Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}) who showed last time that he needs this mile-and-a-half trip when fifth in Royal Ascot's Listed Wolferton S. over 10 furlongs on June 19, but the otherwise progressive Juddmonte homebred has to give 12 pounds to China Horse Club International's 3-year-old Raa Atoll (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who was fourth last time in the G2 King Edward VII S. at this distance at Royal Ascot on June 22. In the G3 Bahrain Trophy, another of Khalid Abdullah's bluebloods First Eleven (GB) (Frankel {GB}) comes out of handicap company for the first time and the half-brother to Kingman (GB) looked ready for this level when an unlucky third in Royal Ascot's King George V H. on June 21.
This is traditionally the meeting where the Classic juveniles start to appear and interestingly, in the 2-year-old fillies' maiden Frankie Dettori dons the old maroon-and-white silks he dominated in during the nineties, with Sheikha Al Jalila Racing's Handmaiden (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) one of the main contenders.
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