'TDN Rising Star' Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) lights up the Lockinge undercard at Newbury on Saturday, with Sir Michael Stoute keeping Sir Evelyn De Rothschild's homebred in calm waters for now as he cuts a dominating figure in the G3 Al Rayyan S., or Aston Park as it is historically known. Having to handle slow ground on his return when capturing one of his trainer's favourite races, the G3 Gordon Richards S. at Sandown Apr. 27, the bay who split Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) with Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in arrears in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster in September is one of the pretenders to this year's middle-distance championship and defeat here would represent a major setback. “He is in good shape and the step back up to a mile and a half on a galloping track will suit,” Stoute's assistant James Horton said. “We are very hopeful. He puts his head on the ground and would gallop through a wall for you. He is ready to go, so fingers crossed he can do it again.”
We will gauge how much of a match he could be for Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the King George by how far he can beat Merry Fox Stud Limited's 2015 G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin winner Second Step (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and last year's G3 Bahrain Trophy scorer Raheen House (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}).
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