Indestructible another added to growing Greenham list

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Indestructible could renew rivalry with old foe Chaldean in the Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes at Newbury.

Kodiac colt Indestructible was beaten half a length when second to Chaldean in the Acomb Stakes at York last summer and filled the runner-up spot behind the same horse in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.

Having rounded off his juvenile campaign with Group One success in the Dewhurst Stakes, Chaldean is a leading contender for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May and connections have already declared their intention to give him a prep run in the Greenham on April 22.

Indestructible has moved across the Irish Sea during the off-season, leaving Michael O’Callaghan to join North Yorkshire-based Karl Burke, and he too has Newbury as a potential comeback target.

Tom Pennington, racing and operations manager for owners Amo Racing, said: “I spoke to Karl about him earlier this week and he’s working very nicely.

“He’s been pencilled in for the Greenham and we’ll make a decision on his Classic participation after that, I suppose.

“Chaldean is going there, as well as Noble Style from what I hear, but if we wanted to be running in a Guineas, we’ve got to be finding out how good he is in these trials.

“The Champagne Stakes form looks good, with the third (Silver Knott) touched off at the Breeders’ Cup.”

Indestructible is one of several Amo Racing-owned three-year-olds to switch yards this winter, with Crypto Force perhaps the most notable.

Crypto Force winning the Beresford Stakes
Crypto Force winning the Beresford Stakes (Brian Lawless/PA)

An impressive winner of the Group Two Beresford Stakes for O’Callaghan, the Time Test colt is now in Newmarket with John and Thady Gosden.

Crypto Force does not hold a 2000 Guineas entry, but hopes are high that he can make an impact at the highest level in due course.

“He’s cantering away and John is taking it very patiently with him,” Pennington added.

“He’s obviously a high-class horse and hopefully he’ll be out in all those mile or 10-furlong races from the summer onwards.

“Beresford winners tend to be 10-furlong plus horses and he’s by Time Test out of a Galileo mare, so you would think he’ll get a mile and a quarter standing on his head, but John will tell us more when he steps up his work.”

Two three-year-old fillies Pennington is looking forward to seeing in action are Mammas Girl and Magical Sunset, both of whom are trained by Richard Hannon and entered in the 1000 Guineas.

Mammas Girl impressed on her only start to date in a Newmarket maiden in October, while Magical Sunset won three of her five outings as a juvenile including an impressive Listed triumph at Newbury.

Pennington said: “Mammas Girl won on her debut and has all the nice entries. As Richard says, any horse of his that wins first time out tends to be half-decent and I know Richard really likes her.

“We’ve also got Magical Sunset, who won the Radley Stakes at the backend by five lengths. She’s very exciting and both of those fillies will run in trials.”

Post-Aintree school to determine Constitution’s chasing plans

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Nicky Henderson expects to make a decision on whether Constitution Hill is sent over fences next season around 10 days after his run in the William Hill Aintree Hurdle.

The six-year-old sealed his superstar status with his cosy nine-length verdict in the Champion Hurdle, but a chase career has been mooted for some time, with the possibility of him aiming to emulate the great mare Dawn Run, the only horse complete the Champion Hurdle-Gold Cup double.

A post-Aintree schooling session under Nico de Boinville is planned for Constitution Hill, after which Henderson believes he will know in which direction they will be heading.

“It’s possible Aintree could be his last run over hurdles. Everything is possible,” he said.

Constitution Hill relaxing at Seven Barrows
Constitution Hill relaxing at Seven Barrows (David Davies/PA)

“There are more opportunities over fences to start with, which would lead to the Arkle and the Champion Chase or maybe even the Gold Cup if he stays. A real superstar is a horse that can adapt to everything.

“It’ll all happen after Aintree. Michael (Buckley, owner) was down here the other day and we said what we would probably try to do is, about 10 days after Aintree, if the ground hasn’t dried up too quickly, we’ll school him over fences here (at Seven Barrows) and that’ll give us an idea.

“Then we have the whole summer to sit down and discuss, but if we’ve had one look at him schooling over fences Nico will know, and Michael and I will know, pretty well what are the options then.

“His hurdling and his way of crossing a hurdle is very, very effective but you can’t do that over fences.

“He’s got to learn to jump rather than hurdle. It could be that he’s got totally the wrong technique, I don’t know, but I’d be very surprised. He’s such an intelligent horse that I think he’ll soon realise, probably by actually just rubbing a fence, that he’ll say ‘oh wow, somebody’s raised the bar and now we’ll do something about it’.

“It’ll probably take him one mistake to work it out and a lot of sensible horses will work it out.

“The road has got to be smooth the whole way. Luckily this year, touch wood and we’ve still got two weeks to go, he’s not had any issues and it would be very disappointing for everyone if he couldn’t run (at Aintree).”

Constitution Hill leads his stablemates through the cooling stream
Constitution Hill leads his stablemates through the cooling stream (David Davies/PA)

Usually there are only three weeks between Cheltenham and Aintree, but this year’s calendar gives an extra week.

“We have the advantage this year of the four-week gap between the two (Cheltenham and Aintree) when it’s normally three. This time last year there was a lot of talk about him running again (after Cheltenham), but in my mind there was no chance of him running again and he didn’t after the Supreme,” said Henderson.

“He was only a young horse and it took a lot out of him to be honest. He didn’t come out of Cheltenham at all well last year and we only had the three-week gap.

“This year’s completely different. If it had been a three-week gap he’d be going to Aintree. Touch wood, I think he looks fantastic – I don’t think he’s ever looked better in his skin. He looks in great health.”

Constitution Hill took off a stride too soon over the last in the Champion Hurdle
Constitution Hill took off a stride too soon over the last in the Champion Hurdle (David Davies/PA)

Having made his first semblance of a mistake at the final flight in the Champion Hurdle, Henderson will do his best to ensure Constitution Hill does not do that again, while he does not envisage an extra half-mile at Aintree being a problem.

“He hasn’t started his serious work yet because we’ve had that gap. They have a very quiet first week, then he’s started cantering again and then he’ll have his first piece of work this weekend,” he said.

“Then he’ll have two more bits of work to do after that and then school, I’m sure, because the last hurdle he jumped – that sort of technique needs to be ironed out.

“You can’t iron it out completely – that’s his style and how he gets out of trouble – but luckily he’s got so much scope that he can do it.

“He was so full of horse that any other horse would have been tired at that stage and that mistake would have almost certainly tipped them over, but he had the ability to come up and then come up again in the air. It was an extraordinary thing to be able to do.

“He’s got to show that he stays two and a half miles, but don’t forget we were actually prepared to run him over two and a half first time out this year at Ascot, so I can’t be worried about doing it at Aintree this time of the year.”

Trial run key to Lezoo’s Classic aspirations

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Lezoo is unlikely to run in the Qipco 1000 Guineas without tuning up in a trial first, with connections keeping their options open for the star filly ahead of the new Flat season.

Somewhat unfortunate not to go through her two-year-old campaign unbeaten, Ralph Beckett’s charge won four of her five starts in 2022 and finished the year by landing the Cheveley Park Stakes in superb fashion at Newmarket in September.

Despite racing over no more than six furlongs so far, that Group One victory opened up the prospect of stepping up to a mile for a crack at the first fillies’ Classic of the season – a race for which she is as short as 12-1.

The likes of the Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes (Newmarket, April 19) and the Dubai Duty Free Stakes (Fred Darling, Newbury, April 22) are on the horizon and Jamie McCalmont, racing manager for Lezoo’s owner Marc Chan, believes she needs to be tested over a longer trip before a Classic run can be considered.

He said: “If she’s ready to run in a trial, then she could run in a trial, but we wouldn’t run in the Guineas without a run.

“Her form is solid – she never ran a bad race last year and was unlucky not to be unbeaten. But we wouldn’t go and run her straight away in the Guineas without a trial and we are under three weeks away now from those races. We’ll have to see, there’s nothing wrong with her, but we’ll see.

The Cambridgeshire Meeting – Juddmonte Day – Newmarket Racecourse
Lezoo (left) ridden by jockey William Buick on their way to winning the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse (David Davies/PA)

“Plans are fairly open with her at this stage. If she wasn’t ready in time for one of those races (a trial), I would be very surprised if we went in the Guineas – we would probably just stay sprinting then, but we will see.”

Balancing the Zoustar filly’s proven quality over sprint distances with the lure of Classic glory is a tough calculation for connections ahead of the new campaign – especially considering Meditate, the horse Lezoo conquered to claim Cheveley Park honours, is currently trading as the second favourite for the mile contest.

“When you have a horse that gives you everything, you don’t really want to make her do something she’s not bred or built to do,” continued McCalmont.

“The Guineas is an open enough race – the Dermot Weld filly (Tahiyra) I think was the really top filly last year. But Lezoo beat Meditate last time and she came back and won at the Breeders’ Cup with ease, so the form is solid.

“With (1000 Guineas runner-up) Prosperous Voyage this time last year, we didn’t really think we would make the Guineas and then all of a sudden she came right. But at least with her we knew she would stay the mile. This filly is by Zoustar who seems to be best at six to seven (furlongs) and then her dam didn’t run beyond six furlongs, so the Guineas is a bit of an ask.

“There looks to be plenty of depth to the sprint division with the three-year-olds. The Commonwealth Cup is a race that is probably a more realistic target than the Guineas, but then that could end up being one of the better races at Ascot this year. It certainly wouldn’t be a weak spot anyway.”

Dance ‘incredibly proud’ of Bravemansgame’s Cheltenham defeat

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Owner John Dance has stressed the pride he felt in watching Bravemansgame finish a gallant second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

An impressive winner of the King George VI Chase, the Paul Nicholls-trained eight-year-old subsequently finished a fine runner-up to Galopin Des Champs.

However, whether he runs again this season remains up in the air with connections not convinced he has shown his best at the Grand National meeting in the past.

Dance is mindful the high-class chaser has produced two below-par races at Aintree in successive seasons following runs at the Festival, finishing runner-up in the 2021 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle and last of four in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase last term.

He said: “He is possible for Aintree or Punchestown. We’ll have to see.

“The last couple of years, he’s had late-season ulcers. We have obviously campaigned him and peaked him less often this year.

“Hopefully that allows him to go a bit deeper into the season, but maybe we just want to do a few more pre-race checks.

“Even when he came second at Aintree as a hurdler behind Ahoy Senor, he never looked happy all the way round, so we will just have to see how he is.

“If he is bucking fresh, I would imagine we will scope him before and if he looks healthy, then we’ll give something a go, I’m sure.”

Any disappointment at Bravemansgame’s seven-length defeat in the Gold Cup was eclipsed by the pride Dance and his fellow owner Bryan Drew felt.

“It was kind of weird,” said Dance. “Bryan had very similar emotions, in that we’ve come runner-up in a race we dream of winning, but there wasn’t really any disappointment. We were just thrilled and proud of how he ran. We’d obviously come across a potential superstar.”

Though some questioned if he would stay the extended three-and-a-quarter-mile trip, Nicholls’ star was only run out of it after jumping the last.

Dance added: “I would argue whether he stayed the last 100 yards or so. He was just treading on water a little bit and the third and fourth were regaining some of the ground they lost on him, but I wouldn’t say he didn’t stay, but he certainly didn’t stay as well as the winner, who was a better horse over the trip.

“Watching them both take off together at the last was an incredible buzz. Our guy landed a bit tired then galloped on for a little bit before he was out-stayed.”

The feeling of finishing runner-up in the Gold Cup could not compare to when his six-times Group One-winning mare Laurens was defeated by Billesdon Brook in the 1000 Guineas five years ago.

Laurens' defeat in the Guineas hurt more than a Gold Cup reverse
Laurens’ defeat in the Guineas hurt more than a Gold Cup reverse (Mike Egerton/PA)

“Despite coming second, it was a very enjoyable one, if that makes sense,” he added.

“I remember when Laurens came second in the Guineas, that was considerably more disappointing, possibly because we were beaten by a bit of a freak result.

“To this day, I still suggest the winner didn’t get enough credit for that particular run. Everything worked out for her to run the race of her life and in terms of quantifying the performance, she never got as much credit as she deserved.

“Everything about Bravemansgame was just very different, because we were all just incredibly proud of what a huge run he put in.

“We all instantly appreciated it. If you take the winner out, he would have hacked up and probably put in a performance that would have won the last 10 renewals.

“You can’t help the generation or the opposition.”

Dance is nearing the final stages of completing the renovation of Manor House Farm, a private training facility and development stud for yearlings in Middleham. The historic yard is the birth-place of Derby winner Dante.

Sir Michael Stoute’s former assistant James Horton is his private trainer and they cannot wait to get going, once the finishing touches are complete.

“I’ll be proud when it’s finished,” said Dance. “It is all taking a bit longer than we hoped and expected, but we are excited. It has gone so well with James, so it will be great to just give him even better facilities.

“He’s a lovely guy and I would definitely say he has a touch of genius about him. He has learned from some of the greats, but individually, he definitely has a touch of genius.

“I think James and I are probably thinking, depending on runners, we’ll be set after Royal Ascot.

“We had hoped to be in for new year, then they were saying March or April, and there is still quite a bit to do, but we’re looking forward to it.”

Connections backing Jimi Hendrix to fire in Lincoln

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Jimi Hendrix has struck all the right chords in his preparation for Saturday’s Pertemps Network Lincoln at Doncaster and features among a maximum field off 22 on Town Moor.

The Ralph Beckett-trained four-year-old will step into the spotlight with a few questions to answer after three sub-par performances, which followed his fine third in the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot and subsequent victory in the bet365 Mile at Newmarket.

Owned by Chelsea Thoroughbreds’ Purple Haze syndicate, connections feel he is a big winner waiting to happen and he will break from stall eight.

Former Channel 4 Racing presenter Emma Spencer, who is managing director and racing manager of the Chelsea Thoroughbreds syndicates, said that Jimi Hendrix is better than he showed in his last three runs.

“He probably had excuses to be fair,” she said. “He went to Goodwood in a valuable handicap and was drawn 21 of 22 and that was complete waste of time. He didn’t have a hard race, just an impossible task.

“Then when he went to the Cambridgeshire, Rob Hornby got off him and felt that he didn’t like being crowded. It was the same big field in the Britannia, but in that race he ended up making the running.

“Everywhere he was in the Cambridgeshire, he was surrounded and Rob felt he froze a bit. Then when he got complete daylight, he got going again. We thought he had a big chance in that.

“After that he went to Newbury and the ground was absolutely bottomless.”

Jimi Hendrix, a son of New Bay, was gelded after his final run last term and has been working well ahead of his drop back to a mile for his return.

Spencer added: “Sometimes it makes them concentrate a bit more. I’m a fan of gelding something that doesn’t need to be a colt, full stop. You see improvement in every way.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him and as a four-year-old, we’d hope he will have a good year.

“To be fair, this year his work has been really good and Ralph couldn’t be more happy with him. He won his maiden at Doncaster, and while there is rain forecast, he goes in soft ground.

“He’s always a horse that Ralph has loved. It is well within him to win a race of this nature then step up.

“Things just really didn’t go his way at the back end of last season and the Lincoln is a really good starting point for him.”

The William Haggas duo of Al Mubhir and Montassib have been drawn in stalls 10 and 21 respectively, with Charlie Fellowes’ Atrium in stall 13.

Awaal (17) and Wanees (22) are also among the leading hopes, but John and Thady Gosden did not declare Saga.

Haggas plots more raids on Australia’s biggest prizes

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William Haggas will drop Protagonist in trip for Saturday’s Doncaster Mile at Randwick after being tempted by the huge prize money.

Ben Thompson will replace James McDonald aboard the six-year-old, who won a Group Three at Rosehill on unsuitably fast ground on his first start in Australia.

With just under £1.3million to the winner, the Newmarket handler, who has enjoyed great success with his runners in Sydney, could not resist chancing his arm with plenty in his favour, with former stablemate My Oberon among the opposition.

“Protagonist runs on Saturday and we are dropping him back in trip, which I’m not sure is the right thing, but it is too much money (not to),” admitted Haggas.

“He runs in a mile race at Randwick and there will be some rain. I think there is a bit of cut in the ground at the moment and it’s a soft six.

“So there is rain around and he’s got a good draw (eight of 20), although he’s got a jockey I don’t know at all. But he’s a pretty straightforward horse to ride.”

Though regular partner Tom Marquand has recovered from injury, he will be unable to make the allotted weight of 7st 12lb.

Haggas added: “It’s great that Tom is on the way back. Unfortunately, he hasn’t done around 50 kilos for about 10 years, but there we go.”

Should he run well, last season’s British trainer’s championship runner-up could allow the son of Wootton Bassett to run in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, one of the biggest races on the Australian calendar.

In 2020, Haggas landed the prize with Addeybb, having previously won the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill. The following year, Addeybb repeated the trick in the Queen Elizabeth, overturning his form with Verry Elleegant, who had beaten him narrowly in the Ranvet.

The Haggas-trained Dubai Honour was given a brilliant ride by big-race pilot Ryan Moore to land this year’s Ranvet by four-and-a-half lengths.

Haggas could potentially run both Protagonist and Dubai Honour in the 10-furlong Queen Elizabeth this year.

He said: “Protagonist may back up in the Queen Elizabeth as well, but Dubai Honour will run in that on Saturday week. He won well in the Ranvet.”

Dubai Honour will line up in the valuable Queen Elizabeth next weekend
Dubai Honour will line up in the valuable Queen Elizabeth next weekend (David Davies/PA)

Purplepay, who took the Group Two Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly on French Oaks day in June, was well held on her Australian debut.

The Zarak filly will be equipped with headgear when she lines up in the Group One Queen Of The Turf Stakes on the same card.

Haggas said: “Purplepay worked very nicely apparently this week and she is going to run in blinkers on Saturday week. The ground was too firm for her last time.”

Meanwhile, last year’s Ebor third Earl Of Tyrone, who scored on his Kempton debut for the yard having been with Paddy Twomey last summer, will not line up in the Sydney Cup.

Haggas explained: “Earl Of Tyrone has gone wrong, unfortunately. He strained a tendon, so he’s done for at the moment.”

French Claim puts down marker for staying honours at Navan

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Irish Derby third French Claim is to be campaigned over staying trips in future having landed short odds on his comeback at Navan.

Trained by Paddy Twomey, French Claim was beaten only five lengths in the St Leger at Doncaster before disappointing in the Irish Cesarewitch.

Sent off the 4-9 favourite, he had no trouble in winning the Navan Racecourse Race under Billy Lee, with his main predicted market rival Okita Soushi an absentee, and Twomey is now eyeing up the Vintage Crop Stakes back at Navan next month.

“It was a nice to get a lead (from front-running Oriental Eagle), he has form on that (soft) ground, won on it in Listowel and Cork but he is pretty versatile. He’s good fresh,” said Twomey.

“The end of last year was a bit of a mess so hopefully this year we’ll have a good year. I’d say he’ll come back here for the Vintage Crop Stakes.

“He was third in the Irish Derby, but he hasn’t won a stakes race yet, so we’ll try to win one and take the steps from there.

“Today was just to take the first step and hopefully he’ll improve. Staying isn’t a problem to him.”

Aidan O’Brien’s Gooloogong (5-2 favourite) stepped up markedly on his Dundalk debut to defy a market drift and win the NavanRacecourse.ie Maiden under Ryan Moore.

Fifth of 10 on the all-weather, the Australia colt – who is entered in the Derby and Irish Derby – was always to the fore this time around and pulled nicely clear with Dermot Weld’s Nation’s Call.

Gooloogong found more close home to win by two and a quarter lengths.

Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “He obviously had the one run at Dundalk last year and it stood to him.

“He’s been progressing nicely over the winter and he’s a horse that we thought had come forward an awful lot.

“Ryan gave him a lovely ride and spoke very nicely of him. He’ll fit into one of the trials now and we’ll see how he goes.

“He’s a mile-and-a-quarter plus horse. He has a lovely attitude and is a typical Australia. He’s a nice horse to go forward with for the year, hopefully.”

Syd Hosie retains plenty of faith in Rock My Way

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Rock My Way has two possible targets at Aintree as owner-trainer Syd Hosie looks ahead to a possible chasing career with his star five-year-old.

Hosie has been involved as an owner for many years with Colin Tizzard before entering the training ranks last year, saddling a handful of winners from his Dorset base.

Having earned a Grade Two success in a novice hurdle at Cheltenham in January, Rock My Way flew the flag for the yard in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival meeting and ran well for a long way before tiring behind Stay Away Fay, eventually being pulled up.

Hosie said: “The Albert Bartlett was a very good race this year. He ran really well for a long way, but just didn’t stay three miles.

“He is a nice horse, but he is five. There were two five-year-olds in the race, but I’m not making excuses.

“We have two options now, either the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Aintree over two-miles-four (furlongs) – that is probably where we are going to head with him, then put him away – and there is the Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, but that is a bit of an ask, being a Grade One.

“I’m more inclined to run him in the handicap.”

Rock May Way has the scope to go chasing, although Hosie will take his time before making a plan for next season and beyond.

He added: “I have two owners with him now (Nick Case and John Romans), so we will see how he summers and make a plan.

“He definitely has the scope to go over fences. To me, a horse like that, is going to be more natural over a fence – he’s going to do everything easier over a fence.

“He probably needs to strengthen up a little more.”

Ganay set to stage heavyweight clash between Vadeni and Luxembourg

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Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up Vadeni is set for a mouthwatering early-season rematch with Luxembourg after connections confirmed the Prix Ganay as his likely comeback target.

A brilliant winner of last year’s French Derby, Vadeni was subsequently supplemented for the Coral-Eclipse and got the better of Mishriff and Native Trail to become the first French-trained winner of the Sandown showpiece in 62 years.

Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget immediately nominated Leopardstown’s Irish Champion Stakes – a race he won with Almanzor in 2016 – as the next port of call, but his latest middle-distance star had to make do with minor honours in third behind the Aidan O’Brien-trained Luxembourg.

The Ballydoyle handler revealed earlier this week he planned to send the latter to France to make his reappearance in the Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp on April 30, a Group One contest in which Vadeni will make his first competitive appearance since finishing a half-length second to Sir Mark Prescott’s Alpinista in the Arc.

Georges Rimaud, racing manager for owner-breeder the Aga Khan, said: “Vadeni is training OK, he is going to run in the Prix Ganay and we’ll see from there.

“There is not much to say. The horse is fine and doing everything he is being asked to do. All is well.”

When it was suggested a Ganay outing would throw up an exciting clash with Luxembourg, Rimaud added: “That is what we are hoping for anyway. I don’t know if it will be exciting or what, but it will be interesting.”

Erevann after winning at ParisLongchamp
Erevann after winning at ParisLongchamp (Ashley Iveson/PA)

Another Aga Khan-owned colt set to ply his trade at Group One level this season is Vadeni’s stablemate Erevann, who has won four of his five starts and rounded off 2022 with victory in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein on Arc weekend in Paris.

Connections have not got as far as firming up plans for his seasonal debut, but he appears unlikely to travel across the Channel for the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury in May.

“Erevann is the same – he is also doing well,” said Rimaud.

“We’ll decide soon where we go with him. He’ll run over a mile – he’s more of a miler, absolutely.

“He probably won’t go there (Newbury) for his introduction.”

Jack Channon looking forward to landmark day with Majestic

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Majestic started his racing career last March as a four-year-old running in a Kempton bumper. He ended it winning the Cambridgeshire.

On Saturday, he will run at Doncaster in either the Pertemps Network Lincoln or the Spring Mile as one of the first turf horses saddled by Jack Channon.

This is his first season since taking over the licence from his famous father, ex-Southampton and England striker Mick.

Mick Channon enjoyed victory on the biggest stages as a trainer
Mick Channon enjoyed victory on the biggest stages as a trainer (David Davies/PA)

He is hopeful that Majestic, owned and bred by Nick Hitchins, can follow last season’s vintage, Johan, who gave Channon senior his first success in the race.

Majestic ran eight times on the Flat last summer following his opening effort under the winter code.

He either won or was placed in six of those and capped off a great season by scoring on the Rowley Mile over nine furlongs under 5lb claimer Aidan Keeley, grandson of Classic-winning rider Brian Rouse, who was having his first ride at HQ.

“Majestic had an unconventional season but a very good one,” said Channon.

“He had a low weight in the Cambridgeshire and so we had to give someone a chance, and Aidan was the lucky man to get on board, I suppose.”

A five-year-old son of Conduit, Majestic is not guaranteed to get a run in the British Flat season’s first major handicap.

“We don’t know if we will get in, we need five to come out and it is touch and go. If we do get in, we are really looking forward to it. The horse is in great form,” added the West Ilsley handler.

“The style of the race will suit and he won’t mind the ground, so we will go there with a great chance, but if he doesn’t get in, we will go to the Spring Mile and the same applies. I think we’ll go there with a solid chance.”

Channon knows he has a big task taking the reins from his father, who scored 21 goals in 46 games for England between 1972-77 and remains Southampton’s all-time leading scorer.

Jack Channon looking forward to filling some big boots
Jack Channon looking forward to filling some big boots (Simon Marper/PA)

Having had a second hugely successful career, which included training eight Group One winners in Britain and an Irish Classic, the 74-year-old has decided to take a back seat.

“It’s big shoes to fill, 100 per cent,” said Channon, who has already posted six winners at a 20 per cent strike-rate on the all-weather. “Dad will be involved still. It is a team effort.

“All the big targets we want to be winning. We want to be competing at the top table and the Lincoln is just hopefully the first of many.

“I’m very excited and just raring to get going. A lot of the hard work has been done over the winter and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are just ready to get the racing going and see where we are and how good we are.”