Gleneagles tops goodwood list
While so much of the column inches over the next week or so will be dedicated to the Galway Races, across at Glorious Goodwood we may be treated to one of the races of the season as Gleneagles heads the latest entries for the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday.
Aidan O'Brien's dual 2,000 Guineas winner will step up to take on the older generation of horses for the first time after last been seen maintaining this season's unbeaten record in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Ready to challenge Gleneagles next Wednesday is the Freddie Head-trained five-year-old Solow, who himself is unbeaten in 2015, and comes into next week's race having overturned the likes of Esoterique, Cougar Mountain and Able Friend in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.
WINNER
In total 11 have stood their ground at the latest forfeit stage and they also include recent Summer Mile winner Arod, the Richard Hannon pair of Toormore and Night Of Thunder, while Aidan O'Brien has also left in Cougar Mountain at this stage. O'Brien isn't represented in the King George tomorrow for which Golden Horn looks to further enhance his reputation, but with reports in recent days suggesting that Ryan Moore is going to be out for the remainder of the year it now looks likely that Joseph O'Brien will be back onboard Gleneagles for the first time in a race this season.
O'Brien rode Gleneagles throughout his two-year-old season and the pair enjoyed Group One success and would be the obvious replacement for Moore whose neck injury looks set to sideline him for much longer than initially expected.
Meanwhile, trainer Paul Deegan is waiting on more of a cut in the ground before unleashing Sruthan again.
The very consistent five-year-old hasn't raced since May when just denied in Group Three company but Deegan is hopeful he can get the four-time winner to Leopardstown next month.
Deegan said: "He's in good order and we're just waiting for a bit of rain.
SPRING
"He seems in very good form and it was always going to be the plan to run in the spring and the autumn. We're looking forward to a good and productive second half of the season and the Desmond Stakes (August 13) would be an option if the rain comes." Leopardstown is also the possible target for talented filly Integral who could be a contender for the Matron Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend in September.
"The Matron Stakes would be a fairly strong possibility as we are more likely to get the ground she wants in Ireland," said Chris Richardson, racing manager to Integral's owners Cheveley Park Stud.