Charlie Appleby has earmarked the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot as a potential target for Poseidon’s Warrior.
After signing off last year with victory at Goodwood the son of Sea The Stars was pitched into Listed level on his return in the Betway Feilden Stakes at Newmarket on Wednesday.
Although he could not quite reel in Morshdi during the closing stages of the nine furlong test it was a run that Appleby believed offered plenty of promise for the future once stepping the exciting colt up in trip.
And although he is likely to have a run in between now and the Royal meeting in June the Newmarket handler identified the Group Two mile and a half test as the ideal target.
Unlimited Replays
of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays
Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits
Appleby said: “He went off favourite in the Feilden and we like him. William (Buick) said if he let him go he probably would have gone and won the race, but we didn’t want to let him go because we have seen that bit of keenness about him.
“We saw it at Goodwood, and we have seen flashes of it at home to be fair. Like a few of these horses they are fresh, they are well, but he got him switched off and he is crying out to step up in trip.
"I was going to go to Sandown Park, but I thought sometimes they can just hack around for the first half a mile there.
“He could go to Lingfield for the Derby trial there. York would be a lovely track to go to, but I just think the Dante might be a bit too much for him, as could the prelims, as if you noticed walking around Newmarket he was just getting a little bit warm each turn.
“We will just try and keep it simple for the next race or two. The race I thought would be for him though is the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot so let’s see how we get on.”
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.