Harry Eustace is hoping William Hill Lincoln gamble La Botte can prove to be the proverbial Group horse in a handicap on Saturday.
The four-year-old was second in the Britannia at Royal Ascot in June and was a huge eyecatcher on his first run since when fourth behind The Lost King in the Wolverhampton trial for the weekend showpiece.
Speaking on Monday’s Nick Luck Daily Podcast the trainer said: “People love unexposed, highly-rated horses, and I’m sure a lot of that is part of the momentum. I do think usually horses go first up into the Lincoln like this so there are some question marks that come with it
“Why was he off so long? Is he still competitive as a four-year-old and we sort of negated that with the run last time. I was pleasantly surprised with how well he ran on a track like Wolverhampton just given the nature of it and I’m sure he’ll stay a mile-and-a-quarter and is a big, galloping horse.
“I think more than anything the fact he was so competitive on a track like Wolves after a long time off gives everyone a lot of confidence going into Saturday.”
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The original idea was for La Botte to be shipped to the other side of the world after his fine Royal Ascot run.
“We’re obviously lucky to still have him. He’s owned by some Australians and immediately after Ascot the plan was for him to jump on a plane down to Australia for the Spring Carnival,” Eustace continued.
“He pulled up OK from Ascot but was a bit jarred up so had an easy three or four weeks and then just as time went on everyone felt, knowing the strict vet protocols heading down there, that to train and run him again before getting on the plane left us susceptible to maybe getting jarred up again.
“Luckily for us everyone was keen to give him another go back at Ascot this year and hopefully as a more mature horse we have a smoother trip down to Australia when he goes there at the end of this year.
“We’re very much looking forward to running him on Saturday but the beauty for him at the moment is whatever happens, he has good options at Ascot. If we’re at his level we have the Hunt Cup, if he’s a bit better, he has either the Queen Anne or more likely the Wolferton.
“As I said I do think he’ll stay a mile-and-a-quarter so he has various options and as long as he stays sound everyone is going to pitch up at Ascot and hopefully have a fun day.”
Stable star Docklands will also feature at Town Moor on Saturday in the William Hill Doncaster Mile.
“Unfortunately, we aren’t in Dubai with him but for one reason or another that didn’t work out. So, he goes to Donny and then I think it will look very similar to his season last year. If he runs well on Saturday and is working well then, he’ll go to Hong Kong at the end of April and then I suspect he’ll head straight to Ascot from there but we will see.
“He’s a horse who seems to thrive on his racing and it wouldn’t surprise me if we consider doing what we did last season and run him at Epsom before Ascot and after that as long as he’s in good form he can ply his trade in all those Group One mile races.”
And La Botte and Docklands have worked together at home, although Eustace admits it’s hard to read too much into the gallops.
“They are relatively level but the one caveat with that is the beauty of Docklands, and part of his longevity, is he does exactly what he needs to at home and no more. The Docklands you see, particularly at Ascot, isn’t the one you see on a morning but even so that’s where we see him (La Botte) fitting in. Now he has to go and prove to us that’s his level," he added.
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