Johnny Murtagh is confident his Take Charge Star will show up well in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville on Sunday.
The three-year-old son of Starspangledbanner was second to subsequent Prix Jean Prat winner Thesecretadversary in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot last time and has been off the track since.
That was by design and Murtagh can’t wait to take his colt over to France this weekend for a crack at True Love and company.
He said on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast: “He’s had a good preparation since Royal Ascot.
“We gave him a little bit of a break, sometimes I feel I run them back a little bit quick after Ascot and it’s then you find out it takes more than you think out of them.
“We’ve freshened him up, we feel dropping back to six-and-a-half won’t be a problem and we’re looking forward to the weekend.
“We were very happy. We were happy going into Ascot as we’d tried him over a mile a couple of times where he’d travelled strongly without getting home. So I did think seven furlongs at Ascot going a fast pace would suit him really well.
“Fozzy Stack’s horse on the day got out and got rolling and then you see what he did in France last week, there was no fluke about it.
“I think my horse is one of the best horses I’ve had in training. He’s got that pace, a great pedigree and I’m hoping six-and-a-half furlongs on fast ground in Deauville will see him at his best.
“He’s not a slow horse so he could have a kick at the end.”
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