Andrea Atzeni celebrates as Stradivarius wins the Qatar Goodwood Cup
Andrea Atzeni celebrates as Stradivarius wins the Qatar Goodwood Cup

Stradivarius in hunt for Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers' Million


John Gosden is considering a number of options as a potential starting point for Goodwood Cup winner Stradivarius, who looks set to be a leading contender for the newly-launched Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers' Million.

Speaking at an event in Newmarket to promote the initiative, the former champion trainer said plans remain fluid for the four-year-old Stradivarius, who was last seen finishing third in the Long Distance Cup at Ascot on Champions Day in October.

The WH Stayers' Million has been introduced for any horse that can win either the Longines Sagaro Stakes at Ascot, Yorkshire Cup at York, Boodles Diamond Ormonde Stakes at Chester or Matchbook Henry II Stakes at Sandown, and then add the Ascot Gold Cup, Qatar Goodwood Cup and Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup at York.

Gosden said: "I've not made my mind up yet where I will start him off. It might be Chester, York or it could well be the Sagaro. We have to get rid of the penalty, then we will be all right.

"We are going to have a go at it (Stayers' Million) and Mr (Bjorn) Nielsen is bang up for it. It's exciting. You've got these horses that if they are fresh enough after going round York (Lonsdale Cup) you can freshen up and look at the Melbourne Cup."

Connections of the Pascal Bary-trained Prix Royal-Oak winner Ice Breeze hinted he is likely to make his return to action in France before a potential outing in the Ascot Gold Cup on June 21.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, said: "He is in great form, he won two Group Two races and finished off winning the Prix Royal-Oak, beating Vazirabad, who is one of the benchmark stayers.

"I think we will start off in the Prix de Barbeville and then make a plan from there. Obviously the Gold Cup is looming big on the horizon.

"I think he is better on faster going than he is with a lot of give, but it was on the easy side when he won at Saint-Cloud."

"He needs to step up, but the Gold Cup is everyone's idea of what a good stayer should win."

David Elsworth has not ruled out a return to Ascot for a tilt at the Sagaro Stakes on May 2 for Doncaster Cup winner Desert Skyline, despite the four-year-old failing to fire in both his previous visits to the track.

He said: "We've been to Ascot a couple of times and got flattened. In the new Queen's Vase, the start was horrendous and we suffered that day. Then we ran in the terrible ground on Champions Day and made too much use of him.

"We will see how it unfolds and if we get the right signals and the weather is good we will take the first one in the series available (Sagaro Stakes) as the second bus might break down."

Silvestre de Sousa guides Desert Skyline to victory in the Doncaster Cup
Silvestre de Sousa guides Desert Skyline to victory in the Doncaster Cup

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