Ralph Beckett targeting a tilt at the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot with Simple Verse
Simple Verse found life tough last season but she did finish the season in better form winning the Park Hill Stakes and a good third in the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day
RALPH BECKETT is targeting a tilt at the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot with his top-class filly Simple Verse.
Simple Verse enjoyed a fantastic campaign in 2015, winning five races including a Classic success in the St Leger at Doncaster and a second Group 1 victory in Ascot's British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes.
She found life tougher last season, but got back on the winning trail in the Park Hill Stakes before returning to Champions Day at Ascot to finish third in the Long Distance Cup.
Beckett reports his five-year-old to have been slow to come to hand this year, but is confident she is capable of mixing it at the highest level again.
He said: "She is back in and the idea was that she was going to go for the Dubai Gold Cup, but she just wasn't coming forward so we backed off her again.
"She is back cantering now. I have got a couple of options for where we can start. She won't be ready for the Sagaro at Ascot. She would be ready in time for the Henry II at Sandown, or maybe the Aston Park at the Lockinge meeting at Newbury.
"I'd say it would be one of those races for her to start with probably.
"She is a big, old matron now and is very easy to read nowadays. I'm happy with her. She will come when she is ready and that is the bottom line.
"We will be looking to Champions Day again, but I hope to get her ready for the Gold Cup as well.
"She's shown a profound liking for Ascot and that will be the route I will be taking and we will work our way towards it."
Another filly for whom Beckett has high hopes is Mountain Bell.
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The four-year-old won a Listed prize at Chester last September before being narrowly beaten in a Group Three at Newbury.
"She is likely to show up at this stage in the John Porter at Newbury and then we will work up from that," said the Kimpton Down-based trainer.
"I will probably be going up in trip with her this year. The Yorkshire Cup could be a possibility as well, we will just have to see.
"She had quite a significant problem last year and it was great to get her back at Chester. It wasn't a surprise she won in terms of ability, but given what she had gone through, it was a nice surprise and she also ran a good race in the St Simon.
"I think we can probably improve again if things go our way. Mentally she is very straightforward. She has a few physical issues but hopefully we will get there."