Royal Ascot 2017 – Aidan O’Brien’s Churchill ready to roll in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Ascot
O'Brien's colt has been seriously impressive this season and lived up to his two-year-old promise when landing both the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas in style
CHURCHILL is in tip-top shape as he bids for his fifth successive Group 1 triumph in Tuesday's St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Aidan O'Brien's colt was last seen completing the Guineas double when bolting up in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
"We were delighted with him at Newmarket and again when he won at the Curragh," said O'Brien ahead of another leg of the Qipco British Champion Series.
"Everything has gone fine since then. He's very straightforward and he should be happy on the ground.
"There are lot of good horses in the race and we have total respect for them all."
O'Brien also runs Peace Envoy and Lancaster Bomber.
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Richard Hannon's Barney Roy had excuses behind Churchill at Newmarket and his trainer is confident he can get a good deal closer with a clear run.
"He had a nice breeze over seven furlongs at Kempton last week and James Doyle was delighted with him," said Hannon.
"We pinpointed Royal Ascot after his run in the 2,000 Guineas and have never been in a hurry with him.
"He became very unbalanced when he went through the dip at Newmarket and, in the circumstances, Barney Roy did exceptionally well to finish only a length behind Churchill.
"He stumbled so badly that I thought he had broken a leg. He ducked down and somehow managed to stay upright before finishing so well.
"Ascot will suit him much better as you don't have the ups and downs of Newmarket and he was only having the third run of his life there, so we will know more this time.
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"The mile at Ascot is right up his street and I can see him putting it up to Churchill in a big way."
Godolphin will also be represented by Thunder Snow, who was second to Churchill in the Irish Guineas after being pulled up in the Kentucky Derby.
"Thunder Snow is doing great and working well," Saeed bin Suroor told www.godolphin.com.
"He is a class horse - a Group One winner already- though he would prefer good to soft going, which he is unlikely to get."
William Haggas' Rivet returns to action in the UK having run respectably in the French Guineas and Derby. He won the Racing Post Trophy at two.
"He has a bit to find with the front two (Churchill and Barney Roy), but there's not a lot between him and Thunder Snow on past form," said Haggas.
"If you eradicate his run in the French Derby, when things went wrong for him, then he's entitled to be there.
"Whether he can shake up the front two is another matter, but you definitely can't shake them up if you don't take them on, so we'll give it a go."
Richard Fahey's Forest Ranger and Simon Dow's Mr Scaramanga complete the eight-runner field.