Postponed on course for busy time at Ascot

Andrea Atzeni celebrates aboard Postponed after winning the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes success last summer. Image copyright of Racingfotos.com

Postponed could be in for a busy time in the QIPCO British Champions Series at Ascot this summer after his stunning success in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan

The Roger Varian-trained five-year-old enjoyed a starring role under Andrea Atzeni on Dubai World Cup night on Saturday, not being fully extended to beat Japanese challenger Duramente by two lengths in the Group 1 mile and a half contest.

Varian has yet to outline a definite programme for Postponed but has not discounted the notion of dropping him back to a mile and a quarter for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 15.

After that, it looks certain he will attempt to become only the third dual winner of the QIPCO sponsored King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on July 23. Dahlia (1973-74) and Swain (1997-98) are the previous two-time winners of the £1 million showpiece.

Atzeni will be happy to ride him wherever he runs: "It’s easy when you are on a horse like him and he ticks all the boxes,” he said. “I would think there’s no doubt he’s the best mile-and-a-half horse in Europe."

Buffering, trained in Australia by Robert Heathcote, could be heading for the King’s Stand Stakes on the opening day of the royal meeting after his game victory in the Al Quoz Sprint, a 13-runner contest in which Series winners Goldream (ninth) and Sole Power (tenth) failed to shine.

"He could possibly go to Royal Ascot,” Heathcote, based in Queensland, said. “I did take that off the radar as we said we’d go to Hong Kong [on May 1], but we could maybe do both.”

Chris Hayes, who rode Sole Power, said the nine-year-old should not be written off. “They probably didn’t go the fractions I was expecting and I travelled too well,” he said. “He’ll be better when they go faster."

Big Orange, winner of the Qatar Goodwood Cup last year before finishing fifth in the Melbourne Cup, enhanced his reputation by running the classy Vezarabad, from France, to a neck in the two-mile Dubai Gold Cup. The pair pulled almost five lengths clear.

“I’m hugely proud,” Michael Bell, trainer of Big Orange, said. "The winner is very good but he had to pull out all the stops to beat us.”

The six British-trained runners in the Dubai Turf, including Euro Charline (second) and Tryster (third), had to settle for supporting roles behind Real Steel, the Japanese challenger, ridden by Ryan Moore.

California Chrome was a decisive winner of the Dubai World Cup but the American star is unlikely to appear at Royal Ascot. Art Sherman, his trainer, said: “I don’t think he’ll go to England, we’ll give him 30 days at the farm to let him unwind and the ultimate goal is the Breeders’ Cup [Classic].”