City Light on course to try and go one better in Diamond Jubilee

City Light, left, is touched off in a thrilling Diamond Jubilee Stakes last year. Picture: Steven Cargill / Racingfotos.com

City Light is on course to attempt to go one better in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The French-trained five-year-old’s campaign has been built around the six-furlong Group One, which forms part of the Sprint category of the QIPCO British Champions Series.

Trainer Stephane Wattel reports the preparations to have gone well so far.

City Light won all his three races before heading to the Royal meeting in 2018 and ran a tremendous race, going down by only a short head to Merchant Navy.

Wattel has deliberately given him just the one run this season. That came in a Listed contest at Maisons-Laffitte in late April, when he was beaten half a length by Inns Of Court, who has subsequently boosted the form again.

“The plan is to run in the Diamond Jubilee. He has only had the one run and that was on turf because I wanted to keep him to six furlongs and I didn’t want to travel him,” said Wattel.

“I wanted him to have lots of freshness to come to Ascot. He’s had a good preparation and we are very pleased with him.

“We hope he can run a big race again, but of course it’s not easy to judge the horse as he’s run only the once this year and he was beaten, but it was an easy race.

“He has progressed well since and seems to be training very well. Christophe Soumillon rode him on the gallops and he had a good feeling with the horse, so we’ll see.”