Staff Writer |
Despite his recent loss at York, Gregory's supporters continue to maintain a positive outlook on his prospects for victory in the Betfred St Leger.
After winning the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot, John and Thady Gosden's colt was expected to continue his success by winning the Great Voltigeur Stakes and solidifying his bid for the Classic. However, despite leading for much of the race with Frankie Dettori as his jockey, Gregory ended up finishing in third place. Despite this setback, some bookmakers still consider the son of Golden Horn as the favorite for the Doncaster showpiece, and his team remains optimistic for his future races.
Richard Brown, racing adviser to Gregory's owners Wathnan Racing, said, "We said after Ascot that his main target would be the Leger and that this (Great Voltigeur) was the obvious race to take en-route.
"We'd love to have won it, but they went pretty hard up front and those early fractions were pretty fierce. We were initially disappointed, but then you see where the two horses that went with him finished and where he finished.
"Frankie looked after him when his winning chance had gone and actually when he stood up on him, the horse ran on again on his own.
"Back up to a mile and six (furlongs) in the Leger is going to be much more his game. I've been in racing long enough not to be overly optimistic as things go wrong and maybe he's not good enough, but I think he's going to go there with a big chance."
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Brown added, "He's come out of the race in great shape, John and Thady are very happy with him, it's all systems go and we're looking forward to it.
"It looks like it could be a very good renewal and with the royal runner as well, it's exciting for racing."