Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) is to be targeted at the July Cup at Newmarket as Ralph Beckett's dual Group 1 winner bids to provide Frankie Dettori with a breakthrough victory in the summer highlight.
The July Cup is one of the few top races in Europe that is missing from Dettori's CV, but last season's G1 Prix de la Foret and G1 British Champions Sprint winner could rectify that for the legendary jockey.
Kinross has started off in Haydock's John Of Gaunt S. for the past two campaigns, however, connections have decided to delay his return until Royal Ascot this term, before moving on to Newmarket's July Course in a bid to land a signature blow during Dettori's season-long swansong.
“Kinross has wintered really well,” said Jamie McCalmont, racing manager for the horse's owner, Marc Chan.
“He has come out of a hard end-of-season campaign in great form and we will be concentrating on a latter-half of the year campaign with him again.
“He will start off at Royal Ascot and I think both the trainer and jockey are keen to try to win the July Cup. That is the one Group One race I think that Frankie hasn't won in England. That is the major target for now and then after that, do we try to stretch him out to a mile?”
He added, “Kinross can't run in the Jacques Le Marois because geldings can't run in that race, while we know he loves Goodwood. If the ground was to his liking at Goodwood, I could easily see him running in the Sussex S. But for now he isn't going to run until Ascot.”
Kinross could bring the curtain down on his campaign in Hong Kong, where his owner is based.
McCalmont explained, “He's now a six-year-old and Marc quite rightly thinks we should only run in Group One races and not waste our bullets. I think Hong Kong is more than likely and that is kind of really why we are starting off later in the season.
“With Marc living in Hong Kong, he naturally would love to have a horse run on Longines Day and Hong Kong is very much in our plans. It would definitely be the mile race, there's no doubt about that, but it's a long way away from now.”
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