Hills Excited About Ascot

[Wandering Eyes]

Trainer Charlie Hills has issued a positive bulletin over his G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas winner Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) as the horse builds up towards his next target, the G1 St James’s Palace S. at Royal Ascot. That mile contest on June 18 could see the colt again lock horns with the likes of Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) but such was the authority of Phoneix Of Spain’s Curragh performance that the opposition will have to up their game considerably to reverse the placings. “He seems to have come out of the race really well. He’s back in his normal routine now and he’s eating well, so we’re looking forward to the Tuesday of Ascot,” Hills said on Tuesday. Reflecting on his three length pillar to post victory the Lambourn trainer said, “We were obviously delighted with him at the Curragh. He was going away from them at the end, and galloped right through the line. You’d like to think there’s some improvement there, and it’s quite nice to be going into Royal Ascot with just one run under his belt this year – he’s going there nice and fresh.” Phoenix of Spain will retire to the Irish National Stud after his racing career and Hills hinted at a race later in the season that INS CEO Cathal Beale would no doubt love to see on the horse’s CV. “I think we’d like to try him over a mile and a quarter at some stage, but there’s no rush. One race you might think of stepping up in trip for would be in Ireland for the Irish Champion Stakes, but we’ll see,” Hills added.

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