Deauville Legend and Danny Muscutt at Newmarket © Photo Healy Racing
James Ferguson is finding it difficult to split Deauville Legend and El Bodegon ahead of the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York on Wednesday.
The Newmarket handler is looking forward to firing a twin assault on the Group Two prize — a recognised trial for the St Leger — with the betting suggesting Deauville Legend is the yard’s first string.
A Windsor maiden winner in the spring, the son of Sea The Stars has since finished second to the reopposing Secret State in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot, won the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket and chased home New London in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood.
Being a gelding, Deauville Legend is not eligible for the Leger, but Ferguson is hoping he can earn himself a tilt at some other big prizes with a bold showing on the Knavesmire.
“Deauville Legend is a lovely horse. He has been progressive since his first start this year,” he said.
“I thought everyone sort of underrated his performance at Goodwood, people forget that he was carrying a 3lb penalty. He deserves his place in the race and I think it is a wonderful stepping-stone for whatever he does in the future.
“If he can improve like he has improved with every run, then he will have a good chance.”
El Bodegon may be a much bigger price than his stable companion, but Ferguson believes it would be folly to dismiss his chances.
A Group One winner in France last season, the three-year-old disappointed in the Dante at York in May, but has since been placed in the French Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris.
Ferguson added: “El Bodegon is the price he is because he has been running abroad and English punters don’t necessarily know him. He hasn’t won in England since Sandown (in July of last year) and people forget what happens abroad.
“His last two runs have been very solid and back up to the level we know of him. He is very tough and he proved last time out in the Grand Prix de Paris that he stays a mile and a half no problem.
“He is obviously a Group One-winning two-year-old and has won more prize-money than anything else in the race — and possibly more than all of them put together.
“He is a different profile of a horse. He has been good from day one, while Deauville Legend has been getting progressively better and better, and at the moment the plans are for them both to end the season down in Australia and this is the perfect stepping stone for both of them.
“I can’t split them. I am grateful for the opportunity to train them. I have three Group-winning three-year-olds in the yard from not many three-year-olds and I’m just grateful these two are hopefully going to have a good run on Wednesday.”
Secret State has won his last four starts for Charlie Appleby — following up his Royal Ascot victory over Deauville Legend by landing another valuable handicap at Glorious Goodwood.
Appleby views his charge as a “worthy favourite” on his Pattern-race debut, telling the Godolphin website: “Secret State won the King George V Handicap at Ascot and the form of that race has worked out well.
“Secret State backed that up at Goodwood with another good performance there, over the distance. He’s a Dubawi, who is progressing race on race. He goes there a worthy favourite.
“We are lucky to have New London, who is currently favourite for the St Leger, which has always been his target. As for Secret State, we will make a decision regarding his trip after the Voltigeur.
“There’s a question mark over whether he would get a strong one-mile-six. We will see in time.”
Like Ferguson Appleby has a second string to his bow in the form of Walk Of Stars, who was a neck third to Deauville Legend in the Bahrain Trophy on his first start since being gelded.
Appleby added: “We’ve always held him in high regard. We ran him in the Derby because we felt he was one of our better middle-distance horses at the time. Since gelding, we have seen a marked improvement in him mentally. If he can put it together, a race such as the Voltigeur is well within his compass.
“We have used this race before as a guide to future targets at home and abroad, with Yibir being a good example. If he runs well, we might look at America for him later in the year.”
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore team up with Aikhal, who was seriously impressive on his first start over a mile and a quarter in the International Stakes at the Curragh in June and now tests his stamina over the mile and a half.
“The horses coming from Goodwood — handicap winner Secret State and Gordon Stakes runner-up Deauville Legend have strong claims, with my preference being for the latter — but hopefully my colt is in there with every chance,” Moore told Betfair.
“We chucked him in at the deep end on his return over a mile at Royal Ascot and I was very impressed with him in a 10-furlong Group Three at the Curragh.
“This a sterner test for him, up in trip, but the way he finished off his race last time suggests this Galileo colt is well worth a shot in this grade.”
The field is completed by the Charlie Fellowes-trained Grand Alliance, who threw away the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot by hanging violently across the track, since when he disappointed in the Gordon Stakes.
Fellowes said: “I want more rain. They’ve missed the majority of it so far.
“I think you can put a line through Goodwood. It’s a really quirky track and I think he hated every yard of it.
“If he hadn’t run below-par at Goodwood, he’d be half the price he is. He is quirky, but I’d like to think a much more conventional track like York will suit him better and I think going left-handed will suit him much better.
“We’re replacing the visor with cheekpieces, just to change it up rather than using the same headgear every time he runs. That’s not to say that he won’t have a visor on again in the future, I just want to switch things around to keep him guessing a little bit.”
