Layfayette has Newbury prep in Amethyst Stakes Trainer Noel Meade is looking forward to the reappearance of Layfayette in Sunday's Amethyst Stakes at Leopardstown. However, the Meath man warned that his stable star would be all the better for this race, which comes over an inadequate trip for the eight-year-old. A nine-time winner, the French Navy gelding has done most of his racing over further than this mile trip in recent seasons. Faced with a lack of suitable opportunities, Meade has elected to use this race as a stepping stone to future targets. He said: "Really I'm kind of using it as a prep race because there was nothing else I could run him in. He has won over a mile, but nowadays he wants at least a mile and a-quarter, a mile and a-half. "He's in a Group 3 at Newbury in a couple of weeks time and he might go there if things are right." With regard to the application of a first-time tongue tie, Meade added: "His wind has just got a little bit rougher as he has got older, but there's nothing really wrong with him now." Additional reporting by Michael Graham.
