Nocturnal has Dundalk target Portland winner Nocturnal Affair will skip the John Guest Bengough Stakes at Ascot on Saturday in favour of a Listed race at Dundalk later this month. Trainer David Marnane is keen to give his South African import plenty of time to get over his Doncaster exertions. "Nocturnal Affair, winner of the Portland Handicap, will miss Saturday's John Guest Bengough Stakes this Saturday at Ascot," Marnane told his website. "We've decided to give the Group Three event a miss and wait for the Mercury Stakes, a Listed race over the minimum distance on the polytrack at Dundalk, on Friday October 21. "Saturday's race comes too soon, as we wanted to give him more time to recover from his exertions at Doncaster. "He had a hard race and combined with the trip, a three-week gap between the races wasn't ideal."
