Percy Favourite For Champion

Marcus Tregoning is hoping he can get Sir Percy to post for the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday week.

The colt, installed as 7-2 favourite for the October 14 showpiece by Coral, has not run since winning the Derby at Epsom in June and he was ruled out of last weekend's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after pulling a muscle.

But while Tregoning reports Sir Percy in good form, he is not going to commit the horse just yet.

'We are not making any decisions at the moment, but he seems in good form,' said the Lambourn trainer.

'We're hoping to run him at Newmarket, only time will tell. I can't commit him to the Champion just yet, but I think we're going. We will just wait a little bit and see how he's going.

'If he doesn't run in the Champion Stakes he won't run again this year.

'At the moment we are going to the Champion Stakes and, obviously, as long as the ground is OK.'

Sir Percy has yet to take on his elders, but Tregoning was pleased to see the three-year-old Rail Link come out on top in Sunday's Arc.

'I wasn't there so it's hard for me to gauge the ground, but it might have been on the fast side possibly,' he said.

'It was nice to see the three-year-olds do so well against the older horses.

'They got a bit of stick early on which they tend to do but they've turned out to be a really good crop, which is excellent.'

(C) PA Sport