Soviet On Song For Sussex Defence

James Fanshawe is 'pleased' with Soviet Song´s preparation as she bids to defend her Cantor Spreadfair Sussex Stakes crown at Goodwood on Wednesday.

The normally pessimistic Newmarket handler is surprisingly upbeat as the five-year-old prepares to follow up her Falmouth Stakes victory with a second success in the Group One feature on the second day of the `Glorious´ meeting.

'She seems in good form and though I won´t get drawn on tactics or other people´s horses, what I can say is that she has come out of her race at Newmarket very well and her preparation has gone according to plan,' said Fanshawe of the mare, who is bidding for a sixth win at the highest level.

'I am very pleased with her. Let´s hope that we get a clear run and a bit of luck in running. I can´t say I´m confident, because I am the ultimate pessimist, but things have gone well with her.'

Nayyir renews rivalry and will hope to go one better this time after being beaten half a length by Soviet Song last season.

The seven-year-old has not won since taking the Group Two Lennox Stakes at Goodwood two years ago, though he was touched off by Vortex in a Group Three at Newmarket on his seasonal debut.

Trainer Gerard Butler is under no illusion as to the task facing his charge.

He said: 'Nayyir was beaten by a brilliant filly last year and tough as this race is, he seems in good form.

'He´s going to have to improve if he is to get close to her again because she is a filly at the height of her game at the moment, a very talented filly.

'Then you have Proclamation, the young gun who looks a really good animal and Chic, who we all know about, so if last year´s race was a good one, it is going to be equally difficult this year.

'Nayyir is in good order, but he will have to improve on the form he has shown behind Vortex, because that was not Group One form, though I have been pleased with his work since.

'Mind you, being drawn one of 12 is not the best draw for us. I will leave it to Eddie Ahern to decide what he wants to do. I´d like to be hopeful, but it is a very tough race.'

Clive Brittain is not averse to plundering big prizes at the top level with unfancied horses and he believes Kandidate, who finished third in the 2000 Guineas to Footstepsinthesand, is not without a chance.

Though beaten subsequently by eight lengths by Shamardal in the St James´s Palace Stakes at the Royal meeting, Brittain says the Kabool colt was not spot on and he could be a different proposition tomorrow, providing the first-time blinkers work.

'If you look back at his Guineas form and the fact that I didn´t think I had him at his best at York, he´d be in with a chance,' he said.

'I think he is coming back to the form he showed before the Guineas and we have decided to put the blinkers on him for the first time. He´s had them on three times at home and he has worked extremely well in them.

'Sometimes when you work them in blinkers at home, they can have an adverse effect the next time you use them and you are taking a big gamble when you run them, but I am very happy he has taken to them.

'It is just purely to help his concentration at bit.'

Brittain saddled unfancied Warrsan to finish fourth in Saturday´s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and reckons Kandidate´s likely big odds may not reflect his chances.

'I don´t send them to the big races when I don´t think they are up to that class and the bookmakers don´t seem to learn. I think he´s a Group One horse in the making,' he added.

David Elsworth believes that St James´s Palace Stakes sixth Tucker will be closer to Proclamation than when the pair were separated by three lengths in the Listed Empire Property Group Cup Heron Stakes over course and distance in May.

'He´s run well enough at York without being good enough and he has to find a bit of improvement,' he said.

'Proclamation beat us impressively at Goodwood, though I don´t feel we had the run of the race. We are in the same street and we´ll take our chance - it´s a horse race and anything can happen.

'Last year the filly (Soviet Song) won it well and though I am sure we will run well, whether or not we are good enough to win is a different matter. There´s no doubt he has to find improvement, but he´s an improving horse.

'Whenever I have a good thing, they all turn up to take me on - so the boot is on the other foot tomorrow!'

Epsom trainer John Akehurst says the bookmakers have got it wrong in ruling out the chance of York´s Queen Anne Stakes fourth Mac Love.

'He´s no 50-1 shot and one firm had him at 66-1, which is very strange,' he said.

'We´ll be close to the money and I am certain he´ll run very well. Don´t forget, he loves the course - he won a Group Three over seven furlongs at Goodwood last season on good to soft.' Jeremy Noseda was watching the skies and hoping the forecast rain will stay away overnight before assessing Proclamation´s chance.

Impressive over course and distance when beating Tucker in the Heron Stakes, the three-year-old followed up with a seven-furlong success in the Group Three Jersey Stakes at the Royal meeting.

But Noseda believes that the colt´s first tilt at the highest level could turn into a lottery and said: 'I can´t assess his chances 24 hours before without knowing what is going to happen with the weather.

'If the amount of rain forecast arrives who knows what might happen?

'He worked very well on his final piece of work on the July course last Friday week, though we didn´t ask him any serious questions.

'I´m happy with him, but at this stage, the ground is an uncertainty - it could make a lot of difference.

'He won a maiden on good to soft, but winning a maiden and saying he can handle it in this company is another ball game. I might have a totally different outlook on his chances this time tomorrow.

'If the going goes very soft it makes for crazy racing.'

? PA Sport