Awtaad To Bounce Back In Boomerang Trainer Kevin Prendergast hopes to have Classic hero Awtaad back on song for his Irish Champions Weekend assignment in the Clipper Logistics Boomerang Stakes. The Cape Cross colt saw off Newmarket Guineas winner Galileo Gold in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh in May, but that form was reversed in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, with Galileo Gold narrowly seeing off French Guineas scorer The Gurkha ahead of Awtaad in third. The trio engaged in a mouth-watering rematch in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, but while Galileo Gold and The Gurkha fought out the finish once more, with the latter gaining his revenge, Awtaad was only eighth and he will have his sights lowered a shade at Leopardstown on Saturday week. "He's a very smart horse with plenty of speed, as we saw in the Guineas," Prendergast told At The Races. "He ran well at Ascot on desperate ground and at Goodwood he wasn't the best. I'm not making excuses for him, but the ground was probably a bit quicker than he likes. "I wasn't disappointed after Ascot, I was disappointed after Goodwood, he just ran flat, but hopefully he'll come back and have a good backend. "He's come back well, he seems to be going as well as ever and hopefully we'll have him spot-on for Leopardstown."
