Bar set high for Crafty Choice The Middleham Park Racing team are eyeing Group One glory for Crafty Choice following the youngster's ready victory at Newmarket. The son of Intikhab won at Brighton, Newmarket and Nottingham before completing his four-timer at Headquarters. Richard Hannon's juvenile could now test the water at the highest level in France next month and connections are already dreaming of a potential tilt at next year's Epsom Derby. Middleham Park's racing manager Tim Palin said: "Richard said he won pretty easily the other day and the Zetland traditionally turns up a decent horse, without being a world beater. "He's entered in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud on November 8, which is a mile and a quarter on what will hopefully be soft ground. "We know he absolutely loves testing conditions and he stays all day, so we'll probably give it a shot. "He was our most expensive yearling last year, so we've always liked him. He has just been slow to come to hand. "He's not entered in the Derby next year as a lot of his breeding suggested he would turn out to be a miler, but he obviously stays well and we're already looking towards running him in the Derby Trial at Epsom next April. "The ground is usually soft at that time of year and it's a 'win and you're in' race for the Derby itself. "I'm not saying he's good enough to win a Derby, but his owners are now dreaming of having a Group One runner in France and, potentially, having a Derby runner and that's what it's all about."
