Bolshoi Ballet and Missed The Cut clash at Lingfield Last year’s Derby favourite Bolshoi Ballet and Royal Ascot hero Missed The Cut lock horns in an intriguing renewal of the Bet UK Churchill Stakes at Lingfield on Saturday. Bolshoi Ballet was all the rage to provide Aidan O’Brien with yet another success at Epsom after winning the Ballysax Stakes and Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown. The Galileo colt was ultimately disappointing in the premier Classic, finishing seventh behind Adayar, but did bounce back to win a Grade One in America before the end of his three-year-old campaign. Having been off the track since contesting the Hong Kong Cup in December, Bolshoi Ballet is fitted with blinkers for the first time on his long-awaited return and all-weather debut at the Surrey track, where Seamie Heffernan will ride. George Boughey is excited to see Missed The Cut make his first appearance since finishing fifth in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville in August, having previously completed a hat-trick with a dominant handicap success in Royal Ascot’s Golden Gates Handicap. “Missed The Cut is in super form. He went from the bottom to a Group Two in a short space of time in the summer and was possibly feeling the effects of a busy enough campaign at Deauville,” said Boughey. “That being said, he still ran very well and the form has obviously worked out — the winner (Al Hakeem) was fourth in the Arc and the second (Junko) almost won the Prix Dollar the same weekend. “Our horse has had a good preparation for this and we would expect him to run very well. There is a chance he could go to Dubai, but we are very much using this race as a guide to see where we are.” John and Thady Gosden saddle both Harrovian and Forest Of Dean in what is a fast-track qualifier for All-Weather Championships Finals Day, while Paul and Oliver Cole are represented by Majestic Dawn. Oliver Cole said: “Majestic Dawn has been a little disappointing in his last two races but has been working well and we are hoping he can put those runs behind him. “The switch back to the all-weather should be fine as he has run well at Chelmsford and Kempton before. “It looks a pretty hot race, but we are the highest-rated alongside Bolshoi Ballet, and if we can put our best foot forward, we should have a hell of a shot.” The other Listed contest — and fast-track qualifier — on the card is the Bet UK Golden Rose Stakes. There are plenty of familiar names in contention for this six-furlong speed test including David O’Meara’s Summerghand, Julie Camacho’s veteran Judicial and Mums Tipple from Richard Hannon’s yard. Irish hopes are carried by the Ado McGuinness-trained Harry’s Bar and Michael Browne’s Logo Hunter. The latter would not be winning out of turn following two narrow defeats at Dundalk this autumn and Browne said: “Logo Hunter has come out of Dundalk in great form — I have never had him better. “I think the six furlongs will be fine, especially on a sharp track like Lingfield. Most of his runs for me have been over five but he did win first time out over six at Dundalk. “After this, there is a five-furlong conditions race at Newcastle in early December that we may look at, and then he is going out to Dubai in the new year.”
