Duntle team target Group One Connections of Duntle are hoping she rewards them for keeping her in training as a five-year-old by picking up a Group One prize. The David Wachman-trained mare won a Group Two last season and was twice placed at the top level, but she remains without a Group One success after losing the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in the stewards' room in 2012, when she passed the post a short head in front of Chachamaidee. Racing manager Alan Cooper said of the Royal Ascot winner: "Duntle stayed in training and we'll see if we can try to find that Group One race for her somewhere. This is always an exciting time of year and hopefully we have some nice horses, but we'll let them do the talking." He also had news of Classic hopeful Karakontie, who will make his seasonal reappearance in the Prix de Fontainebleau at Longchamp on April 13th. The Jonathan Pease-trained colt won three of his four starts as a juvenile, rounding off his campaign by clinching Group One glory in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in Paris on Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe day. He is a best priced 25-1 for the Qipco 2000 Guineas on May 3rd, but connections are unsurprisingly keen to see how he performs in his trial before deciding whether he will travel to Newmarket. Cooper said: "Karakontie is in good form and as the Prix Djebel (April 3rd) is coming up a bit quick, the plan is for him to start off in the Prix de Fontainebleau. We will see how he runs in that race before we make plans for the rest of the season."
