Eydon has an eye on the Jockey Club Stakes Connections of Eydon are dreaming of a belated Group One success this season ahead of his reappearance in the Betfred Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket on Friday. The son of Olden Times looked a genuine Classic contender after winning the 2022 Feilden Stakes on the Rowley Mile and he did go on to finish fourth in the 2000 Guineas the following month, but that proved to be his final start Roger Varian and he was not seen on a racecourse again for almost two years. Results have been mixed since his return for Andrew Balding, but he did win at Group Three and Group Two level last season and while well beaten in the Hong Kong Vase in December, he returns for another campaign as an entire seven-year-old in the hope that he can earn himself a future career at stud. Ted Voute, racing manager for owner Prince Faisal, said: “Andrew’s very pleased with him and he’s ended up second-favourite in a very nice Jockey Club Stakes. He’s got entries in Coronation Cup and some other pie in the sky targets, but we’ll take it step by step and see how he performs on Friday. “We were struggling with his soundness leading into the race in Hong Kong, which culminated with an abscess when he got home. He ran sound but he was intermittently feeling an abscess and I think he’s had a clear run from then to now, although he does have a habit of going wrong a day before a race! “It’s a step up again. He won the Feilden at Newmarket, which started our journey of ambitions. When he did that, he thoroughly enjoyed it and he took ages to pull up after that race. We’re many years afterwards now, but he definitely enjoyed Newmarket so let’s hope he can do the same thing over a bit further. “The ambition is to win a Group One with him, just because of the sire line – it might make him a viable prospect as a stallion. “It’s a sire line that’s dying out and if he were to win a Group One he may be a factor to breeders going forward, but we’ll have to take tiny steps before we do that.” Bay City Roller makes his seasonal reappearance and first competitive start in Britain since July, having spent the second half of last season plying his trade on foreign soil. George Scott’s charge performed well in a trio of Group Two contests at ParisLongchamp before travelling to Germany to strike Group One gold in the Grosser Preis von Bayern in Munich in November. Scott said: “He’s worked nicely, Billy Loughnane had a sit on him and he was very happy with him. He’s a horse that we’ve been really looking forward to getting started with this year. “He is fresh. He didn’t finish racing until quite late on last year so it’s not like he’s had an eternity off and we feel like he’s picked up where he left off. “I don’t think he’s as rusty as he was when he started back up last year at Sandown. He’s going to be campaigned primarily in Group Ones but we’re really keen to get a run into him before either the Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland or the Coronation at Epsom. “He was impressive in Munich and improved all year really. He was a little unfortunate at times, but he’s a horse that loves to race forward and stays very well. “He got trapped out of his ground a couple of times, so it was nice to get his just reward in Germany and he’s improved physically since.” The very much in-form father and son team of John and Thady Gosden is represented by both course and distance winner Lion’s Pride and French Master, with the latter having been gelded since disappointing in the Ebor last summer. “It’s a very deep race and he’s won over a mile and a half before, winning his novice at Kempton very impressively,” said Richard Brown, adviser to owners Wathnan Racing. “You’d imagine he’s most likely to be better over further, but this looks a good place to start his season. John and Thady seem happy with him, it’s just down the road and it’ll be good to get his season started.” David Menuisier’s Sunway, William Haggas’ Santorini Star and Paradias from Alan King’s yard complete the field.
