Gosden believes Jack Hobbs will show more John Gosden believes a short summer break will have done Jack Hobbs the world of good ahead of this afternoon's Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot. Having chased home Golden Horn in the Dante at York and the Derby, Jack Hobbs enjoyed his day in the sun in the Irish Derby before being given a summer break. A routine comeback victory at Kempton left him perfectly placed for a strong finish to the campaign and Ascot, rather than Longchamp, was chosen as his destination. Gosden, who also runs intended pacemaker Maverick Wave, is confident the drop in distance is not a major issue for Jack Hobbs, but his wide starting berth in stall 12 of 13 may be more of a concern. "We deliberately freshened him up after the Irish Derby. He's a big, rangy colt that didn't want a lot of hard racing through the summer," said the Clarehaven trainer. "Any horse that goes on a Classic programme, they're really on the go from February 1, so he'd done enough by the time he got to the end of June. "I was pleased with his comeback at Kempton. It was a nice race and a nice day out for him. "He won over a mile and a quarter first time out and was still a bit green and a little bit lost in the Dante. "He has a lot of tactical speed and his father (Halling) was best at a mile and a quarter." Jack Hobbs is one of two Godolphin representatives in the field, with Saeed bin Suroor's Racing History a potential dark horse. Although untried at this level, the Pivotal colt is unbeaten in three starts this year, completing his hat-trick in the Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor, and is a full brother to 2013 Champion Stakes winner Farhh. "Racing History is working well, is in good form and is ready to go. He's taking on better horses - top horses - on Saturday, but we give him a real chance," said Bin Suroor. "He has won three consecutive races and won very well last time in the Winter Hill Stakes, but the key for him is that we are looking for rain - the softer the better for him. "We won this race with his brother, Farhh, two years ago, although Farhh was a five-year-old when he won it, so was older and stronger. "Racing History is only three but is improving all the time and will stay in training next season." David Simcock is "quietly confident" about the chances of The Corsican. The four-year-old is another horse coming slightly back in trip after a smart display in last month's Legacy Cup at Newbury. Simcock said: "The fact that we're improving and the fact he does handle ground on the soft side - we're just quietly confident in the horse. "We like the horse a lot, I think he's getting quicker and he's improving all the time. "I think Jack Hobbs is the stand-out horse and I think he's a fair way above the majority of the field. "It's not going to be a formality for any horse. It's been a long season for all of them."
