Medicean is the right medicine for Stoute

Sir Michael Stoute may be having a lean season numerically but the Freemason Lodge trainer is picking his races well with Medicean providing him with his second Group One race of the campaign when landing the Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes at Newbury today.

Although only four winners this season had been sent out from the famous stables before today one of them was Golan winner of the Sagitta 2000 Guineas at Newmarket a fortnight ago and favourite for the Vodafone Derby three weeks hence.

It looks more difficult to place 3-1 chance Medicean _ who got the better of Warningford (9-1) and 7-4 favourite Swallow Flight by two necks _ as Group One mile races are not exactly thick on the ground.

The next one on these shores is the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood which takes place on August 1, fully 10 weeks away.

The obvious stepping stone to that race is Royal Ascot`s Queen Anne Stakes but the 5lb penalty incurred for winning at this level is off putting to the trainer.

'We may have to go and see if we can win with a penalty but it`s a tough one. I can`t remember the last horse to win with a penalty,' he said.

While winning jockey Kieren Fallon had been concerned about Medicean`s fitness before today`s race, the trainer had other worries on his mind.

'I was concerned about the ground,' he said. 'He struggled to win his first race at Sandown in similar ground, he`s better on a livelier surface.

'He`s been getting close and hopefully he`s got a good year ahead of him. He`ll run in Group One`s. We tried to get a mile and a quarter last year but it was very inconclusive so we`ll stick to a mile in the future.'

On his lack of winners, Stoute commented: 'We`ve only had about five winners from about fifty runners but they`re running now. They`re running consistently well.'

James Fanshawe, trainer of the runner-up, was delighted with the performance of his charge but ruled out a visit to the Royal meeting.

'He ran ablinder, I thought we`d got it for a minute but he just emptied in the last few yards,' said Fanshawe.

'He ran really well. I didn`t enter him at Ascot, there`s no seven furlong races. It`s a stiff mile there and he`s just better over seven.'

Geoff Wragg rued the lack of a front runner in the race as his charge Swallow Flight had to make his own pace.

'He`s a game bugger but I wish something could have given us a lead,' he said. 'He`s in the Queen Anne.'