Modena on course for repeat

Duke Of Modena is on course to bid for a repeat victory in the Tote Trifecta Stakes at Ascot later this month.

Toby Balding`s six-year-old, a close third to Tough Speed at York last time, has been given 9st in the weights, published today, for the seven-furlong handicap, due to be run on September 29th.

'The Ascot race is certainly one of the possibles for his autumn campaign,' Balding said.

'He`s gone back up to 100 after York but that`s the rating we`ve got to live with.

'He ran very well at York on ground that I know wasn`t his best. It was lovely ground at York but it wasn`t soft ground. If we got soft ground as we did last year at Ascot he is going to come and have a big chance again.'

Duke Of Modena is a 25-1 chance with Ladbrokes for the Tote Cambridgeshire.

But Balding warned: 'Ascot is more likely than the Cambridgeshire because I have no reason at the minute to think I need to stretch him to a mile and a furlong.

'He certainly won`t run before then and, as we speak, Stephen Carson would be the rider.'

Last year`s second and third Nice One Clare (9st 10lb) and Zucchero (8st 5lb) have been entered again.

Top weight of 9st 11lb goes to Social Harmony, who is trained in Co. Kildare by Dermot Weld.