Planteur on course for Royal Ascot

Dubai Planteur, who was an exciting third in $10 million (Dh36.78 million) Dubai World Cup (G1) earlier this year, is primed to make an impact on his seasonal debut in Britain when he runs in the 150th Anniversary of Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot next Wednesday. Raced by Dubai-based businessman Ahmad Al Falasi, the son of Danehill Dancer finished third behind the Godolphin pair of Monterosso and Capponi at Meydan in March and subsequently ran an eye-catching third to Golden Lilac in the Group One Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp last May. The £450,000 Royal Ascot showpiece, which is a perennial target for elite middle-distance specialists, is his first major target this season with the Coral-Eclipse (July 7), Sussex Stakes (August 1) and Irish Champion Stakes (September 8) also on his radar. After he was acquired by Al Falasi, Planteur was transferred from French handler Elie Lellouche’s Chantilly yard to Marco Botti’s Newmarket base late last year, with the Dubai World Cup being his principal target. Botti, best known for his training exploits with Excelebration and Gitano Hernando, reports that the five-year-old is showing all the right signs ahead of his Royal assignment. “He’s on course for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. It’s all been good with him and we are happy,” said the Italian trainer. “I think he has come on for his run in France and he looks in good order. “He did a nice piece of work at the weekend and we were happy with that. It’s so far so good.” Planteur was fourth in the mile-and-a-quarter Group One contest 12 months ago when trained by Lellouche. Among the top contenders that Planteur is likely to face are Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso, Aidan O’Brien’s Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1) winner So You Think, and France’s international flag-bearer Cirrus des Aigles. First run in 1862, the Prince of Wales has been won by some of the world’s best middle-distance horses, including Godolphin’s Dubai Millennium, Ouija Board and Nayef, owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance. Andre Fabre has indicated that Golden Lilac could race at Ascot following her Prix d’Ispahan victory where she looked in tremendous shape when defeating Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) winner Cirrus des Aigles by three quarters. The French 1,000 Guineas and French Oaks winner now looks to be one of the best fillies in Europe. From gulfnews