International Racing Preview For The Weekend - 14/08/21

Another O'Brien runner over in America on Saturday is the smart Group one performer Armory, who runs in the Mr D. Stakes over 1m2f.

As a two year old the son of Galileo landed three races on the bounce including the Group Two Futurity Stakes but when put into Group One company has struggled.

Last term the colt finished fourth in the Irish 2000 Guineas on debut and was fourth again when stepped up in trip for the Tattersalls Gold Cup.

He got back to winning ways at The Curragh over 1m2f in a Group Three event next time out, and over the same course and distance out ran his odds of 66/1 in the Irish Champion Stakes to finish third behind Ghaiyyath and Magical.

The colt was last seen in 2020 being sent down under for the Group One Cox Plate where he was narrowly second to ex stablemate Sir Dragonet.

He returned this term at Chester in the Group Two Huxley Stakes where he dominated late on to see off Sangarius with ease.

Armory was then sent to Royal Ascot for the Group One Prince Of Wales's Stakes where he finished only 1 1/2 lengths behind stablemate Love back in third

Looking to build on that last time out he dropped down in grade for the City Of York Stakes, but did not run up to scratch and only beat one home.

He does need to bounce back slightly but Armory is a very progressive animal that has proved he can be versatile on quick and slow ground and now coming over to America he might find this field easier to beat than he has in Europe this term.

Our selection in the Group One Prix Jacques Le Marois is the John & Thady Gosden trained Palace Pier, who if over his blood disorder is arguably the best miler in the world of racing.

The son of Kingman has been pretty much faultless to date, winning both his starts as a juvenile, starting at Sandown back in August winning a nice maiden and then going on to back that up over the same course and distance.

He made his seasonal debut at Newcastle on the all weather seeing off a stern effort from the Richard Fahey trained Acquitted but off the back of that he improved a massive amount to hunt down Pinatubo late in the day at Royal Ascot in the St James’s Palace Stakes.

Having four wins from four races, he put his unbeaten run on the line in the Group One Jacques Le Marois and in heavy ground cleared away from the field with the Jessica Harrington trained Alpine Star the closest to him.

That set him up perfectly for his final run of the season in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on British Champions Day, but unfortunately he had to settle for third and lost his unbeaten record, unfortunately losing a shoe mid-way through the race.

This term, he has been better than ever in his three starts making his seasonal debut at Sandown in the Group Two bet365 Mile and in a race to blow the cobwebs away he took the event by eight lengths.

Fully tuned up for the season, he took on the Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury over a mile and again sauntered to victory, with him and Lady Bowthorpe going clear in the final stages.

His early part of the season was all targeted towards his run in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and in gritty style me made it three wins from three for the season.

Set to turn up in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood he was pulled out with a blood disorder, but now said to be back on track he heads into this race looking to be the first horse to land back to back renewals since Spinning World in 1997.