Burke banking on step up in trip suiting Holloway Boy

Karl Burke’s Holloway Boy will bid for a deserved first Group-race victory in the Emirates Autumn Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

A winner on debut in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot under Danny Tudhope, he was 40-1 that day as he was a complete unknown quantity on the track at the time.

In the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood he was then the 11-8 favourite and was beaten only half a length by Marbaan when making his Pattern debut – a position he filled again when runner-up behind Dewhurst favourite Nostrum in the Tattersalls Stakes last month.

A step up to a mile now awaits, and the Newmarket race may prove to be a stepping stone to a trip overseas.

“Danny is convinced he’s crying out for the mile and I’d agree with him,” Burke said.

“He’s bred for it and although he travels strongly, he gallops out well.

“He seems in better form than when he went into his last race. We were chasing our tail a little bit because our horses just hit a bit of a cloud for a few weeks and he was only just ready to run.

“He looks in good form and hopefully if he runs well he’ll go to the Breeders’ Cup.”

Charlie Appleby’s Silver Knott finished third of three on soft ground in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, but prior to that was a Group Three winner in the Solario Stakes at Sandown.

Like Holloway Boy, the Lope De Vega colt steps up to a mile at Headquarters and his trainer is hopeful he will be appreciative of the extra furlong as his dam displayed plenty of staying ability when winning the Park Hill in 2018.

“The ground had turned on the slow side at Doncaster, but he has come out of the race really well,” Appleby said.

“He has won the Solaro Stakes so he takes a nice level of form into a race like the Autumn Stakes, plus stepping up in trip I think will suit him as well – on pedigree he will appreciate that being out of God Given.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Epictetus lines up having won his sole start on the July course earlier in the season, a maiden in which he beat the Appleby pair of subsequent Listed winner Flying Honours and Desert Order, who has also gone on to win a race.

Thady Gosden said: “It’s a long time since he won in July, but his form is really good and he’s done well since then.”

Roger Varian’s Exoplanet will make the second start of his career having won on his debut at Newbury.

Charlie and Mark Johnston’s Killybegs Warrior completes the field.