Damysus out to carry on where he left off in Earl of Sefton

Connections of Damysus expect to have a clearer idea of what his potential ambitions for the season might be after he makes his reappearance in the Betway Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket on Wednesday.

While a tilt at Derby glory proved too much too soon for the Wathnan Racing-owned colt at Epsom last summer, he did successfully drop back from a mile and a half to a mile and a quarter to claim a Listed prize in France on his next start before rounding off his campaign with victory over the Earl of Sefton trip of nine furlongs in the Darley Stakes in October.

He is saddled with a 3lb penalty in his bid for back-to-back Group Three wins and with an entry in next month’s Lockinge Stakes over a straight mile at Newbury having been made already, whether he will step up or down in distance will depend on how he performs over the intermediate trip on day two of the Craven meeting.

“I’ve been around too long to say he’ll be hard to beat, but he’s had a good winter and his work has been good – James (Doyle) has been and sat on him a few times and seems happy with him,” said Wathnan Racing’s Richard Brown.

“I think he’s definitely done well over the winter. John and Thady (Gosden) train them to progress and I’m sure he’ll come on for the run, but hopefully he can get his season off to a positive start and run a nice race.

“Where he goes after this is in the melting pot, we’ll see what happens on Wednesday and plan from there. We’re taking it one step at a time.”

The Wathnan team have a second string to their bow in the Harry Charlton-trained King’s Gambit, who has failed to get his head in front since turning Newbury’s London Gold Cup into a procession almost two years ago, but he has run several good races in defeat at Listed and Group-race level.

Brown added: “We ran him in Qatar in February of last year, he then ran very well at Royal Ascot and he never really had a break, so we’ve given him a good break and he’s in good nick.

“Harry says he will come on for the run, so I’d expect him to run a nice race and finish well, but he will come forward for it.”

Karl Burke’s Boiling Point won the Cambridgeshire over this course and distance in the autumn and has never finished out of the first two in four visits to the Rowley Mile. He has the benefit of a fairly recent run, having finished fourth in the Winter Derby in February.

Last year’s winner Persica is back to defend his crown for Richard Hannon, with Ed Dunlop’s Skukuza and Dylan Cunha’s Prague completing the six-strong field.

Several promising colts are looking to keep their Derby dreams alive in the preceding Betway Feilden Stakes, with Charlie Appleby’s Poseidon’s Warrior the likely favourite on what will be his first competitive start since registering a five-length win at Goodwood in October.

“We were pleased with Poseidon’s Warrior at Goodwood, when he saw this trip out well, and he goes into this in great shape,” Appleby told the Godolphin website.

“He has done well through the winter and we felt that we would start here with a view to going up in trip on his next start.”

Wareeth is a fascinating contender for Archie Watson and Hollie Doyle, having made a huge impression when scoring by 14 lengths on his all-weather debut at Newcastle three and a half weeks ago.

Speaking in her blog on www.attheraces.com, Sky Sports ambassador Doyle said: “We’ll find out if we have a potential Derby horse on Wednesday when my boss Archie Watson’s exciting colt Wareeth – my standout ride at this week’s Craven Meeting at Newmarket – takes his chance in the Feilden Stakes.

“The extra furlong will be ideal for the son of Sea The Stars, who takes a big step up in class after winning his novice over a mile at Newcastle last month by a commanding 14 lengths.

“Though he doesn’t hold a Derby entry, we’ve been delighted with Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum’s colt since that racecourse debut. He felt good when I sat on him last week, but we’ll know a lot more after this second start.”

Aidan O’Brien’s Isaac Newton and the William Haggas-trained York winner Morshdi also feature in what promises to be an informative contest.