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Kevin Ryan eyes double-pronged Prix Jacques Le Marois attack

3 minute read

Kevin Ryan looks set to run two of his stable stars at Deauville this Sunday as the Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois takes centre stage.

TRIPLE TIME winning the Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot in England. Picture: Tom Dulat/Getty Images

The Hambleton-based handler has firm plans to saddle both Triple Time and Hi Royal in the mile Group 1 this weekend.

Triple Time will be bidding for back-to-back top-level successes having made up for lost time when returning from a seven-month break with a somewhat surprising victory in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The unexposed four-year-old raced enthusiastically throughout at Ascot but still found plenty for pressure to see off multiple Group 1-winning filly Inspiral by a neck in the closing stages.

All being well, Triple Time will be joined by stablemate Hi Royal in Sunday's showpiece event on the French coast.

Owner Jaber Abdullah has already tasted Classic success this season with Marhaba Ya Sanafi's French 2000 Guineas victory at Longchamp in May. Connections will be hopeful Hi Royal can get back to his best following a disappointing effort when ninth in the Prix Jean Prat over seven furlongs at this weekend's destination last month.

The three-year-old son of Kodiac had previously chased home Chaldean in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May before finishing third behind superstar Paddington in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh a few weeks later.

Speaking with Sky Sports Racing at Ripon on Monday, trainer Kevin Ryan said: "Both horses are in great form."

"They both did their last pieces of work at the weekend, and both worked nicely."

"It looks like a nice dry week at Deauville so the ground should dry out and it should be nice ground down there. It was quite deep ground there [Deauville] over the weekend and I'm not saying it would hinder them [Hi Royal and Triple Time] but you'd just prefer to be on bit better ground."

Neil Callan, who was onboard Triple Time for his first Royal Ascot success since returning from riding in Hong Kong, will partner the Frankel colt once more, while Hi Royal will be ridden by William Buick for the first time.

Ryan added: "Neil Callan will obviously ride Triple Time and William Buick has become available and he rides Hi Royal."