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Trainer William Knight will saddle Aussie Reigns and Modernstone in the Listed Wild Flower Stakes over a mile and a half at Kempton Park on Wednesday, November 27, the latest high-profile race during the new All-Weather Championships.
Aussie Reigns has improved more than 20lb this year and enjoyed turf handicap successes at Windsor and Newmarket in May and June respectively. The three-year-old improved again when last seen, coming home third behind the highly-regarded Pethers Moon in the Listed Winners Are Welcome At Betdaq Floodlit Stakes over the course and distance on November 6.
Knight, who trains near Arundel in Sussex, reported: "It was a good run from Aussie Reigns last time in what looked a strong race for the grade. This looks slightly weaker and, if he can reproduce that form, he would have a chance.
"He has come out of that run well and seems in good form at home, so I'm hopeful of a good run."
Modernstone raced once at two and made a winning return after almost a year off with a comfortable length success in a mile maiden on turf at Windsor in September.
The daughter of Duke Of Marmalade followed that up with a third in handicap company at Newmarket on November 1, before a fast-finishing head second to Paris Rose in a competitive 10-furlong handicap on Polytrack at Lingfield Park on November 15.
Knight added: "Modernstone is a nicely bred filly and is in good form. Obviously, we are trying to get some black type and this could be a good opportunity for her, receiving weight from the rest of the field.
"It was a good run from her at Lingfield and she was still lightly raced going into that, so she would have learnt a lot. I am pretty sure the step up to a mile and a half will be fine and you couldn't rule her out."
Aussie Reigns, with Andrea Atzeni up, and Modernstone, partnered by Shane Kelly, will face five rivals headed by Fattsota, who was third in the Listed James Seymour Stakes at Newmarket on November 2, and Cheshire Oaks heroine Banoffee.
Dick Doughtywylie, Livia's Dream and German raider Jeanie Johnston complete the field.
A seven-race card at Kempton Park also features the £19,000 Betdaq 1st UK Race Commission Free Handicap (7.00pm, nine runners) over six furlongs. The weights are headed by Group Two scorer Tiddliwinks and progressive three-year-old Lancelot Du Lac.
Lingfield Park also races on Wednesday, November 27, with a competitive eight-race programme headlined by the £19,000 Coral App Download From The App Store Handicap (2.35pm, 10 runners) over a mile and quarter. The line up includes James Seymour Stakes runner-up Proud Chieftain, Glorious Goodwood victor Viewpoint and Listed course scorer True To Form.
The All-Weather Championships continue at Wolverhampton on Saturday, November 30, with the £45,000 Ladbrokes Handicap (8.50pm, 16 entries) over an extended mile taking centre stage.
Galician, placed in two Listed contests on the All-Weather recently, is one of three entries for Mark Johnston, while David Barron could run high-class handicapper Tres Coronas, who was last seen finishing third in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket on September 28. Ralph Beckett could be represented by Spring Cup hero Haaf A Sixpence and Ian Williams has entered Italian Listed scorer Tellovoi.
As well as by taking a WIN & YOU'RE IN race, horses qualify for the six championship contests on All-Weather Championships Finals Day by running in a minimum of three races at Britain's All-Weather tracks - three owned by ARC, Lingfield Park, Southwell and Wolverhampton, and The Jockey Club's Kempton Park - between October 26 and April 12.
