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Tom Clover and owners The Rogues Gallery will be hoping for a fairytale ending to their time with star mare Rogue Millennium.
With the four-year-old set to be sold at Tattersalls December Mares Sale, Rogue Millennium is likely to be having her final start for connections in Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.
A Listed winner as a three-year-old, Rogue Millennium produced a career-best performance when taking the course and distance Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at the Royal meeting. She has continued to run well at the top level over a mile, chasing home Tahiyra in the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. The four-year-old failed to fire in the ten-furlong Group 1 Prix de l'Opera at Longchamp over Arc weekend and a better performance is expected returning to her favoured Ascot.
"She will most likely head to the Sceptre sale [first two days of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale] and it will very likely be her last run for ourselves and The Rogues Gallery," said trainer Tom Clover.
"She was our first Listed winner, our first Group winner and our first Royal Ascot winner and she has a lot of black type now and has run some fantastic races across Europe. She has just taken us on some memorable journeys.
"For the Rogues and all the different members, it has just been a terrific journey and it has been fantastic to give syndicate owners such big days and go and compete in all these big races against the top connections.
"Win, lose or draw, she has been terrific servant for us but it would be lovely if she could shape up well. It would be a shame to bow out after a disappointing run at Longchamp last time.
"She has worked very well at home, but it can be very hard to tell if fillies are over the top or not at this time of year. In terms of her home work, she seems really well and she looks well.
"We sort of felt she is a course-and-distance winner and she handled very soft ground at Longchamp [earlier in the season] and I think if having an extra 100 yards or a furlong, you could argue she was closing down Tahiyra in the Matron.
"If she could reproduce that run it would put her in with a shout of being near, which would be incredible for her owners."
Rogue Millennium is a 50/1 shot for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Saturday.
