Aidan O’Brien’s multiple Group winner Little Big Bear has been retired due to injury.

The son of No Nay Never was the champion two-year-old in Europe last year, winning a string of races that included the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, the Anglesey Stakes and the Phoenix Stakes – the latter a Group One he took by seven lengths.

He did not run again as a juvenile, and as a three-year-old his 2000 Guineas bid did not go to plan, but he was victorious again when dropped in drip for the Sandy Lane and was then beaten only by Shaquille when second in the Commonwealth Cup at Ascot.

His final run came in the July Cup, where Shaquille was the winner but Little Big Bear finished last of all when eased up by Ryan Moore having been hampered two furlongs out.

A late setback meant he missed last weekend’s Prix Maurice de Gheest, and the discovery of a condylar fracture on the right-front fetlock now means he will not race again.

O’Brien said via the website of owners Coolmore: “Little Big Bear is a super horse; that’s the long and the short of it.

“Different class, different gear and matured very early for a big horse.

“He’s big, scopey, strong, clear winded and very, very fast – a class sprinter.”

George Scott is readying Watch My Tracer for a valuable sales race at Newmarket after soft ground scuppered an intended outing at Goodwood last week.

The Dandy Man gelding was a winner on debut at Yarmouth in May and ran a creditable race to finish just under five lengths behind the unbeaten River Tiber when seventh in the Coventry at Royal Ascot.

He got back on the winning trail with a three-length success at Windsor last month and Scott had been targeting the Group Two Richmond Stakes at Goodwood before conditions went against him.

Watch My Tracer holds an entry in the Gimcrack Stakes at York on August 25, but is more likely to head to the July Course the following afternoon for the Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes, a six-furlong contest worth £100,000 to the winner.

“We took him out of Goodwood on account of the ground. I think he’d have been OK with some rain, but it was almost specialist conditions,” Scott said.

“He’s a gelding so we’ll go to the Tattersalls sales race, which is two weeks on Saturday, and he can hopefully go on to the Mill Reef after that.

“He’s a nice horse, he keeps improving at home as well.

“Ascot came too soon for him really and we feel the best is yet to come.”

The trainer added: “He’s quite an exciting horse and I think the sales race will be a very sensible step for him as the Gimcrack is going to be particularly hot.

“With such good money on offer in that sales race, it’s going to be a good stepping stone back into stakes company.”

The grey has both a long stride and a good turn of foot, meaning his limitations with regards to trip are not immediately obvious from his efforts so far.

“It’s hard to know with regards to his trip. He’s not just visually long-striding, he’s clocking a big stride length relative to other horses,” Scott went on.

“If you gave me an option I’d rather an easy six furlongs than a stiff six because he’s got plenty of pace, hence why I was always wanting to go to Goodwood with him.”

Scott believes he has another promising juvenile on his hands in Piz Nair, a Bated Breath colt who won the second division of the same Windsor novice that Watch My Tracer landed in mid-July.

A move into Group-race company is now on the agenda, with the Acomb Stakes at York identified as a suitable target.

“I’m pleased with how he’s working in the morning, I’m really considering the Acomb for him,” said Scott.

“He’s doing very well physically and he’s got a lovely pedigree – he’s out of a winning Galileo mare and he should just keep improving.

“If he sticks his hand up in the next couple of weeks we’ll go for the Acomb, but if there’s any sign that he’s not ready for that then we’ll run in another novice and look to step into that company further down the line.”

The Champagne Stakes at Doncaster in September was mentioned as a long-term objective after Piz Nair’s Windsor win and that Group Two contest remains on Scott’s radar.

“He’s got a bit of racing to do before we make a plan on that but I think he’s a nice horse,” he said.

“It would be lovely to think we could put him away for the winter and dream of some nice races next year. I don’t want to get carried away but I do quite like him.”

Kevin Ryan is planning to saddle both Triple Time and Hi Royal in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville on Sunday.

Triple Time has been kept fresh since causing a 33-1 upset in the curtain-raising Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and is firmly on course for a cross-Channel raid this weekend.

His younger stablemate Hi Royal was placed in both the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Irish Guineas at the Curragh in the spring, but never threatened to land a blow in last month’s Prix Jean Prat.

However, he too is being readied for a return to Deauville, with William Buick booked for the ride.

Ryan said: “Both horses are in good form, Triple Time was very good at Royal Ascot and I’m looking forward to running him again.

“Hi Royal has always been a very consistent horse other than his last start and he’s been working well.

“Neil Callan will obviously ride Triple Time and William Buick has become available and rides Hi Royal.”

Conditions have been testing recently but a dry week both here and in France should see the ground improve and Ryan is hopeful the going will not be an issue at the weekend.

He said: “It’s a dry week, the ground today was good to soft and I don’t think there’s any rain forecast – it should be drying out all the time.”

Frankie Dettori is keen for the equine stars to be the focus of attention on Qipco Champions Day, despite the fact the Ascot extravaganza will also be his swansong on European soil.

The entries for the five main races on the October 21 card were published on Tuesday, with the brilliant Paddington headlining a stellar cast

Having secured his fourth Group One victory of the season in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood last week, Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old has been entered for the both the £1.3million Qipco Champion Stakes and the £1.1million Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

The three remaining Pattern races – the Long Distance Cup, the British Champions Sprint and the Fillies & Mares Stakes – each offer a total prize fund of £500,000, meaning prize money for Champions Day totals £4.1million, cementing its position as the richest raceday in the British calendar.

Entries also include the unbeaten Prix du Jockey Club winner Ace Impact and the last two Betfred Derby winners in Auguste Rodin and Desert Crown, as well as other Group One stars in the shape of the impressive Prince of Wales’s winner Mostahdaf and star sprinter Shaquille, winner of both the Commonwealth Cup and the July Cup this season.

But for all the brilliant action set to take place on the track, for many the star attraction will be Dettori, who is set to make his final appearance in Britain and Europe before retiring from the saddle later in the year.

He said: “Qipco British Champions Day is a great concept with great prize money. Racing for the kind of money which the rest of the world is doing more regularly.

“It was very hard to pick my last day riding in England. I had thought about Newmarket the week before but Ascot is my favourite track with so many great memories. It is going to be a special day and my family is going to be there.

“I don’t want to take the gloss off the day. The day is about the best day’s racing and not about my last day riding here before I go to America for the Breeders’ Cup and then Australia and Hong Kong before retiring at the end of the year.”

Reflecting on some of his Champions Day highlights, the 52-year-old added: “It was very good last year with Emily Upjohn coming back to win (the Fillies & Mares) after a long layoff and then Kinross, my favourite horse, winning first the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp and then 13 days later the British Champions Sprint.

“Another highlight was Cracksman, who gave me a first win after years of trying in the Champion Stakes in 2017 and won it again the next year.”

Bucanero Fuerte is set to renew rivalry with his Royal Ascot conqueror River Tiber in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

Aidan O’Brien claimed the Group One contest for a remarkable 17th time with Little Big Bear 12 months ago and is responsible for six of the 12 juveniles still in contention for this year’s renewal.

The Ballydoyle handler’s chief hope is River Tiber, who stretched his unbeaten record to three in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting in June and is second only to stablemate City Of Troy in the ante-post betting for next year’s 2000 Guineas.

Alabama, His Majesty, Johannes Brahms, The Caribbean and Unquestionable complete the O’Brien sextet.

Just a length behind River Tiber when third in the Coventry was the Adrian Murray-trained Bucanero Fuerte, who subsequently proved that performance was no fluke by edging out Unquestionable in the Group Two Railway Stakes over the Phoenix course and distance.

Murray has also left his 150-1 Norfolk Stakes winner Valiant Force and Launch in the Group One contest at the six-day stage, but looks set to rely upon his Railway winner.

He said: “Bucanero Fuerte is the one that’s probably going to go.

“All has gone well since the Railway. We took him and Valiant Force to work at the Curragh last week and we were very happy with the two of them. Hopefully it’s onwards and upwards.

“You don’t know until you run, but looks like he (Bucanero Fuerte) is improving all the time.”

Assuming Bucanero Fuerte does line up at the Curragh, his stablemate Valiant Force could head to France in search of a Group One win of his own.

“He’s going to Deauville in two weeks’ time for the Prix Morny. We’re looking forward to it – the pressure is on,” Murray added.

The potential Phoenix field is completed by Donnacha O’Brien’s Porta Fortuna, winner of the Albany Stakes at the Royal meeting, Jessica Harrington’s Coventry fourth Givemethebeatboys and the Diego Dias-trained Gaenari.

Via Sistina will head to France in search of further Group One glory in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville on Sunday week.

Hugely impressive on her seasonal debut in the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket, George Boughey’s filly subsequently struck gold at the top table in the Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland.

She was beaten into third when a hot favourite to double her top-level tally in the Falmouth Stakes back on home soil last month and having sidestepped last week’s Nassau at Goodwood, she is being readied for a trip across the Channel.

Boughey said: “Via Sistina is in great shape. It was a little frustrating watching the Nassau without having her in it in that (soft) ground, but it was never really the plan after we went to the Falmouth and she’s getting ready to run in the Romanet at Deauville on August 20.

“She’d had two quick runs and we’ve got to pick our battles – you can’t run in every race – and it’s been the plan to run in the Romanet for a long time should the ground be right for her.

“It’s the last four-year-old and above fillies only race for her this year and we’re very pleased with her. She worked yesterday (Monday) morning, Jamie Spencer sat on her and was very happy.”

Having come up short over a mile in the Falmouth, Via Sistina will return to a mile and a quarter at Deauville and looks set to stick to longer distances for the rest of the campaign.

“We wanted to experiment over the mile in the Falmouth, but she was tapped for toe and we’ll go back up in trip,” Boughey added.

“She’s entered in the 10-furlong (Champion Stakes) and the 12-furlong race (Fillies & Mares Stakes) on Champions Day at Ascot and she’ll be in the Prix de l’Opera over 10 (furlongs) on Arc day.”

More immediately the Newmarket handler is hoping to run his high-class juvenile filly Soprano on the July course in this weekend’s Molson Coors Sweet Solera Stakes.

Third in the Albany Stakes over six furlongs at Royal Ascot, the daughter of Starspangledbanner occupied the same finishing position when a hot favourite to successfully step up to seven in the Star Stakes at Sandown a fortnight ago.

Despite that reverse, Boughey is keen to give his younger star another chance over the longer trip in Saturday’s Group Three feature if conditions are deemed suitable.

He said: “The ground is a bit of a question mark and has been for a while, but it’s been dry in Newmarket the last few days and if it stays that way she will certainly be turning up on Saturday.

“She worked very well this morning and it’s all systems go really.”

Adrian Maguire has been blessed to partner and train some some top-class horses in his career.

Widely regarded as a supreme talent in the saddle, it has been 21 years since a broken neck forced his premature retirement from the rigours of riding National Hunt horses.

“Fit and well”, he is now a key cog in the well-oiled machine at Ballydoyle, riding out each day for Aidan O’Brien. And he has the pleasure of partnering a certain Paddington.

“I’m making a living. If we’re doing that, we’re doing all right,” said Maguire.

“I’ve been here five and a half years now. I am enjoying it. It’s very good. We have the best of everything.

“When I came here first, I found it very, very boring. All I was doing was going up a straight gallop and it took a while to adjust and just take myself back a few steps and relax into it.

“All’s good, my health is good.”

Maguire rode over 1,000 winners in his career, with plenty of big-race success which included a Cheltenham Gold Cup with Cool Ground in 1992, a Champion Chase with Viking Flagship a couple of years later and a pair of King George VI Chase wins with Barton Bank and Florida Pearl.

Once retired, he was also responsible for the development of 2008 Gold Cup hero Denman, before he was sold to Paul Nicholls.

He dabbled with pin-hooking and then joined the training ranks himself, saddling some decent horses, such as multiple Grade Two-winning hurdler Celestial Wave and versatile 10-time winner Golden Kite.

Increased competition and escalating costs forced him to call a halt in 2017. But you cannot keep a good man down for long.

He is now associated with a Flat champion in Paddington, who won his fourth consecutive Group One when taking the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

“I ride out Paddington every day,” said Maguire. “For what he has achieved so far, he’s the best I’ve ever ridden.

“He’s an amazing horse. He was always a good horse, but what he’s doing on the racecourse, to win with great authority, is leaving no doubt in people’s minds.

“It’s great. I can only imagine how far he’ll go and seeing the reaction here at Ballydoyle, everyone is so delighted to have what people are calling a superstar horse at the moment in the yard.

“Everyone gets great joy out of watching him do what he is doing.”

Paddington has surprised even O’Brien with the rapid improvement he has shown this season.

Though bred in the purple, the son of Siyouni showed precious little hint of what he would achieve when beaten eight lengths in a seven-furlong debut at Ascot in September.

He he has remained unbeaten in seven races since, however, including victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes, before claiming a 10-furlong Coral-Eclipse win.

Invariably all the good ones have their own unique personality and Maguire says Paddington knows he is something out of the ordinary on the gallops.

“He knows he’s good. He just seems very solid,” he said.

“It’s always nice to ride a special horse. It is what we all do it for – to find that special horse.

“I have been lucky through my riding career to find special horses to ride. I had one or two when I was training also – and Paddington is a very special horse.”

Maguire’s riding career will always be remembered for the epic race for the 1993-94 jump jockeys’ title, a battle that pushed both he and eventual champion Richard Dunwoody to mental and physical limits that few will ever know. Maguire lost 194 winners to 197 in that brutal season.

Considered “a true horseman” by the late, great trainer David Nicholson, the 52-year-old learned plenty in his time as a jockey under ‘The Duke’ and he holds O’Brien in high regard.

“The one thing I admired about Aidan O’Brien before I came here was not only was he a world-class trainer, but he was able to handle the men he was involved with and keep them happy,” said Maguire.

“Then of course, there is the extra pressure of these big races. It is not an easy job.

“I can’t say I know the man more now than when I came here first. He is a very straightforward man. You know what you are going to get. He is a very fair man.

“He is obviously a world-class trainer and he’d be a good diplomat, too.

“Having trained myself, I do certainly have plenty of empathy with what he has to go through, but he does have some great people around him, so that has to be a help.

“It is a lot about delegating, but he likes to have his finger on every pulse.”

Maguire makes the hour-long journey from his home near Mallow every morning to play his part in the powerful Coolmore operation and while Paddington is the apple of his eye, he is always startled at the talent on display.

“I ride a couple of two-year-olds as well,” he added. “Every horse in Ballydoyle is bred to be a superstar. You think you have a nice horse one week, until you sit on another one the following week. It is unbelievable, the talent.

“When I was riding, no matter where I was, I always enjoyed it. Cartmel, Kempton, Cheltenham – it didn’t make a difference.

“But this is a great job and there is a great bunch of staff here, both riding out and on the ground, and it is an extremely well-driven operation.”

Enjoying life, content with his lot, Maguire will happily remain in the shadows. Like every one of the team, he watches with equal measure of pride and wonder at the progress Paddington is making.

But just how far can he go?

“I think anyone watching him run and watching him winning knows as much as I do,” he insisted.

“He is very authoritative in his wins. He leaves no doubt in people’s minds. He does what it says on the tin and he can’t do any more. He is just a very special individual.”

Saint Lawrence will attempt to continue on his upward curve in Haydock’s Betfair Sprint Cup next month, with connections keen to praise Archie Watson’s influence since taking over training duties.

The five-year-old has been at the peak of his powers since switching to Watson earlier in the season and having won the Wokingham at Royal Ascot on stable debut, proved he could be a force in the leading sprint events with a near-miss in Deauville’s Prix Maurice de Gheest.

Although beaten half a length in third, things could have been different for Saint Lawrence granted a smoother passage in the contest, but the performance was enough to convince connections to continue campaigning the speedster in Group One company, with a trip to Merseyside on September 9 up next.

“He was probably a bit unlucky in the run,” said David Hilton, stud manager at owner John Deer’s Oakgrove Stud.

“The first and second probably got first run and he’s just had to wait and then he’s made up ground in the final furlong on ground which is probably not ideal for him, it was very tacky and holding ground.

“There will be stronger Group Ones but at the same time that might just suit him. They didn’t go that quick, probably sensibly on that ground, but his likely next target is going to be the Haydock Sprint Cup where they are bound to go very fast.”

Saint Lawrence is a son of owner Deer’s popular multiple Group One winner Al Kazeem, who last year was one of the leading British sires of three-year-olds in terms of winners to runners percentage.

However, even though Saint Lawrence’s achievements further highlight Al Kazeem’s impact in the breeding sheds, it is Watson’s handling of the resurgent sprinter that has been the catalyst for the gelding taking his form to a new level.

“It’s all credit to Archie and his team really,” continued Hilton. “They have found improvement in the horse and John and the Deer family are delighted, especially with the horse being by Al Kazeem. It’s very exciting.

“I think what Archie has done with him in a short space of time is astonishing really. He has run two lifetime bests in a row and he’s still improving. Both of those races since Archie has had him, he’s really tanked through the race and it’s possible we are maybe still learning about him and just scratching the surface.

“He does have some really good form as a young horse and then had a few problems mid-season as a three-year-old which probably led to the horse losing a bit of confidence.

“We decided as a team after his second run this year that a change of scenery was probably the right thing to do and Archie was probably the obvious choice given his track record of improving horses and also there is probably no better trainer of sprinters in the country at the minute. He has a fantastic record and a team going places.”

Vauban staked his Melbourne Cup claim with an impressive victory in the Ballyroan Stakes at Naas.

Willie Mullins’ five-year-old is a three-time Grade One winner over obstacles, but has begun to make a real name for himself on the Flat, winning the Copper Horse Handicap by seven and a half lengths at Royal Ascot.

He needed to finish in the first three of this mile-and-a-half Group Three to secure his berth in the Flemington showpiece on November 7 and did so in fine style.

Vauban was ridden forward, tracking the pace set by Gooloogong and Pivotal Trigger in the hands of Colin Keane and loomed up menacingly as they straightened for home.

Keane soon asked his mount to launch his challenge and he immediately set about putting the race to bed, storming clear up the home straight with Joseph O’Brien’s Valiant King the only horse to get near the winner as the 4-6 favourite recorded a bloodless length-and-a-half triumph.

“We’re delighted with him and Colin was happy. He said they went a good gallop, a nice even pace, and it suited him,” said Mullins’ assistant trainer David Casey.

“It ticked a box, which we were here for today, to get placed to qualify for the Melbourne Cup.

“I think there is plenty of improvement in him. He had a little break after Ascot and was ready to start back today.

“Everything was right today, there was a bit of ease in the ground and there weren’t many runners, so it suited to come today. We’re obviously delighted with what he did.”

Vauban holds entries for York’s Lonsdale Cup as well as the Comer Group International Irish St Leger Trial Stakes and the Irish St Leger itself, both at the Curragh, and Casey says it will be down to Mullins whether the gelding takes up those engagements or heads straight to Australia for his Melbourne Cup bid.

He added: “He’s in all those races but I don’t know whether he’ll have another run or not, or go straight there. Willie will decide that.

“All those races are options, the Leger Trial and the Leger. I don’t know what he’s going to do but he’s entered in them all if he needs them.”

On the prospect of returning to hurdles next season, Casey said: “I’d say yeah, why not. I’d imagine so, but it depends on what happens.

“If he goes to Melbourne he doesn’t get back to the middle of November, so he wouldn’t be running at Christmas anyway.”

Coral make Vauban their 5-1 favourite from 6s for the Melbourne Cup, while the Closutton inmate is available at slightly bigger odds with Paddy Power who go 6-1.

Clive Cox will be keeping his eye on the weather forecast with a tilt at the Prix Morny a possibility for his crack two-year-old Jasour.

Although beaten a neck on debut, the son of Havana Grey gave a glimmer of his potential and having opened his account next time in a Nottingham maiden, he successfully moved up in class with a taking victory in the July Stakes at Newmarket.

He was due to try to build on that success in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood last week, but with the ground turning soft and bigger assignments lying in wait, Cox decided to hold fire with his star speedster.

Jasour could now take aim at Deauville’s Prix Morny on August 20, but if conditions are testing across the Channel, he could be diverted to York’s Gimcrack Stakes five days later.

“He’s in the Morny and the Gimcrack,” said Cox. “Obviously the ground was quite soft in Deauville last weekend, but the forecast is hopefully a lot more settled and I hope that continues to be the case.

“If conditions fall suitable there, we would be very much pleased to be heading that way and with the Gimcrack the following week, we have options if weather conditions turn against us.

“That was our reason for there being no urgency to run in the Richmond with the conditions how they turned out. While I was very happy with the horse, we knew we had some serious targets we were inclined to run in as well and it made that decision more pleasing with that in mind.”

A run in the Morny would represent a first taste of Group One action for Jasour, but with a Group Two under his belt, Cox believes his charge has all the attributes to follow in the footsteps of his 2012 Deauville scorer Reckless Abandon and strike at the top-table.

He added: “I hope it (his class) was visible in the July Stakes. We held him in high regard and amongst our really nice team of two-year-olds at home, he was our only entry for the Gimcrack which confirms our thoughts prior to the July success.

“He has done everything really well and I think especially that last run, that was the first time that we probably achieved what we had been seeing at home on the track.

“It was pleasing that everyone got to see that and he is a horse that has always encouraged our opinion to think top-end and I hope that continues to be the case.”

Another Cox youngster who could be sighted on the Knavesmire during the Ebor meeting is Symbology, who holds an entry for the Lowther Stakes and was an impressive winner at the track on debut.

She has since placed in a competitive renewal of Ascot’s Princess Margaret Stakes and the Beechdown Stables hander is pleased with her progress since her first foray into Group company.

“She has come out of the race really well and I think she was beaten by a really nice Dark Angel filly of Charlie Johnston’s (Sacred Angel),” continued Cox.

“I think she is a filly that has really only just started to come to herself and I hope there is much more progress and improvement to be seen following that pleasing placed effort in a Group Three.

“It was a big step from her maiden at York and she is a filly we hold in high regard.

“She has a Lowther entry and we had to make that entry before she had even run. It would nice to think she could run there, but we have options with her and I’m delighted with her following her second run.”

Spycatcher will be targeted at the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock following his near-miss in Sunday’s Prix Maurice de Gheest.

Having impressed in a Group Three at the track four weeks earlier, the five-year-old returned to Deauville for Sunday’s Group One feature and looked set to provide trainer Karl Burke with a first top-level success in almost four years when quickening clear of the field.

In the end he was mowed down by King Gold, with just a short head separating the pair at the line.

Burke said: “It was a bit frustrating as it was literally a nod of the heads, wasn’t it? Sometimes they go for you and sometimes they go against you, it’s just a shame it went against us in a Group One.

“I think he was probably the best horse in the race. Take nothing away from the winner, who stays really well, whereas we have that turn of foot and got away from them by that two or three lengths and probably thought we had the race in the bag at the furlong pole.

“The winner just cut us down and then we battled back again, credit to Spycatcher, but it was heads up heads down and it went against us.”

The Spigot Lodge handler is now hoping similarly testing conditions prevail on Merseyside on September 9 to give his charge the best chance of going one better ahead of a likely tilt at the Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot in October.

“Fingers crossed he stays in one piece and Haydock will be the plan, presuming the ground is right, and also Champions Day at Ascot, which nine times out of 10 does come up in our favour,” he added.

“We’re in the lap of the gods really as if either of those races are run on fast ground he won’t be there, but hopefully we’ll find some nice sprint races for him here or in France or wherever.”

Two and a half lengths behind his stablemate in fourth at Deauville was Cold Case, who Burke feels is now in need of more of a stamina test.

“He ran well, Cliff (Lee, jockey) just felt he was a little bit behind the bridle for whatever reason and he didn’t show his usual dash,” said the trainer.

“A step up in trip is definitely in the offing for him. He’ll go up to seven furlongs and we’ll probably try him at a mile before the season’s out.

“He’s a high-class horse but is probably not at that level just yet. Something like the Park Stakes at Doncaster next month could be a good one for him.”

Quinault could bid to extend his remarkable winning sequence to seven at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup on Saturday.

Having begun the season with a basement rating of just 59, the Stuart Williams-trained three-year-old has rattled off six successive victories, seeing his mark rise to a much loftier perch of 97.

Mill Stream, who was beaten a nose by Quinault in a valuable sprint handicap at Newmarket’s July meeting, gave the form a significant boost with a dominant Listed success in France on Sunday.

Williams though is looking at another handicap for his fast-improving speedster and views Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint as a suitable target.

“I’ve been very happy with him since the July meeting, he’s been training well,” he said.

“I’ve just entered him for the Shergar Cup on Saturday in the six-furlong race for three-year-olds only. Hopefully that will be his next port of call.”

With jockeys in the Shergar Cup team competition allocated by a series of ballots, Williams will have no say in who rides Quinault in Berkshire.

But with world-class riders like Frankie Dettori, Olivier Peslier, Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle among those set to be in action, the Newmarket-based trainer is not overly concerned.

He added: “They’ve got some top-class jockeys, so you’d be hopeful that whoever rides him will be able to ride him fine. He’s not a difficult ride on the racecourse.

“He’s obviously surprised us – you wouldn’t have said at the start of the season he’d have a rating pushing 100 at this stage of the year.

“He hasn’t run on anything softer than good ground, but it’s usually fairly good on the straight course at Ascot unless it rains on the day and it’s supposed to be dry towards the end of the week so I can’t see it being a problem.”

A trip to Paris on Arc weekend and an appearance at the Breeders’ Cup are among the exciting options under consideration for Brave Emperor following his latest success in France on Sunday.

It has been quite the rise through the ranks for the Archie Watson-trained three-year-old, who began his campaign with a runner-up finish at Southwell in late January.

He had since won a Listed race at Cagnes-Sur-Mer, a conditions prize at Kempton, a Group Three in Germany and finished third in a Group Three in Sweden prior to his latest trip across the Channel.

Brave Emperor looked to face the toughest test of his career in the Group Three Prix Daphnis, but rose to the challenge under a power-packed ride from Luke Morris, leaving members of the Middleham Park Racing syndicate that own him eyeing loftier targets.

“It was a great piece of placement again from Archie. He’s placed him to perfection all season and I think Luke rode him to perfection as well,” said Middleham Park racing manager Tom Palin.

“You still need the horse to be able to do it, of course. It’s one thing finding these opportunities, but you’re still relying on a willing partner underneath you and this horse is definitely brave by name, brave by nature.

“He had to carry a 3lb penalty on Sunday, but he loves his racing and thrives on it. We’ve not really spared him, but he travels well and he’s just an absolute dude of a horse and a bit of a legend.

“There’s a small cohort of owners who follow him around. They’ve been to Sweden, they’ve been to Germany and they’ve been to France twice. He’s well supported wherever he goes and has a bit of a cult following here at Middleham Park.”

While plans for Brave Emperor’s next run remain fluid, Palin views the Prix Daniel Wildenstein – a Group Two run at ParisLongchamp in early October – as a likely objective for the autumn.

He added: “We’re probably going to have to start looking at bigger, sexier and dare I say scarier things with him going forward, but he’s fully entitled to now.

“The Wildenstein would be lovely and a very sensible target and we could look at the Prix du Moulin before then. I know that’s a Group One, but you are into Group Two/Group One territory now.

“We love to get our owners over for the Arc meeting if we can, it’s a meeting that’s served us well in the past, and maybe we’ll take in the Moulin on the way. It’s that or a Group Two in Germany, I think.

“I quite like the idea of the Wildenstein and then who knows, it could be onto the Breeders’ Cup. Archie and I have briefly mentioned that, but let’s see.

“Of course he’s going to have to improve, but that attitude he possesses is a huge asset, so why not give him a spin in those kind of races? You’re probably pitching him in for places, but who knows?”

Ground conditions will dictate whether Mick Appleby supplements Ascot and Goodwood hero Big Evs for the Nunthorpe Stakes at York.

The two-year-old was a Royal Ascot winner when landing the Windsor Castle Stakes in mid-June, sprinting to three-length victory having started a relative outsider at 20-1.

He was not so overlooked when stepping up to Group Three level in the Molecomb at Goodwood, where he started as the 9-4 joint favourite on ground vastly different to Ascot’s good to firm.

Rain had left the South Downs track soft underfoot, but Big Evs showed a great will to win when prevailing by a neck from Andrew Balding’s Purosangue.

Immediately after the race, connections discussed a supplementary entry for the Group One Nunthorpe on August 25, which would cost £40,000.

The race has not been won by a two-year-old since Kingsgate Native in 2007 and the state of the ground in the lead up to the fixture will determine whether or not Big Evs bids to become the latest juvenile to feature on the roll of honour.

“He’s fine, he’s all good and he’s come out of the race really well,” Appleby said.

“He didn’t really like the ground but he’s obviously quite tough and he toughed it out.

“We’ve got a great attitude, now we’ve got to decide whether we supplement for the Nunthorpe or not.

“We’ve had discussion about it with the owner, a lot will depend on the ground and we will probably not decide until the week before when we have to supplement.

“If it was soft ground we’d probably not go there with him, but we’ve got plenty of time until we have to decide.”

Marco Botti is eyeing a return to York for Giavellotto following his fifth-placed finish in last week’s Goodwood Cup.

A narrow winner of the Yorkshire Cup on the Knavesmire in May, the four-year-old sidestepped the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot to be saved for the second half of the season.

He made his return to action on the Sussex Downs and while unable to land a blow on the front-running Quickthorn, he was beaten just half a length for second in a blanket finish for minor honours.

While frustrated with how the Group One contest was run as Quickthorn built up a big lead the chasing pack were ultimately unable to bridge, Botti was pleased with his star stayer’s performance.

He said: “It was a funny race to watch, obviously. The winner is a good horse and with that margin of a lead he was never going to be caught.

“I thought our horse ran his race and ran well, it’s just a shame we were beaten a short head, a short head and a neck for second. To finish fifth just leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth.

“How the race was run was a bit disappointing, but credit to the winner. He’s a good horse and he has done that before, which is why I was surprised they let him take a big advantage.

“I think our horse he proved he’s up to that level and probably the ground was a little bit on the slow side for him – he’d definitely prefer better ground.”

Giavellotto is entered for the two-mile Lonsdale Cup at York on August 25 and the Irish St Leger over a mile and three-quarters at the Curragh on September 10.

And while Botti feels the shorter distance may be more suitable for his charge, Botti is leaning towards the Lonsdale due to likelihood of getting his favoured conditions.

“I think we have to say two miles is not an issue, but his optimum trip is probably a mile and six furlongs,” he added.

“He stays (two miles), he relaxes well and he enjoys the track at York, so we’ll see how he comes out and works in the next 10 days, but York has to be considered.

“The worry with the Irish St Leger would be if the ground went quite soft or heavy as that is not what he wants. I’m sure in terms of giving him a bit more time it wouldn’t be against him, but I don’t think I would run him on very testing ground.

“At the moment we’re waiting to see how he is, but we’re planning to go to York.”