Ascot: Johnny Murtagh is looking to St James's Palace Stakes favourite Mastercraftsman to soften the blow of missing the final two days of Royal Ascot due to suspension. The Ballydoyle stable jockey was handed a five-day ban following his ride on Frozen Fire in the Coronation Cup at Epsom and has since had an appeal turned down.
While hugely disappointed, Murtagh still has plenty to look forward to on the first three days of the summer showpiece meeting and is hoping the Irish 2000 Guineas hero can get him on the scoresheet on the opening day.
"It's great Royal Ascot has come round again and it doesn't seem like a year since we were there last time," said Murtagh. "I've got some good rides and it's disappointing I'll only be there for three days instead of five, but I'm looking forward to the week anyway.
"Mastercraftsman looks like he has a good favourite's chance and won the Irish Guineas impressively, so I'm looking forward to a big run."
The team behind Soul City have warned punters their colt could surprise a few people as he bids to build on a third place finish in the Irish 2000 Guineas.
Trainer Richard Hannon's son and assistant Richard said: "Soul City has taken a while to come to himself this year but we were very pleased with his run in the Irish Guineas.
"He's improved a good bit since then and the ground will be fine for him. He's working much better and I think he's a better horse than he was going into the Irish Guineas.
"Our horses improve from their first run to their second run and so has this one. He's a pretty good horse and Royal Ascot probably comes at the right time for him, so I think he'll go well at a big price."
Hannon is double-handed in the Group One contest with Pure Poetry stepping back up in class having finished second in Listed company last time.
"He hasn't run a bad race all year and his last run was probably his best to date," Hannon continued. "It is a big step for him but hopefully he'll run well and show us that he is a Group One horse."
Jimmy Fortune is looking forward to getting back on Brian Meehan's Delegator, who was second in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket before finishing down the field in the Irish equivalent.
On both of those occasions the son of Dansili was partnered by Jamie Spencer, but Fortune has ridden the colt before and is relishing the opportunity to renew the partnership.
"I rode him twice last year, firstly in his maiden (second) and then I won a maiden on him. Unfortunately I was suspended when he ran in the Dewhurst so Jamie took over," Fortune told At The Races.
"He was beaten by a champion in the Guineas at Newmarket (Sea The Stars) so he did nothing wrong. He went there to win his race and was beaten by a better horse.”
The Godolphin camp are not expecting too much from Orizaba, who was not beaten far into third on his first outing of the campaign at Chantilly earlier this month.
Racing manager Simon Crisford said: "He ran well in France on his comeback race and will strip fitter now but on face value, the strength of the opposition is going to make it very tough for him.
"He's a watching brief really."