Racing: Connections of Soviet Song would be "disappointed if she didn't run a nice race" on her comeback in tomorrow's featured Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
James Fanshawe's mare makes her eagerly-awaited seasonal bow in the Group One event, for which she is VC Bet's joint 100-30 favourite along with Peeress.
Although Fanshawe has expressed a slight concern the one-mile contest may have come too soon for her, the five-time Group One winner is reported to be coming to hand nicely.
"She's ready for a run but James would have preferred to have another couple of weeks before coming here," said Matthew Budden, racing manager for Soviet Song's owners Elite Racing Club.
"She's pretty adaptable ground-wise - although in an ideal world we wouldn't want too much rain because she wouldn't want to start off on desperate ground.
"She's had a long absence and going into a Group One, she's going to have to be pretty fit if she is to win.
"We'd be disappointed if she didn't run a nice race. If she gets beaten tomorrow I'm sure it would be down to being her first race of the season and nothing else.
Elite have also declared New Seeker in the Lockinge but warned Clive Cox's talented six-year-old may be withdrawn from the 10-runner line-up if there is heavy overnight rain.
"He's a horse that seems to be at his best when it is top of the ground," added Budden. "He's a big, heavy horse and he doesn't go as well through the mud as some of the lighter ones do.
"If it goes really soft, we would think twice about running him."
The going at Newbury is currently good, good to soft in places but clerk of the course Richard Osgood has predicted further ease in the ground by Saturday. PA