Marcus Andronicus might not be in the Hawk Wing class but Aidan O'Brien will be hoping that today's Group One Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes provides the four-year-old with a first success since his very first start.
The son of Danehill has run eight times since that York victory two years ago and the nearest he has come to success was when just touched off by this stable companion, Aussie Rules, in last season's French 2,000 Guineas.
Marcus Andronicus returned to action this term with a third to Mustameet in the Gladness Stakes at the Curragh and that should have put him spot on for this afternoon's Newbury feature.
A total of eight line up including last year's winner Peeress and the other Group One winning fillies, Red Evie and Speciosa.
Peeress's trainer, Michael Stoute, also runs Jeremy who will be ridden by Michael Kinane, a memorable Lockinge winner four years ago on board the Ballydoyle champion, Hawk Wing.
Kinane's decision to stick with Stoute, however, allows Richard Hills in for just his second ever ride for O'Brien.
Ireland's champion trainer also teams up with a new face in the Newbury opener as the Australian rider Hugh Bowman is due to ride the newcomer Greek Mythology in the six-furlong two-year-old race.
O'Brien's juvenile team has already been on the mark in Britain with Achilles Of Troy at the Newmarket Guineas meeting and Greek Mythology, an $800,000 by Finsceal Beo's sire Mr Greeley, is likely to make the home team go.
Today's home action is at Kilbeggan where Bootlegger looks a very interesting runner in the two-mile and three-furlong maiden hurdle.
The Tom Mullins-trained horse was a possible contender for the Cheltenham bumper after a wide-margin success at Naas in early March that was far from a surprise to his connections.
A trip to Prestbury Park was overlooked, however, in favour of waiting for the Punchestown Festival where Bootlegger wound up in seventh behind Mick The Man. The recent broken weather will have helped him ground wise and Bootlegger's best bumper form gives him a good shout of successfully conceding weight all-round.
Akasian returned to something like his best with a second over the course and distance of tonight's handicap chase on his last start and should go close while the ex-Jim Bolger trained Glasog is an interesting newcomer to jumping in the first.
