Dancing Gemini shows off winning Mile moves

Roger Teal will consider top-level targets at home and abroad for Dancing Gemini after he continued his flying start to the season with an assured victory in the bet365 Mile at Sandown.

The Lambourn handler’s stable star disappointed as a leading fancy for last year’s Derby, but rounded off his three-year-old campaign with a creditable fourth-placed finish in the QEII at Ascot and made an impressive reappearance in the Doncaster Mile four weeks ago.

He was a 5-2 favourite to follow up at Group Two level and having travelled powerfully throughout in the hands of Rossa Ryan, the Camelot colt quickly clicked into gear once given his head to pull a length and three-quarters clear of a top-class filly in Tamfana.

Teal said: “I always knew he could perform like that and that is why we were pitching him in all the Group races last year.

“I’ve got to get back and watch it properly as I spent most of my time jumping up and down – I’m not a very good race watcher!

“Unfortunately last year with the wet ground, we never got the chance to show our best. Everyone keeps labelling him a soft-ground horse, but he is not a soft-ground horse and I’ve always said that.

“There are a lot of nice horses in behind who will improve for that today. I have so much respect for the opposition and Mr (Andre) Fabre’s horse (Alcantor, finished fourth) was fit and ready and he’s no mug. He was third behind us when we were second in the French Guineas.

“I didn’t want to see Haatem declared (finished fifth) and I think he’s a serious horse and I think will come on for that, but our lad has got it done.”

Bookmakers were suitably impressed by Dancing Gemini’s performance, with Coral making him their 4-1 joint-second favourite for the BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes an May 17 alongside Notable Speech, with Rosallion their 2-1 market leader.

However, Teal warned he is not certain to line up at Newbury, having identified a possible alternative option in France.

He added: “There’s the Lockinge, but the Prix d’Ispahan (at ParisLongchamp) is another opportunity and we’ve got to get him a Group One.

“We’ll have to see how the dust settles, I have always had the Lockinge in mind for him and we’ve got to consider France as well.

“No Group One will be easy, but we’ll go where we feel is best for the horse.”

David Menuisier is considering the same two races after being delighted with the comeback run of his Sun Chariot winner Tamfana in second.

He said: “Beforehand it didn’t look an easy contest but it didn’t matter because I always wanted to come here for her first race (of the season) and I wasn’t going to shy away from the opposition.

“I’m delighted with her really. She was cruising nicely and quickened well and I have to be happy. I would expect her to improve and I’m not going to say she’ll improve dramatically but there was a little bit left to work on. Oisin said when he asked her to quicken she was a bit rusty, so next time she will be sharper.

“She’s in the Lockinge and the Prix d’Ispahan and we’ll decide nearer the time. The reason we came here was, despite the penalty, the timing was ideal and now we’ve got options open and there is Royal Ascot a month later – it fitted very well in the calendar.

“Who are we scared of? Nobody really because this filly tries her hardest every time and wherever we go I think we will be competitive.”