Gregory pleasing Gosden in preparation for Red Sea run

Royal Ascot hero Gregory is primed for his first outing on foreign soil in the Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap in Riyadh on Saturday.

The five-year-old has not managed to get his head in front since lifting the Queen’s Vase under Frankie Dettori two years ago, but picked up third place in the Yorkshire Cup, Goodwood Cup and Lonsdale Cup last season.

Joint-trainer Thady Gosden has travelled to Saudi Arabia to put the finishing touches to a horse who has been gelded since he last ran and will also be fitted with blinkers for the first time.

“He has travelled over very well. He had a smooth flight directly from Stansted into Riyadh,” said Gosden.

“He is a bit of an old pro, he is quite laid back about life and is taking everything in his stride.

“He came to the main (dirt) track this morning (Wednesday, which is riding beautifully and the temperature is perfect. He seemed to enjoy himself and is moving well.

“It is possible that he will go on the grass tomorrow (Thursday), but the main dirt track here is so good, it is hard to tempt yourself away from it, but of course, he is running on the turf. He is by Golden Horn, who generally enjoy top of the ground.

“We have been here since the first meeting and every year since. It’s fantastic and it continues to improve as you would expect it to, there is a great buzz around the place.”

Another British raider to traverse the track on Wednesday morning was Witness Stand, who is set to represent the training partnership of Dr Richard Newland – famed for his handling of 2014 Grand National hero Pineau De Re – and Jamie Insole in the 1351 Turf Sprint.

The Expert Eye gelding was bought for 100,000 guineas in October, having shown smart form for Tom Clover last season, most notably landing the Listed Dubai Duty Free Cup at Newbury.

He will be making his stable debut in Riyadh this weekend and Insole is relishing the challenge after seeing the four-year-old enjoy a spin on the turf.

“We wanted to get him out on the grass so he could get used to it and Lloyd (Applegate), his rider, said he enjoyed it,” he said.

“He cantered for about 1000m and then breezed him over the last 400m. He’s ready, so he’ll just go on the dirt for the rest of the week.

“It’s quite surreal; I’ve been to races like the Breeders’ Cup and the Dubai World Cup as an assistant (to Charlie Hills) but now I’m here as a trainer.

“He’s a new horse for us, so it’s quite different as you’re still learning about him, how he adapts and even how he’ll be on raceday.

“We thought this would be a race that suits him, the only thing is that they are sure to go really hard and so it will be important to get the tactics right.”