Hills has Million in mind for Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome looks to set for a return visit to America following his encouraging run in the Anne Cowley Memorial Summer Mile at Ascot.

The son of War Front kept on strongly to be beaten half a length by Quddwah in Saturday’s Group Two contest and heading Stateside now seems the most likely option the Charlie Hills-trained five-year-old.

Ancient Rome switched from the care of Andre Fabre to Hills in July of last year and made an instant impact for his new stable when landing the Chesterfield Cup at Glorious Goodwood on his first outing.

He followed up by winning the Mint Million Stakes at Kentucky Downs before ending his season with a solid fourth in the Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp.

After an extended break he launched this season in Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot and while well beaten there, he came on for the run to finish strongly against an unbeaten horse who had been an intended Queen Anne Stakes starter.

Hills believes that to have been a career highlight and he is once again looking across the Atlantic.

“I think it was probably his best run you know,” he said.

“We were delighted with him. Plans going forward, we’ll look at the Arlington Million and then obviously the race he won in America last year (Mint Million Stakes).

“He’s come out of the race perfect, he’s as good as gold.”

It was a different story for a pair of his fellow Fitri Hay-owned stablemates, as Mitbaahy and Khaadem trailed home last and second-last respectively in the July Cup at Newmarket.

Khaadem had excelled at the Royal meeting when winning his second Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, but that form was reversed with the third Mill Stream coming home to take the July Cup from the second-placed Swingalong.

Hills said: “It’s quite a quick turnaround from Ascot and Khaadem travelled lovely for four furlongs but he struggled on that ground a bit. He had a pretty hard race as well at Ascot, but he’s come back well.

“It’s tough to do Ascot and the July meeting. He’s run such a big race at Ascot and here it was on ground he probably doesn’t like.”

Mitbaahy is now set for a break before a possible date in the Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot in October.

Hills added: “Mitbaahy has come back, he’s not right. He’s got an abscess in one of his front feet so we’ll just try to get him right.

“We’ll give him a chance now to have a little break, he’s been quite busy in the first half of the year. But we can look at the Champions Sprint at the end of the year and try to find something in between.”