Irish Derby runner-up Sunway primed for King George challenge

James Doyle will take over in the saddle aboard Irish Derby runner-up Sunway in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

A Group One winner in last season’s Criterium International, David Menuisier’s colt ran the best race of his three-year-old campaign so far when pushing Los Angeles close at the Curragh last month.

Oisin Murphy, retained rider for part-owners Qatar Racing, has guided the son of Galiway on each of his eight career starts to date, but as he is set to ride John and Thady Gosden’s Qatar-owned Middle Earth in this weekend’s Group One feature, Sunway will have a new partner.

“James Doyle is going to ride,” Menuisier confirmed.

“He won’t need any riding instructions – he knows his way around!”

Sunway is a 10-1 shot with William Hill, who on Tuesday morning trimmed the odds of Ralph Beckett’s top-class filly Bluestocking to 5-1 from 7-1. Auguste Rodin is the 5-4 favourite.

Menuisier acknowledges his star colt will need to raise his game if he is to be competitive when he takes on his elders for the first time, but is happy to roll the dice.

“He had a stretch of the legs this morning and seems A1 and in very good form. Fingers crossed, all being well between now and then, he’ll go to Ascot,” he added.

“The horse ran really well in Ireland and we know that if you’re a good three-year-old, getting 11lb in the King George is definitely a plus.

“The opposition is strong, but we feel the horse is on the up and we feel he could improve with decent ground as well, so we ought to try really and take it from there.”