Bay City Roller bids to be Dollar hit for Scott

Bay City Roller is having his third run of the season in France as George Scott chases soft ground, this time in the Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp on Saturday.

Winner of the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last season, his campaign has been hampered by the very dry summer.

He made a promising return to action at the end of May at Sandown behind Opera Ballo on ground quicker than he likes before giving Daryz a fright in the Prix Eugene Adam.

He found the ground much too quick at York in July but bounced back to his best when caught close home by Andre Fabre’s Cualificar in the Prix Niel.

“We’re really looking forward to running him and he feels a fresh horse still,” said Scott.

“He’s had his races well spaced out and it’s been well documented I’ve been really keen to try him on soft ground, which is certainly what he is going to get in the Dollar.

“Oisin (Murphy) is going to take the ride with Callum (Shepherd) injured and it’s a race I’m really looking forward to.”

Owners Wathnan Racing have two strong challengers, in the shape of First Look and Damysus.

Damysus, trained by John and Thady Gosden, gained a first win of the season in a Deauville Listed race in August, while Fabre’s First Look arrives on the back of two wins, most recently in a Group Three.

Richard Brown, racing adviser to the owners, said: “We are really pleased with First Look and he seems to have improved since being gelded.

“He was tough when he beat Goliath in the Group Three at Deauville in August, I loved the way he battled and the plan was very much to come here. Andre has been happy with him since then and we hope he’ll run a big race.

“The sounder the surface the better for Damysus, if it’s good to soft, soft in places he would take his chance. Hopefully the soft side of good will be fine for him.

“He was impressive in the Prix Nureyev and I think we learned in the Derby that he is a mile-and-a-quarter horse who is more speed with a good turn of foot.”

Brian Meehan’s Rashabar is no stranger to the track having run well in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at the meeting 12 months ago. He chased home one of Japan’s Arc hopes, Alohi Alii, at Deauville last time out.

Owner Sam Sangster said: “He’s a horse whose form has been franked by Andre Fabre’s horse (Cualificar, third at Deauville)) winning the Prix Niel next time out and I’ve been told he’s full of confidence about him ahead of the Arc, as are the Japanese about their horse (Alohi Alii) who beat us in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano.

“I’ve never known our horse so well to be honest and I’ve never known him move so well at home.

“I know there’s a bit of rain coming but that wouldn’t bother us and I think he has turned into such a consistent horse who always turns up on the day.”

Other key runners include Richard Hannon’s King Of Cities, Aidan O’Brien’s Swagman, who is in the horses in training sales, and Fabre’s lightly-raced Bright Picture.