Do Or Do Not aiming to build on Ascot effort at Newmarket

Although he is the only maiden in the Kingdom of Bahrain July Stakes, Do Or Do Not is out to prove his Royal Ascot second was no fluke at Newmarket on Thursday.

Ed Walker’s son of Space Blues was sent off at odds of 80-1 when leading home the runners on his side of the track in the Coventry Stakes, but is sure to be much shorter in the betting this time, with his handler hoping the youngster can confirm the promise of that huge performance and break his duck.

“It’s a very different track to Ascot and he was doing some very good work late on there, but he’s not short of speed and showed plenty of speed at York before that and he’s a horse who has undoubtedly surprised us,” said Walker.

“He’s a very laid-back horse who is quite hard to assess at home, but he’s fit and well and he looks great, so I hope he can go and back up that Ascot performance.

“He’s got a wonderful temperament which is often half the battle and Ascot was only his third start so he could be able to improve on it and he came out of the Coventry really well, so we’ll see how we go.”

The top of the market for the Group Two is dominated by Charlie Appleby’s Maximized and Aidan O’Brien’s Brussels, who both sidestepped the Royal meeting but have hinted at being potential top notchers in their respective careers to date.

Both head to the July course unbeaten, with the Godolphin candidate seeing the form of his Woodcote win franked by Eve Johnson Houghton’s Epsom runner-up Havana Hurricane in the Windsor Castle at Ascot, while the Ballydoyle raider sprouted wings on his debut to down stablemate and subsequent winner Kansas.

Appleby said on the Godolphin website: “Maximized is two from two, stepping up from his novice to win nicely at Epsom. We gave him a break afterwards, as the plan was always to miss Royal Ascot, and he goes into this in great shape. He is on an upward curve and hopefully the one they all have to beat.”

Johnson Houghton is represented on this occasion by Salisbury scorer Zavateri, who like Paul and Oliver Cole’s taking Goodwood victor Jel Pepper is one from one and now stepping up significantly in grade.

The select field is rounded off by Andrew Balding’s Comical Point, who steps up in trip having not been disgraced when fifth in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“He ran in the Norfolk and I think the step up to six furlongs will suit and he will improve a bit for that as he was definitely doing his best work late on,” said Philip Robinson, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail.

“Whether that will be good enough to win a race like this I don’t know, but I do think the six furlongs will help.”