Solario Stakes preview: Charlie Appleby "full of confidence" for Masar

Read the views of top connections, watch galloping clues and enjoy some nostalgia by viewing six of the best Solario Stakes of recent years

Charlie Appleby is "full of confidence" ahead of Masar's appearance in the BetBright Solario Stakes at Sandown on Saturday.

The son of New Approach touched off the smart Invincible Army on his racecourse debut at Goodwood in May and lined up at Royal Ascot as a leading contender for the Chesham Stakes.

While he ultimately came up short, he emerged with plenty of credit after finishing third behind high-class fillies September and Nyaleti and Appleby feels his youngster has plenty going for him on his return from a two-month break.

"We purposely gave him a break after Ascot and physically he's done very well," said the Newmarket handler. He got the seven furlongs well in the Chesham and it looks as though he'll have conditions to suit.

"He's a next year horse on pedigree, but he's come on a lot physically since his last run and we're going into Saturday full of confidence. I can't find any negatives."

Connect has won twice over the course and distance, confirming a promising debut effort with a runaway victory a month ago.

Trainer Clive Cox is looking forward to seeing his charge test his powers at Group Three level this weekend.

He said: "His course form is obviously a very strong positive and with the ground on the easy side, it looks like he'll encounter similar conditions to last time. He produced a nice time to win, he's pleased me since and we think he's a progressive horse."

John Gosden has claimed this prize twice in the last 10 years, first with subsequent Breeders' Cup Classic hero Raven's Pass (2007) and then with the brilliant miler Kingman (2013).

Like Kingman, this year's candidate, Purser, carries the colours of Khalid Abdullah and looked a smart prospect when making a successful start to his career at Newbury a fortnight ago. Frankie Dettori takes over in the saddle from Ryan Moore.

Abdullah's racing manager, Teddy Grimthorpe, said: "He's been straightforward and I thought he was given a super ride by Ryan when he won at Newbury. One would hope he learnt a bit from that. This is a big step up, so we'll see how he goes. I wouldn't have thought he'd want the ground too soft."

David Menuisier is unsure what to expect from Vintager, who caused a 33-1 upset when winning on his debut at Newmarket.

"How good is he? We really don't know at the moment, but we will find out on Saturday," said the French-born trainer. "We always liked him, but to see him win the way he did at Newmarket was a bit of a surprise.

"Not many of our horses would win first time out, but he did the job and did the job well. He's a good-moving horse, so if the ground dries out a bit, it would not be a concern. We feel we have nothing to lose."

The sole Irish challenger in the line-up is Ken Condon's Romanised.

Since winning on his introduction at Navan, the Holy Roman Emperor colt has finished seventh in the Coventry Stakes and sixth in the Phoenix Stakes.

"Dropping him into Group Three level and stepping up to seven furlongs, hopefully we might see where he fits," said Condon. "He's rated 107. For a two-year-old, that should give him a good chance at that level.

"We'll see how that works out, but he's still growing and maturing."

The seven-strong field is completed by Hugo Palmer's Redcar scorer Arbalet and the experienced De Bruyne Horse from Richard Hannon's yard.