Zanthos team keen for Touleen rematch in Rockfel

Connections of Zanthos are relishing a Newmarket rematch with Touleen after the Leicester rivals featured among the 16 confirmations for the Boylesports Home Of The Early Payout Rockfel Stakes.

Simon and Ed Crisford’s €1million breeze-up buy created a deep impression in her July course debut but proved no match for Owen Burrows’ Touleen in the east midlands, as the Shadwell-owned daughter of Lope De Vega made it two from two in imperious style.

Touleen is the ante-post market leader for next Friday’s Group Two event on the Rowley Mile, but the Zanthos team are keen to quickly lock horns once again and remain confident they have a high-class performer in their ranks.

“Zanthos is in super form and although the winner won well, they went so slow in the race at Leicester and we wanted to teach her something in behind and she was probably just doing too much throughout,” explained Ed Crisford.

“Oisin (Murphy) just coasted her home and she’s come out of it really well and we’ve been really pleased with her – as long as she’s good over the next week we’ll be there for the Rockfel.

“I would like to take Owen’s filly on again to be honest and I’m not sure we got the rub of the green at Leicester. Our filly is a good filly and we’re still learning about her and I would like to see her in a race with better pace and better conditions.

“I think she will stay a mile for sure, she’s from the breeze-ups and sometimes they can just do things the wrong way round, but she’s growing up and has come out of Leicester really well, so we’ve been really pleased with her.”

Aidan O’Brien’s exciting Diamond Necklace is an interesting name amongst the possibles having enhanced her reputation at Leopardstown in the Ingabelle Stakes and she could go toe-to-toe once again with Jack Channon’s Sukanya who chased her home in the Irish capital.

Hugo Palmer’s Princess Margaret Stakes scorer Fitzella found only Andre Fabre’s My Highness too good in France and is also in the mix, with the in-form Ed Walker responsible for both cosy Nottingham debut winner The Prettiest Star and the more experienced Midnight Tango.

Of the remainder, Sir Mark Prescott’s Moon Target catches the eye having blotted her copybook in the Park Hill Stakes, but also seen the form of her narrow Prestige Stakes defeat to O’Brien’s Precise franked in the Moyglare Stud Stakes last weekend.

Prescott could also have an interesting runner amongst the 16 entrants for the Group Three Princess Royal Stakes, with dual Group One-placed Tiffany in contention to make her first outing of the year.

Charlie Appleby’s Opera Ballo is the standout name from the 13 Boylesports Daily Racing Rewards Joel Stakes entries, with the long-awaited comeback of George Scott’s Isle Of Jura possible in the Boylesports Smart Race Card Godolphin Stakes after he featured amongst the 10 names in contention for Listed duty.

The other Listed event on the card, the Boylesports British EBF Rosemary Stakes, attracted an initial 24 names.