Ground key to Native Khan running in Meld

John Oxx would like to see an improvement in the weather if Native Khan is to take his chance in the Meld Stakes at Leopardstown on Thursday week.

The grey, formerly trained by Ed Dunlop, had been off the track for a year when making his debut for the Currabeg stable on unsuitable ground at the Curragh last month.

However, it was an encouraging effort with Native Khan taking third place to Famous Name in the Group Three International Stakes over a mile and a quarter. And Oxx would like to turn him out again in next week’s Group Three over nine furlongs.

“We’re hoping to run Native Khan in the Meld Stake and we’re hoping for an improvement in the weather over the next few days,” he said.

“I don’t particularly want to run him on soft ground again. I ran him on heavy at Derby weekend because he’d been off the track and we had to get him out. I don’t want to run him again on ground like that.

“We’ll look at next week’s forecast with an anxious eye, but the plan is to run him there.”