Oxx seeking Rock revival

Saddler’s Rock will bid to put a disappointing Royal Ascot effort behind him when he defends his crown in the Artemis Goodwood Cup.

Twelve months ago, having been narrowly beaten in the Gold Cup on his previous start, Saddler’s Rock ran out an impressive winner of Glorious Goodwood’s two-mile feature but has been largely disappointing since.

Certainly in this year’s Gold Cup connections rightly expected better than a well-beaten eighth and trainer John Oxx is hoping his charge will be sharper when he heads to the Sussex Downs on August 1.