Meehan upbeat on Junior chances
Brian Meehan revealed David Junior to be “very fit and very well” ahead of the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday.
Despite recent speculation about his well-being, the four-year-old is reported to have come out of his final piece of work on Thursday unscathed.
Last season’s Champion Stakes winner will take on eight rivals in the Group One contest including Ouija Board, who put Meehan’s colt firmly in his place in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.
David Junior finished two lengths in arrears of Ed Dunlop’s classy mare at Royal Ascot but the Manton handler is confident that form can be reversed at the Esher venue.
Meehan said: “He did his final piece of work on Thursday morning and his regular rider was very happy with him.
“It is not long since Ascot but he looks really well and is happy with himself.
“Ascot was a bit of a muddling race and the mare swooped – she is a wonderful mare and to finish fourth to her isn’t bad.
“It was disappointing not to win but when you look back to it, it wasn’t a bad run to finish fourth to her and the form is there.
“It does look a good race with Ouija Board. Aussie Rules is well fancied, Sir Michael Stoute has two good chances (Notable Guest and Notnowcato) in there and Roger Charlton’s horse (Blue Monday) is fancied too.
“Ouija Board has beaten us and now we have to beat her – that is the beauty of racing. We are not going to run and hide.
“He is very fit and very well.”
In a surprise move earlier in the week, connections of David Junior purchased Eclipse contender Royal Alchemist from Mark Usher’s yard in an effort to ensure a fast pace.
Royal Alchemist will run in the second colours of Roldvale Ltd and Gold Group International, a company owned by David Sullivan.
Sullivan paid an undisclosed sum to the Ridgeway Partnership for the filly, who made most of the running to take third behind Soviet Song in the Windsor Forest Stakes last time out.
“The mare is there too and she has a very good chance of running a nice race,” added Meehan.
“If she helps the pace for David Junior then that is good for David Junior but she is there to run as well as she can – and she should go well.”
