Dubai still the plan for Percy

Sir Percy heads the list of 32 horses standing their ground in the lingfieldpark.co.uk Winter Derby, but trainer Marcus Tregoning warns his charge is unlikely to line up on March 24.

The €7.3m Dubai Sheema Classic remains the preferred target the following week, providing things go according to plan as preparations step up a gear.

Tregoning said: “He is going to Dubai at the moment, but we’ll just see how the week goes as he doesn’t travel until Saturday week.

“At the moment he’s going well and Dubai is the favourite option.

“I haven’t quite got the other good older ones to gauge by, but he looks good and he seems healthy. We just have to get there in good shape and I think he’ll run a big race.”

Looking further down the line, Tregoning has already mapped out a tentative starting point for Sir Percy when he returns to British turf action.

“I hope he’ll be able to line up at Royal Ascot for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes as that’s a good race to win,” he told At The Races.

“It’s the championship race for older horses at a mile and a quarter in my opinion so the likelihood is he’ll go there.

“He has plenty of speed for a mile and a quarter and hopefully we’ll have a good season with him.

"Who knows? Maybe we’ll keep him for another year.”

Alfie Flits, Nakheel and recent Dubai-scorer Illustrious Blue feature among the remainder engaged in the €146,800 Winter Derby.

This year’s contest seems sure to attract a competitive field, with the winner also given the option of an expenses-paid trip and entry into the $750,000 (€570,800) Hollywood Gold Cup at the Los Angeles-based track on June 30.