Cole eyes stateside juvenile prize

Paul Cole is considering sending River Proud to the Breeders’ Cup for the newly-introduced Juvenile Turf race at Monmouth Park on October 26.

The Proud Citizen colt was sent off the 9-4 favourite for the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster after being beaten a short head by Winker Watson in the July Stakes, but could only trail home in eighth place.

However, he bounced back to form in the Somerville Tattersall Stakes at Newmarket last week, and Cole is expecting more success in the future for the two-year-old.

The trainer said: “Doncaster was a big disappointment because he had been giving us all the right signs and signals beforehand.

“We thought he’d win and we are not sure what went wrong, but he ran like he was drunk. There is a theory that he banged his head.

“We went on a recovery mission at Newmarket and he came through it, despite the pace not suiting him. I think he is an improving horse and we expect big things of him.

“He may even go to the Breeders’ Cup Turf (Juvenile), we are just discussing that at the moment,” he told At The Races.