Abdullah team chase International glory

Connections of Twice Over and Byword admit they will be all out to floor Harbinger at York later this month – despite the Juddmonte International favourite having a close link to the stud operation of race sponsor Khalid Abdullah.

Stunning winner of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Harbinger is one of the best progeny so far of Dansili, who never won a Group One in his racing career but has every chance of being crowned top stallion this season.

Byword beat the strong-finishing Twice Over in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, before the latter came out to gain compensation for Henry Cecil in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

Abdullah’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said: “Everyone says it is a win-win situation, but obviously on this particular occasion we’ll be trying to beat the good son of Dansili.

“They are in cracking form. Twice Over worked the other morning on the Al Bahathri and seems to have come out of the Eclipse really well, it was always the plan to go here.

“Andre (Fabre) is happy with Byword and he’s on course. We’ve always had a great opinion of him.

“He was disappointing at the end of last year, but this year he has done nothing but improve.

“He gave Goldikova a great race in the Prix d’Ispahan and at Ascot he travelled so well and really put the race to bed. Twice Over was a little unlucky in running, but I always suspect Byword has a bit more to give.

“It’s a race the Prince would dearly like to win and everyone in Juddmonte wants that to happen, but it’s exciting because you have the best older horse (Harbinger) coming, Rip Van Winkle and a top horse from Italy, so it’s a great race and has caught the imagination,” he told Racing UK.