Dunlop favours HQ classic for Khan

Ed Dunlop is leaning towards running Native Khan in the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after seeing how well the youngster handled the track in Thursday’s Craven Stakes.

The Azamour colt was making his season reappearance in the recognised Classic trial and turned in an impressive display to justify odds-on favouritism.

While the French Guineas remains an alternative, Dunlop would prefer to see his grey return to the Rowley Mile on April 30.

“Native Khan was only 85% ready and will improve a lot,” the Newmarket trainer told his website www.edunlop.com.

“The original plan was to go straight for a Guineas, but he came to himself earlier than we expected and with the ground abnormally fast for this time of the year we opted to take in the Craven.

“It was trainer error that got him beat in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster. We dropped him out too far in soft ground and I ought not to have run him.

“Instead, I should have taken on Frankel in the Dewhurst. He is such a terrific mover that the ground is the key to him, but I was impressed how well he coped with the hill at Newmarket.

“While I will talk to the owners – and, being French-bred, Longchamp has obvious appeal – if he were mine I would go for our Guineas.”