Charlie Appleby says Barney Roy is in “good order” after declaring him for Wednesday‘s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The Group One feature race on day two of the Royal meeting, which was won last year won by Crystal Ocean, will be contested by a field of seven, including Aidan O’Brien’s Juddmonte International winner Japan and the William Haggas-trained Addeybb, who captured two Group One prizes in Australia earlier in the year.
Lord North, Mehdaayih, Headman and Bangkok have also been included in the line-up with Appleby sending Barney Roy to the stalls in the hope he can roll back the years when it comes to Royal Ascot.
The six-year-old won the St James’s Palace Stakes at the 2017 edition of the meeting when trained by Richard Hannon before being retired to stub at the end of that year, only to have since returned to racing under the guidance of Appleby.
He’s won three of his five outings for the Newmarket handler, including securing the Group One Jebel Hatta at Meydan earlier in the year.
Appleby now has high hopes Barney Roy could become the oldest winner of the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes since Muhtarram in 1995, believing he has shown there is plenty left in the tank.
Appleby said: “His previous two starts this year were over nine furlongs in Dubai but I’ve always felt that stepping him up in trip would bring about more improvement.
“I know he’s been over the trip before, in the Eclipse and Juddmonte International, but for me he’s an older and stronger horse than he was then.
“On the back of his runs this year, I think he goes there in good shape and we are looking forward to going back to Ascot with him, where we know he’s been a past winner at the Royal Meeting.”
