Royal Scotsman camp looking forward to another clash with Chaldean

‘Hopefully we can get the better of him at Royal Ascot’.

Royal Scotsman will be aimed at a rematch with Chaldean in the St James’s Palace Stakes following his third-place finish in the Qipco 2000 Guineas.

Trained by Paul and Oliver Cole, the son of Gleneagles went into the first Classic of the year having run Andrew Balding’s colt to a head in the Dewhurst in the autumn and was an 11-1 shot to turn the tables on Chaldean on his reappearance.

However, having been lit up by a bump early into the one-mile showpiece, Royal Scotsman’s petrol gauge began to flash red inside the final furlong at the same time Frankie Detorri and Chaldean were hitting top gear, with the Group Two scorer having to settle for the bronze medal in the hands of Jim Crowley.

Just over two lengths separated the pair at the finish and Paul Cole is confident he will be able to get Royal Scotsman to settle better throughout his races before the duo lock horns again over a mile at Royal Ascot.

He said: “Being his first run back wasn’t a problem. He got a little nudge at the start and that got him on his toes a little bit and he did too much in the first half of the race.

“If I can get him to settle right, which I think I can do as he is not a silly horse, he will finish better.

“We will almost certainly have a go at the winner again at Royal Ascot in the St James’s Palace Stakes as timing wise it is about right.

“I don’t think the ground was the issue. He simply got a bit keen today and that didn’t help him finish.

“Last year when everything went well, another few yards against Chaldean in the Dewhurst and we would have won.

“He has got the better of us twice now but hopefully we can get the better of him at Royal Ascot as that is where it counts.”

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