Ferguson hoping Voltigeur can set Deauville Legend up for Melbourne

Smart gelding is precluded from running in the St Leger.

Deauville Legend is on course for the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York with James Ferguson also eyeing up a possible tilt at the Melbourne Cup later in the year.

The son of Sea The Stars has proven a consistent performer in middle-distance contests so far this term and struck gold when gamely landing the Bahrain Trophy during Newmarket’s July Festival.

That Group Three success over one-mile-five-furlongs sandwiched a pair of placed efforts at two of the summer’s other big meetings, firstly finishing second, beaten a head, by Secret State in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot, before again picking up a silver medal when narrowly denied by New London in Goodwood’s Gordon Stakes.

With Deauville Legend already gelded, he is unable to run in the St Leger at Doncaster next month. So Ferguson is instead seeing the three-year-old’s step up to Group Two company on the Knavesmire as preparation for Flemington in the autumn, where he could line up in the ‘race that stops a nation’.

“He’s recovered from his (Goodwood) race well – the intention is still to run in the Voltigeur,” said Ferguson.

“I think he’s in great nick and I’m looking forward to him running. He’ll probably do one more piece (of fast work) – probably on Thursday.

“Two in the betting that will be ahead of him are Walk of Stars and Secret State. He has already beaten Walk of Stars and there’s an argument for him being as good if not better than Secret State – we’ll see.

“He has progressed with every run. I think he’s a nice horse and am looking forward to see what he can do in the future. He’s a gelding so he can’t run in the Leger – this is probably a stepping stone to the Melbourne Cup.”

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