Charlie Hills considering Goodwood and France options for Cicero’s Gift

Cicero’s Gift made his return under top-weight in the Coral Challenge after more than a year off the track.

Charlie Hills is considering options at Goodwood and in France for Cicero’s Gift following his comeback victory at Sandown on Saturday.

A son of the stable’s multiple Group One-winning sprinter Muhaarar, the four-year-old won his first three career starts before finishing seventh when encountering a troubled passage in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer.

Following 382 days on the sidelines, Cicero’s Gift made his return under top-weight in the Coral Challenge and produced a winning performance which his trainer admits took him by surprise.

“I was amazed, to be honest. He stuck to his task and he’s obviously a very good horse,” said Hills.

“He’s come out of it in really good shape, so I’m delighted with that after being off the track for a year. He seems sound as a pound, which is great.

“Hopefully we’ll see a nice bit of improvement from that for his next start, but I’m not sure where that will be yet.”

The Lambourn handler raised the possibility of supplementing his star colt for the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood in the immediate aftermath of his Sandown triumph, but there are alternatives.

Cicero's Gift in the Sandown winner's enclosure
Cicero’s Gift in the Sandown winner’s enclosure (Steven Paston/The Jockey Club)

He added: “We don’t have to make a decision on that (supplementing) until five days before, so we can see what the weather is doing and everything else.

“There is another race at Goodwood that he could go for as well, a mile and one (furlong) conditions race, and the Prix du Moulin (at ParisLongchamp) could be another race further down the line.

“He’s still quite inexperienced really, so to go and do what he did under Saturday, off top-weight as well, was really good.”

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