Charlie Hills thinks he has found an ideal opportunity to get last year's Royal Ascot winner Dutch Connection (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) back into the winner's enclosure. The Lambourn trainer intends to run the 4-year-old in Saturday's G3 Criterion S. at Newmarket. Last seen disappointing in the G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. at Newbury, the now Godolphin-owned colt was previously a close second to Toormore (Ire) (Arakan) in the G2 BET365 Mile at Sandown.
“Dutch Connection is an intended runner in the Criterion S.,” said Hills. “I've had the chance to freshen him up since his run in the Lockinge and he's giving me all the right signals that he's ready for another run. I felt that he had a very hard race in the Sandown Mile, which may explain why he ran quite flat in the Lockinge. He's lost his penalty for last year's Group 3 win, so the Criterion looks like a sensible stepping stone before he can hopefully go on to something better.”
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