An all-the-way win in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket has set Cavalryman up for a possible return to Australia for the Melbourne Cup.
The veteran Godolphin stayer, who finished 12th at Flemington in 2012, held on to beat Hillstar by a neck in Thursday’s Group Two Prince of Wales’s Stakes (2400m) under Silvestre de Sousa.
“His next race will be the Goodwood Cup, and we’ll keep our options open for going back for another try at the Melbourne Cup,” trainer Saeed Bin Suroor said.
The race was supposed to be a stepping stone for Sir Michael Stoute’s Arab Spring to confirm himself on the big stage after his Royal Ascot handicap success, but he was ultimately disappointing, finishing fourth.
It was Arab Spring’s stablemate Hillstar who was the biggest threat after Frankie Dettori made a positive move with half a mile (800m) to go.
While he was given every chance, he could not get past the eight-year-old Cavalryman who finished third behind Sea The Stars in the 2009 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
It was Cavalryman’s first run since his close second in the Dubai Gold Cup in March.
“He always runs well fresh, as he showed in Dubai,” Bin Suroor said.
“His best trip is a mile and six (2800m) but he goes on every ground and he has won over further, and won a Group One in France.
That Group One win was five years ago in the Grand Prix de Paris.
