Richard Hannon has not ruled out running Dick Turpin against stablemate Canford Cliffs and Frankel in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on July 27.
The durable four-year-old bounced back to his best with a cosy win in the Summer Mile at Ascot on Saturday under stand-in jockey Pat Dobbs.
If the ground came up soft at the Glorious meeting, Hannon would not be afraid of pitching John Manley’s colt in against the big two on the Downs.
“We knew that Dick Turpin had under-performed in his last two races, but we had freshened him up and he was working much better, and while we would have liked the rain to have come, the jockeys came back after the first race and said that it was safe ground, so we took the gamble and ran,” Hannon said on his website.
“Dick Turpin is such a good horse, and it is just a shame that he was foaled in the same year as Canford Cliffs.
“He has never got the credit that he deserves, but it is great to see him come back to himself and now we can start planning again.
“If it turned wet at Goodwood he could well end up in the Sussex Stakes, but we won’t make the mistake of running him on fast ground again and there are plenty of alternatives in France. We’ll watch the weather charts and take it from there.
“I was also pleased for Dobbsy. Saturday was a nightmare trying to find jockeys, but if I can’t get (Richard) Hughesie or Ryan (Moore), Pat will do for me any time, and I am amazed that other trainers don’t use him more.
“He deserved his day in the sun, and he didn’t let us down.”
PA AAP TURF