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UK: Olympiad Option For Cesarewitch

Olympiad (8st 10lb) could attempt to give owner Sir Robert Ogden his first success in the £160,000 Betfred Cesarewitch Handicap, run at Newmarket over two and a quarter miles on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

The Dermot Weld-trainer four-year-old made it two from three this season when capturing a competitive two-mile handicap at York on August 22 by one and a half lengths under Pat Smullen.

The son of Galileo had previously finished third in a hotly-contested handicap at Galway over a mile and a half on August 3 after breaking his maiden tag at Gowran Park on soft ground in April.

Barry Simpson, racing manager to Sir Robert Ogden, said: "It's nothing more than an entry at the moment as Olympiad does have the choice of a Listed race in Ireland which we will give consideration to as well.

"He will only have one more run this season so it's just a question of where we really want to go with him but he is a possible for the Betfred Cesarewitch.

"He has been in great form since his win at York and we have been very happy with him. He is a big horse and he has taken his time getting there but he has refined down into a lovely individual.

"It's interesting on pedigree because he is related to an Irish 1,000 Guineas winner so you wouldn't think two miles will be his trip. I wasn't surprised by how well he did it at York because we knew he was a horse with talent, but it's like all these things, having talent at home and doing it on the racecourse are two different things.

"I think he will get the two and a quarter miles at Newmarket as once you have won at two miles and are running over those sort of trips, stamina isn't normally a problem.

"I don't think ground is an issue with him. He probably wouldn't want to run on extremes but he won on fast ground at York and ran well on very soft ground at Galway under a big weight."

Olympiad is one of three co-favourites with Motivado (9st 3lb) and Aidan O'Brien's I Have A Dream (8st 4lb) at 10/1 with race sponsor Betfred.

Other leading entries include David Simcock's Ascot handicap scorer Montaser (7st 11lb) and David Lanigan's Melrose Handicap runner-up Biographer who has been allotted 8st 1lb.

Others of note include Ed Dunlop's talented four-year-old Romeo Montague (8st 7lb), who won decisively at Ascot over two miles in July before slipping up in the Goodwood Stakes which was won by Mark Johnston's Hurricane Higgins (8st 13lb).


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