Lead Artist looking for improvement in Bahrain

The Juddmonte-owned colt will be the only three-year-old in this season’s line-up and is coming off a successful campaign on home turf.

He picked up Group Three wins at Goodwood and Newmarket either side of finishing second to Kinross in the Park Stakes at Doncaster.

Thady Gosden believes stepping up to 10 furlongs will suit and said: “To date, we have run three horses in the race, all of whom have finished second.

“Lead Artist is a horse who has always had a lot of natural speed, as such he was running over a mile and also over seven furlongs this summer.

“He won a Group Three at Goodwood over what is a pretty slick mile but he improved again for the step up in trip in the Darley Stakes (nine furlongs) and the fast ground in Bahrain should suit. It’s a race where you need a bit of pace.

“Kieran Shoemark will ride. He’s ridden him in all his starts, knows him very well and he has had riding contracts in Bahrain before, so he knows the track well too.”

He added: “Lead Artist is a three-year-old, whereas our previous runners were older horses, but he has not had a hard season.

“He has been relatively lightly raced and travelling a horse when they’re turning from three to four can help them mature a lot, it can be a really good experience for them ahead of their four-year-old season.”

Spirit Dancer returns to defend his crown after striking in the colours of Sir Alex Ferguson 12 months ago, while Charlie Appleby’s Arlington Million victor Nations Pride is set to represent Godolphin again, having finished seventh in 2023.

Alflaila, who won the Group Two York Stakes this summer for a second time, has been entered by Owen Burrows and Aidan O’Brien is set to send last year’s third Point Lonsdale over for the November 15 contest.