A total of 16 horses have been declared for the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on Saturday afternoon.
The Group 1 contest is run over a mile at the Berkshire venue and a bumper field this year ensures we are set for a fascinating clash in one of the key early season races for horses older than three. Recent Lockinge heroes include Canford Cliffs, Frankel and Ribchester with the winner here likely to head to Royal Ascot for the Queen Anne stakes next month.
Aidan O'Brien continues to dominate racing on both sides of the Irish Sea with the Ballydoyle handler running four at Newbury this weekend in an effort to win the race for a second time.
Rhododendron is dropping back in trip for this one but after a prep run in France last month is expected to go well, with Deauville, War Decree and Lancaster Bomber the remaining three declared for O'Brien.
Limato is a Group 1 winner at 7f for Henry Candy and should be right in the mix if he can reproduce that level of form up in trip, although his only previous run at 1m was far from encouraging.
Addeybb has already won the Lincoln and a Group 2 at Sandown this term so clearly has form and fitness in his favour, but will need more again to make that a hat-trick.
Other declarations include Beat the Bank, who was extremely progressive in 2017 for Andrew Balding, and Suedois who might be an each-way player if able to reproduce his Group 1 winning level from Keeneland.
The Lockinge Stakes is always one of the most important races on the calendar and it could well shape up top be a titanic tussle between the two market leaders. You have one horse in Rhododendron who has shown top class form at further, including finishing 2nd in an Oaks at 1m4f, taking on one in Limato which has the speed to finish 2nd in a 5f Nunthorpe.
A race not to be missed.
