Ascot outing a possibility

TRAINER Mark Johnston intends to make a late call on whether Dee Ex Bee will line up for Saturday’s Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot.

After kicking off his campaign with successive victories in the Sagaro at Ascot and the Henry II Stakes at Sandown, the four-year-old filled the runners-up spot behind the mighty Stradivarius in the Gold Cup at the Royal meeting, the Goodwood Cup and the Lonsdale Cup at York.

Johnston said: “I don’t know, I’m going to have a look at it.

“For all we know he likes soft ground, they’ve switched to the inner Flat track and there isn’t an inner Flat track, as far as I’m concerned. It’s the hurdle track. They’ve spent all that money and I think the whole thing is a bit of a mess.

“I need to talk to the owners but I don’t know if I want to take a chance with him at the end of the year for a Group Two.”

Dee Ex Bee was last seen suffering a short-priced defeat when third in the Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp at the start of the month.

Reflecting on that reverse, the trainer added: “I was very disappointed. They went a ridiculously slow pace, they were all sat there on the bridle i n behind the leader and in the end he’s been beaten by a front-runner.”

DESERT Encounter may bid to add to his sevenfigure earnings i n the Bahrain International Trophy on November 22.

David Simcock’s sevenyear-old, owned by Abdulla Al Mansoori, took his prize-money tally past the million-pound mark when winning the Canadian International at Woodbine.