Reach For The Moon set for Sandown return

JOHN GOSDEN has given a strong indication the Queen’s one-time Derby hope Reach For The Moon will make his seasonal reappearance over a mile in the Coral Heron Stakes at Sandown Park on Thursday.

The son of Sea The Stars was backed to end Her Majesty’s wait for a winner in the premier

Epsom Classic following his encouraging second in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot and victory in the Solario Stakes. But the three-year-old has been on the sidelines since finishing second to Bayside Boy in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster in September.

Following an interrupted preparation for his three-yearold campaign, dreams of Epsom were shelved and attention turned to getting Reach For The Moon fighting fit for the Royal meeting later in June.

His trainer now reports if that goal is to be hit, the colt needs to be on the track sooner rather than later and the Listed contest the Clarehaven team have dominated of late is the perfect place for Reach For The Moon to tune-up for Ascot duty.

Gosden said: “We all know he sustained an injury last year and he was unable to go to the Dewhurst and he’s been off for a long time. He’s been back at the stud farm at Sandringham and they did the most fantastic job with him and he came back to us and we have very diligently and carefully gone along with him.

“From his work now, he’s ready for a run, but I want to be very clear that he’s only around 80-85 per cent. But if I don’t run him in the Heron then we’re in trouble to get him to Ascot because if you look at it, from his rating, the only other options are carrying topweight in an older horse handicap, so it makes sense to run him at Sandown, which I hope to do at this stage. Sandown, right-handed with an uphill finish, is a well-worn path to Ascot.”