Royal-Oak target for Penglai Pavilion
Wednesday 21 September 2016 10:00, UK
Penglai Pavilion could make a return to Pattern-race company before the end of the season after the Prix Royal-Oak emerged as a possible target.
The six-year-old gained his first win since joining Charlie Appleby earlier in the year, following a spell over hurdles with John Ferguson, when making all of the running in a trial race for the Cesarewitch at Newmarket on Saturday.
With the Monsun gelding not entered in the Cesarewitch itself, connections are considering giving him one more outing before sending him to France for the first time since he finished fifth in the 2013 Arc for a crack at the Group One contest at Saint-Cloud on October 23.
Trainer Charlie Appleby said: "He got a very soft lead at Newmarket, which allowed him to set his own fractions.
"He enjoyed himself out there and that will have done his confidence the world of good. Hopefully he might get on a roll now.
"We know he is a good horse as he finished fifth in an Arc. He has got an engine so hopefully we can have some fun with him.
"He seems to have come out of the race well and as he is not in the Cesarewitch we will look at his options.
"We are not looking at going to Champions Day or the Cadran.
"A race that could see him back at a higher level is the Prix Royal-Oak. That is a way off yet, so we might find another race in between and work towards that."
