Belief still high in 'proper horse' Royal Scotsman after dirty scope at York

Connections of Royal Scotsman maintain they have a top-class prospect on their hands despite his disappointing defeat in the Gimcrack Stakes at York's Ebor meeting earlier this month.

Owned by Jim and Fitri Hay, Royal Scotsman is trained by Paul Cole and his son Oliver, who have long held the juvenile in the highest regard.

Not beaten far on his debut at Ascot, he impressed with victory at Goodwood before finishing third in what appeared a red-hot Coventry Stakes at the royal meeting.

However, he was a decisive winner of the Richmond Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood festival and set a new six-furlong track record for two-year-olds in the process.

Royal Scotsman: has big-race entriesCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Group 1 Prix Morny was a possible target, but he headed to York instead, where he finished a tame eight-length fifth, and Oliver Cole said on Sunday: "He came back from the Gimcrack with a dirty scope. He ran flat and I'm not sure about plans going forward, but he's got so much speed.

"You don't break the track record at Goodwood if you haven't. He's been fine since York. We've been going easy, getting over it and taking it steady.

"It didn't dent our confidence in him and it's better something came to light. He's a proper horse."

Trained at the Cole family's historic Whatcombe base near Lambourn, Royal Scotsman is entered in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on September 24, as well as the Mill Reef Stakes next month.

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