George Scott confident of Mill Reef glory with 'very tough' juvenile as eight declared for Newbury Group 2

Six years on from recording his highest-profile win in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes, George Scott has his eyes on more Newbury success with three-time scorer Seven Questions. 

The Newmarket-based trained enjoyed big-race glory with James Garfield in 2017 and is hoping for a similar outcome with Seven Questions, who earlier this week was one of three supplemented for a fee of £5,000.

The two-year-old son of Kodiac, who is owned by Victorious Racing and Fawzi Nass, has finished in the first four on each of his seven starts and Scott believes he will justify the price paid to compete in the race.

He said: "He's as tough a horse you could ever wish to train and it's very clear in the way he's been so consistent this year. I've been pleased with his training at home, hence why we've supplemented him, and it's all systems go for Saturday."

Following 39mm of rainfall on Wednesday, the going at Newbury is now heavy, soft in places, but Scott is not overly concerned as Seven Questions won on testing ground at Ripon last month.

George Scott: runs Seven Questions in Saturday's Mill Reef StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

He added: "We wouldn't worry about the rain because I feel like it'd inconvenience others over him and whatever amount they get is fine for him. It's lovely to have him in a race of this quality.

"The ground could well be less inconvenient to him than his opponents and he gets the trip strongly, there's no doubt about that. He's very tough, as he's shown."

Alongside Seven Questions, Red Zone Hero and Eben Shaddad were the other two supplemented, although the latter has since not been declared with a field of eight standing their ground for the Group 2.

Scott's Seven Questions edged out Red Zone Hero in a Yarmouth maiden this summer, but the trainer is under no illusion that it will be straightforward to achieve the same result.

He added: "It would be a surprise for Red Zone Hero to turn the form around on us, but the thing with two-year-olds is that it's important to strike while they're in good form. A juvenile in very good form has to be very well respected and I can see why their team has supplemented him."

Group 2 winner Haatem is one of the main dangers in the contest, but Array, Matters Most and Mister Sketch all hold solid form coming into the race. Roman Emperor and Spanish Phoenix complete the field of eight.

Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes (3.15 Newbury)

Haatem Sean Levey
Array Oisin Murphy​​
Matters Most Hector Crouch
 Mister Sketch Charles Bishop
 Red Zone Hero Tom Marquand
Roman Emperor Kevin Stott
 Seven Questions Callum Shepherd
Spanish Phoenix James Doyle

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