Abbaye star Battaash back to lead a powerful army into battle

Last year was a good year at Faringdon Place but the superstar Battaash turned it into a great one with his spectacular Group 1 success in France in October and his trainer is understandably thrilled at the prospect of his return.

"To have a horse like Battaash is very exciting," says Hills, "and to see him do what he did in the Abbaye was a great way to end the year and set up 2018. We have some nice three-year-olds this year and some staying types that are good to have alongside the fast ones, and we're lucky to have the quality to go alongside the quantity.

"With Battaash we've just got to make sure we keep him sweet and don't overrace him. He looks a happy horse this year but there's a limit to them, they're not machines, as we found out when the bubble burst at York after a few quick runs, and we have to manage him carefully. He's a very easy horse to train at home, it's just when he gets to the races he has a different persona.