Middle Park winner to have Champions Day prep run at Ascot

Britain's champion juvenile Shalaa will make his 2016 debut a little over a year after he was last seen on a racecourse, with the owners' racing manager Harry Herbert confirming that last year's Middle Park winner will return to action in Ascot's Group 3 John Guest Bengough Stakes on Saturday.

Al Shaqab's three-year-old, trained by John Gosden, is unbeaten since finishing last on debut, preceding his Middle Park success with Group wins in the July Stakes, Richmond Stakes and Prix Morny, but has missed 2016 to date due to a pelvic injury sustained in April.

"He's all set and ready to roll," said Herbert. "John's very pleased with him. It's very exciting. He's been out a long time but is in decent shape. His work's been good but he might be a bit ring-rusty. This is a prep before he heads to the big sprint on Champions Day."