Stoute leaning towards Prince of Wales's to end Crystal Ocean's Group 1 drought

A first Group 1 success is the target for Crystal Ocean this season, and once again he showed success at the uppermost echelon should not be beyond him with a relatively stress-free victory in the Group 3 Al Rayyan Stakes.

It was a second successive win in the 1m4f race, better known as the Aston Park Stakes, for the son of Sea The Stars and left Sir Michael Stoute pondering whether to try and gain the elusive Group 1 at Royal Ascot.

The options for Crystal Ocean at Ascot are the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, which he won last year, or the Prince Of Wales's Stakes, which requires dropping back to a mile and a quarter. Stoute is leaning towards the latter option.

He said: "My preference at this stage would be the Prince of Wales's Stakes. He's very versatile trip-wise. He did it well at Sandown over ten furlongs."

Crystal Ocean (right) is too good for his rivals at NewburyCredit: Alan Crowhurst

That Sandown win in the Gordon Richards Stakes, also a Group 3, means Crystal Ocean is mirroring his achievements of the last campaign to date.

However the overriding hope is he can go one better at the highest level, having finished runner-up on his three previous attempts in Group 1 company.

"Today was a messy race," Stoute added. "It was a workmanlike performance. At Sandown I had him a little fitter than last year."

Having been challenged by Raymond Tusk and Jamie Spencer over two furlongs out, Ryan Moore quickly got Crystal Ocean back in front and the pair asserted through the final furlong for a two-length victory.

It was an effective performance, and Betfair and Paddy Power trimmed Crystal Ocean to 7-1 (from 8) for the Prince of Wales's.

Had connections decided to tilt at a Group 1 a little earlier – next weekend's Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh was under consideration for the winner – then Laraaib would have been a convincing winner for Owen Burrows having finished three lengths clear of the remainder.

Instead, the runner-up could head to Royal Ascot and hope he does not have to renew rivalries in the Hardwicke Stakes before potential foreign assignments.

Burrows said: "On ratings we had a fair bit to find and he's an admirable and consistent performer. It's a shame we bumped into a Group 1 horse in a Group 3.

"The Hardwicke would be the obvious race, and after that we'll see what we can find as he deserves a nice race."

Impressive Queen powers Stoute to treble

On an afternoon which heralded an eighth Lockinge for the yard, Stoute completed a treble with Queen Power, who won the 1m2f Listed Haras De Bouquetot Fillies' Trial Stakes.

The filly does hold an Investec Oaks entry, for which she was cut to 14-1 (from 25) with Paddy Power, and Stoute said: "She's in a lot of races and is a classy filly. It was a good performance."

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