Supplementary entries for Defoe and Wuheida boost Guineas supporting cards

Roger Varian has supplemented last month's impressive John Porter Stakes winner Defoe for Saturday's Dunaden Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket at a cost of £6,000.

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid's colt confirmed himself a potentially high-class four-year-old with an easy defeat of Danehill Kodiac at Newbury and has reportedly come out of the race well, and the prospect of easy ground on Saturday has encouraged Varian to strike again quickly.

Varian confirmed: "I have been delighted with Defoe following his Newbury win and it was the ideal seasonal reappearance as he didn’t have a hard race. He holds an entry in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the end of May, but he seems so well in himself it seems prudent to run him while ground conditions are set to be in his favour.

"I am very grateful that Sheikh Mohammed Obaid has agreed to pay the supplementary fee, and I am excited about running the horse on Saturday."

Defoe faces a maximum of seven opponents, including Danehill Kodiac, who can reoppose on 3lb better terms, and last year's Royal Ascot and Goodwood runner-up Khalidi, who has yet to show his form in two starts for his new trainer Clive Cox.

Karl Burke's prolific juvenile 5f winner Havana Grey, successful last year in the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood before finishing second to stablemate Unfortunately in the Group 1 Prix Morny, heads 14 entries for the Group 3 Palace House Stakes.

Aidan O'Brien has entered Declarationofpeace, who beat Sound And Silence in the Qatar Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar in November, and Murillo, whose Group 2 placings include a third in the Coventry Stakes.

Last month's disappointing initial entry of just seven for Sunday's Group 2 Charm Spirit Dahlia Stakes – much the smallest since its elevation from Group 3 in 2015 – has been boosted considerably by a £6,000 supplementary entry from Godolphin for the Charlie Appleby-trained Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Wuheida, who was also a top-level winner at two. All seven of the original entries stand their ground.

Wuheida's Grade 1 penalty dictates that she must carry a 5lb penalty, but she looks different class to her seven possible opponents and the in-form Appleby has reported that she has "done fantastically well from three to four, as most Dubawis do". She could be racing in the States again this summer.

Clerk of the course Michael Prosser is delighted by the supplementary entries for both Defoe and Wuheida and said: "Both supplementaries are great news, and I'm especially pleased to have attracted Wuheida to what was a Dahlia Stakes that was smaller than hoped for. With her Marcel Boussac and Breeders' Cup wins, as well as the Falmouth second to Roly Poly, she's top-drawer.

"It's a restricted age-group race, so there's a limited pool, and it's been a tough winter for fillies, but I spoke to Charlie after the race closed and he confirmed she might be supplemented so I'm not that surprised."

The Listed Pretty Polly Stakes, whose winners include Ouija Board and Taghrooda, has been reopened after attracting only nine entries.

Read more Guinea news

Madeline goes well as Varian plans two-handed assault on 1,000 Guineas