Talaayeb camp eye Newbury step up in trip after Guineas fourth

Talaayeb, who defied her inexperience to finish a fine fourth in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket recently, is to step up in trip for her next appearance in the Lord Weinstock Memorial EBF Stallions Stakes at Newbury next month.

Owned and bred by Hamdan Al Maktoum and trained in Lambourn by Owen Burrows, Talaayeb won a maiden at Newmarket last season and returned there to finish three and a half lengths off Winter under Jim Crowley in the fillies' Classic.

Connections have scratched her from the Investec Oaks and have the 1m2f Listed contest in mind.

Burrows said: "She's come out of the Guineas well and we're probably going to start her in the Lord Weinstock Memorial on June 15.

"Speaking to Sheikh Hamdan he thought we needed to make her a stakes winner and we asked a lot of her in the Guineas on just her second start. You could then think let's go to the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and before you know it she's been bang, bang, bang.

"Jim possibly thought it'd be worth trying ten furlongs after the Guineas as she picked up after getting stuck away from them and maybe she would appreciate going a bit further, so we'll try Newbury."

Burrows also had an update on Massaat, second in last years 2,000 Guineas, but not seen since the Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury in August.

Massaat: colt is likely to be kept away from very fast groundCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Massaat had a problem after the Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury and went back to Shadwell Stud, but injured himself recuperating," the trainer added.

"He's back with me now though - he has been for just under a month - and is back cantering, but it'll be at the end of July we'll see him, so it'll be a second-half campaign.

"He's similar to the filly in that he won his maiden and was second in a Dewhurst and second in the 2,000 Guineas.

"He'll probably have entry in the Sussex Stakes, but I wouldn't start him in that and we'll see how he goes. If I had to miss half a season, probably the first half is the better one to miss as there's only really Saturday, the Lockinge, he could've gone for.

"We'll look to build him up, get a Group 2/ Group 3 under his belt and look to Champions Day at Ascot. That's what I hope for and I can't see why we shouldn't think like that, and he handles a bit of cut in the ground. I think we'll him at a mile and if anything we might have to keep him off very fast ground."