Lightning Spear declared for QEII Stakes

Qatar Racing's flagbearer Lightning Spear will line up in the Gr. 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champion Day at Ascot on Saturday.

Lightning Spear finished a very good third in the race last year and doesn't have the winner Minding to beat this year. He will be ridden by Oisin Murphy, who is looking fr his third Gr. 1 win this month following the successes of Aclaim in France and Blond Me in Canada.

Lightning Spear wasn't seen to best effect in the Gr. 1 Qatar Prix du Moulin last time, but he'd previously looked as good as ever when a close third behind Here Comes When and Ribchester in the Gr. 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes and when winning his second Gr. 2 Grosvenor Sport Celebration Mile Stakes, both at Goodwood in August.

We are under no illusions that he's found it hard to beat Ribchester - second in this race in 2016 - so far, while Beat The Bank is another serious rival, but Lightning Spear came out of the Moulin very fresh and well according to his trainer David Simcock, so fingers crossed for another big run from a high-class and very popular horse.

Mountain Bell was among the 5-day entries for the Gr. 1 Fillies and Mares Stakes but she hasn't been declared. She could instead make her belated return in the Gr. 3 Worthington's OCSL Stakes (St Simon) at Newbury on October 28, the same race in which she was a close second when last seen. Another possible for that race is her stablemate at Ralph Beckett's, the Gr. 2 Park Hill Stakes runner-up Melodic Motion.