Westerner flying ahead of Gold Cup
Crack French stayer Westerner has been given a glowing reference by trainer Elie Lellouche ahead of his bid to land the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot at York next week.
Unbeaten in his last five outings, all at Group level, the six-year-old was only beaten a length and a half by Papineau in last year’s premier stayers’ event after finding himself in front a shade too early.
“I think that Westerner will act well around York. He worked left-handed last Friday and you can forget his run going that way in last year’s Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (when ninth), as that came just 15 days after Ascot,” Lellouche told the Racing Post.
“We will take him to Chantilly racecourse to work him left-handed again, and he is an individual who travels well and acts on all sorts of going.
“The horse is in great shape and, with age, he has improved and strengthened.”
