telephone: +44 1933 440077 email: ihelp@weatherbys.co.uk
Perennial enters the last-chance saloon to earn his place in the Investec Derby field by taking on the in-form Expense Claim in Friday's Casco Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood.
Runner-up in the Autumn Stakes as a two-year-old, Perennial went off the 5-4 favourite on his return to Newmarket but beat only one of his seven rivals home in Feilden Stakes.
Trainer Charlie Hills said: "It's an interesting race and it was obviously very disappointing the way he ran at Newmarket. He wasn't the only one of ours to run badly at the time and I hope he'll be able to put a line through that.
"His training has been going well and we're looking forward to getting him back on track. His two-year-old form is working out well as Aidan O'Brien's horse, Astrology, was behind him in the Autumn Stakes and he went out and won the Dee at Chester."
Looking at a potential Classic outing at Epsom eight days later, for which Perennial can be backed at 66-1, Hills said: "He is still in the Derby, but he'd need to impress us in order to go there."
Expense Claim has made rapid strides in only a few weeks, winning a maiden at Kempton in April and following up this month in both a Salisbury handicap and in last weekend's competitive London Gold Cup at Newbury.
Trainer Andrew Balding said: "I've been really pleased with his season so far and he's clearly an improving horse. There will be slightly different ground conditions here but he's very well and hopefully can take the step up in class. This is his target for the moment, and we'll see how he gets on. Obviously there are nice races in the autumn if he keeps improving."
Harry Dunlop saddles the outsider Polydamos, while John Gosden fields the other two runners. Bjorn Nielsen's black and yellow silks were carried to success in this event by subsequent St Leger winner Masked Marvel and the owner has a similar, if less experienced, candidate in Michelangelo.
Jungle Beat, who won a maiden in good style at Newbury last summer but finished just a short head in front of Perennial in the Feilden, is Gosden's other runner.
