Can classy Kylian continue his progress and land a first victory in Group company?
Karl Burke runners have been responsible for two of the most impressive juvenile performances in Britain this season and both of them came over the minimum trip at Sandown’s stiff track.
Elite Status provided one when bolting up by five lengths in the National Stakes in May, but Kylian was even more impressive when landing the Dragon Stakes by six lengths last month.
To put that into context, it means Kylian won that race on good ground by a second and that is a huge amount of time by which to beat a Listed field, especially over five furlongs.
Elite Status has since gone on to finish third in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot and win a Group 3 at Deauville, and Kylian looks capable of emulating him to land his first Group 3.
Royal Ascot wasn’t on Kylian’s agenda, but Big Evs went there as a 20-1 outsider for the Windsor Castle and returned an impressive three-length winner. That is the widest winning margin in that race since 2016 and Big Evs won even easier than Little Big Bear last season.
Little Big Bear went on to be crowned Europe’s Champion Juvenile, so that gives you an idea of how high Big Evs might be able to climb, and he sets the standard on Racing Post Ratings.
Mick Appleby isn’t necessarily known for producing top-class juveniles and his strike-rate of eight per cent with two-year-olds on turf in Britain since the start of 2019 proves that, but he showed he can do it with Big Evs at the royal meeting and this probably won’t be a step too far.
Richard Hannon definitely is a man who enjoys plenty of success with youngsters and he is seeking a third consecutive victory in this race following his wins with Armor and Trillium.
Two of Hannon’s other six runners in the last ten years were placed, so he clearly targets the contest, and this season he saddles last month’s impressive Newbury maiden winner Baheer.
Turn the clock back 12 months and Trillium came into the race after a wide-margin maiden win at Newbury and this was mentioned as a possible target by Hannon for Baheer after his victory at the Berkshire track. If there is to be an upset, it looks likely to come from him.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway
Big chance?
There is no chance Big Evs will be 20-1 for this after his success in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot.
He went off at those odds for the 5f Listed contest, but they looked silly when he bolted up, pulling an impressive three lengths clear of his rivals.
That was no shock to connections and Mick Appleby anticipates another big run, though he is respectful of the opposition.
Big Evs: impressed at Royal Ascot
"He's got a decent chance," said Appleby, who has a handful of Group 3 wins on his CV. "Karl Burke's horse Kylian could be hard to beat judged on his last run, but hopefully the ground is all right for my lad and he's in good form.
"I wasn't surprised with what he did at Royal Ascot because we've always thought he was pretty smart. This race has been the plan since."
What they say
Richard Hannon, trainer of Baheer
He's a bull of a horse, in fact he used to act like a bull in a china shop, so we had to get him gelded to calm him down, which has definitely helped, but he still retains plenty of character. There is no doubt he was disappointing on his debut, when we really thought he’d win, but he obviously learned plenty from it because he came out and won very impressively at Newbury. On that evidence, I’m sure he’d have finished very close in the Norfolk had he not been withdrawn at the start. This is a big step up, and I’m not sure if he’ll handle the ground, but some of the work he’s done at home has been extraordinary and he could end up top class.
Hugo Palmer, trainer of Hackman
He's got a bit to find, but this has been the plan for some time and the sharp five furlongs will be better for him than Sandown's stiff five. He's done well with his draw in stall six and any rain will help. I'm looking forward to it and hopefully he can run a big race.
Karl Burke, trainer of Kylian
He's a very good horse and Ryan [Moore] loves him. He's a speed horse so I just hope there isn't too much rain and the ground isn't too slow.
Roger Varian, trainer of Markakol
He’s quite a smart colt and we wouldn’t give up on him. It was a messy race at Newbury and he is probably more comfortable over five furlongs, he’s got a lot of pace. He probably wouldn’t want too much rain.
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