By Emma Berry
The stable of George Scott has been enjoying a decent run of form in 2024 and the trainer notched an important win at Newmarket on Saturday when Seven Questions (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) ran home the 33/1 winner of the G3 Palace House S.
For the same Bahraini owner, Victorious Racing and Fawzi Nass, Scott won Bahrain's Triple Crown earlier this year with Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) and the trainer is eyeing some classy contests for both horses in Britain this summer.
As Seven Questions demonstrated that he had come out of Saturday's race well with a buck and a kick in his paddock on Monday morning, Scott said of the Tally-Ho Stud-bred gelding, “He was a good two-year-old last year. He was very unlucky in the Sirenia, drawn on the wing. He got beaten a head by a good horse that day in Starlust. And then I think if anyone wanted to go back and look at the Mill Reef in a bit more detail now he's come out and done this, you'll see he was very unlucky in the Mill Reef as well.”
With three wins to his credit at two, Seven Questions was also third in the G2 Mill Reef and G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte as well as his close second in the G3 Sirenia S.
Scott continued, “Winning the Palace House was obviously a little bit of surprise for the bookmakers, but we expected him to run a nice race. As I say, he's a talented horse so he has loads of options.
“For example, we'll look at Royal Ascot. Is he a Wokingham horse or is he one for the the King Charles III [formerly the G1 King's Stand]? It might be that we go for the Wokingham this time around and then go from there. But I would love him to run at Royal Ascot.
“We might well look at the Temple Stakes at Haydock or the Sandy Lane the same day. I know Vandeek is going to start back in the Sandy Lane.”
Scott also issued an update on the four-year-old Isle Of Jura, who won four of his five starts in Bahrain over the winter and was beaten a short-head in the other. He has had a short spell following his return to Newmarket and looks set to run at Sandown on Thursday, May 23.
“He's going to start back in the Brigadier Gerard,” said the trainer.” It looks like King of Steel might start back there but we're very keen to get a run into him before Ascot. He looks incredible. We're very, very pleased with the way he's training, and obviously the plan is the Hardwicke, but we'll be using the Brigadier Gerard as a stepping stone towards the Hardwicke. It's a race that we're looking forward to. The track should suit him, a stiff one and a quarter [miles].”
Scott has had the New Approach gelding for just over a year after Billy Jackson Stops identified him as a promising purchase from the Godolphin draft in the Tattersalls Ascot March Sale. Bought for £150,000 on behalf of Shaikh Nasser Al Khalifa's Victorious Racing, his earnings now stand at more than £292,0000 for his six wins from 11 starts.
Along with Isle Of Jura, Scott could also be sending the improving stayer Prydwen (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) to Sandown on the same day for the G3 Henry II S. The six-year-old, who is owned by Blue Starr Racing, has won his last two starts, including an impressive performance at Southwell last week under Callum Shepherd.
“The handicapper will have his say tomorrow, but I would think he'll be 108, 109, 110,” Scott said. “He's going to run in the Group 3 at Sandown and that will be a good indication for whether he completes his owner's dream and maybe rolls the dice in the Gold Cup or more likely go to Northampton Plate, in which he'll have a big weight.”
He added of the eight-time winner, “He's a very straightforward horse to train. He just runs every month and he's happy doing it.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
