Dream Ahead on course for Maurice de Gheest

France: Dream Ahead will return to Deauville on Sunday when he goes in pursuit of a fourth Group 1 win at the track where he recorded his first top-level success.

The David Simcock-trained three-year-old was an impressive winner of the Darley July Cup when taking on his elders for the first time on his most recent outing and the trainer is now targeting the Prix Maurice de Gheest over the unusual 6½f trip, when William Buick will be back on board.

"The Maurice de Gheest is very much the plan for Dream Ahead," Simcock said on Tuesday. "We ran First City at Deauville on Sunday and it was good ground, just on the firm side of good, but I believe the forecast is indifferent.

"I think I have said it a million and one times now that at the end of the day cut in the ground conveniences him while it inconveniences others at the same time, and I have no problems running him on safe ground.

"He is in excellent order and, with the forecast the way it is, I would imagine that it will be good ground."

Dream Ahead, who was partnered by Hayley Turner at Newmarket, with Buick unavailable, won the Prix Morny on his last visit to France, and Simcock has firm plans as to where he will head after Sunday, with Haydock's Betfred Sprint Cup, for which he is 11-4 favourite with the sponsor, his likely next destination.

"I would very much doubt we would supplement him for the Nunthorpe," the trainer continued.

"We've a set plan for him, which is Deauville and then Haydock, and the Nunthorpe comes plenty quick enough after Deauville, and he is not the sort of horse I would want to run back quick."

Saturday's Stewards' Cup winner Hoof It may be added to the Haydock field but it is the possibility, however remote, of facing another horse there that he fears more.

He added: "You have to be very impressed with Hoof It carrying all that weight in the Stewards' Cup. It was a very impressive performance.

"The only thing is I don't think Hoof It would be as impressive on ground with rain. I am just hoping Frankel does not come back to sprinting!"

Genki, who finished three lengths behind Dream Ahead in sixth place in the Darley July Cup, is likely to renew the rivalry on Sunday. The seven-year-old landed the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle in June and is a 25-1 chance for the Betfred Sprint Cup with Paddy Power and William Hill.

Trainer Roger Charlton told his website: "I am planning on sending Genki to Deauville on the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre so that he can run in the Prix Maurice De Gheest on Sunday and it will be interesting tomorrow morning to learn what is likely to run."