Breacher in line for Doncaster return in Futurity Trophy

William Muir is planning a return to Doncaster with Breacher after he continued his progression with a third-place finish in Saturday’s Champagne Stakes.

The Lambourn handler, who trains in partnership with Chris Grassick, suggested the Cracksman colt could be the best horse he has trained following his winning debut at Salisbury, comparing him favourably to his Coronation Cup and King George-winning former stable star Pyledriver.

And while he has been beaten twice since, also picking up the bronze medal in Sandown’s Solario Stakes before chasing home the hugely impressive 2000 Guineas favourite Desert Castle and Aidan O’Brien’s Sergei Diaghilev on Town Moor on Saturday, Muir feels there is a lot to look forward to.

“He’s come out of the race great. He’s ate everything, trotted up well and his legs are good – beautiful,” he said.

“As I said last week, I would have preferred to run him over a mile rather than seven furlongs, but I couldn’t find the right mile race. I wanted him to have another run because he needed another run, he’s improved off his Sandown run and held his head up really high.

“Like Lewis (Edmunds, jockey) said to me, if it had been a mile on Saturday we’d have got the second, but we wouldn’t have beat the winner. When I saw the winner in the stables, he looked like a four-year-old rather than a two-year-old. I thought ‘crumbs, that is some animal to look at’, and by God he was good.

“I said my horse was a nice horse in my yard, not in the world, and he is a nice horse. His mark is probably going to go up and he will probably prove to be one of the highest rated two-year-olds I’ve ever had.”

Breacher is now set to step up to the mile for his final juvenile start, most likely in Doncaster’s Futurity Trophy on October 24.

Muir added: “At one time I was thinking he’d be a miler, but now I think he’s definitely going to be a middle-distance horse – mile and a quarter/mile and a half.

“The one thing about him is he’s got the most amazing temperament. We set off early on Saturday and he got on the box, never moved and got off – he doesn’t turn a hair or worry and walked round the paddock like he’s done it all his life. He’s just got a temperament to die for.

“He’ll have one more run this year and he’ll probably go back to Doncaster for the Futurity. I didn’t want to go for the Autumn Stakes at Newmarket on October 10 and then the Futurity. If we decided the Autumn Stakes was going to be his last race we could have a go, but I would be more 97 per cent on going to Doncaster.”