Royal Ascot: Door open to Coventry tilt

Could Green Door be winning at Royal Ascot?

Green Door could head to Royal Ascot after a stylish success in a Newmarket maiden last Saturday...

First-season trainer Olly Stevens has earmarked either the Coventry Stakes or Norfolk Stakes for the Camacho colt after his length-and-a-quarter verdict over Windfast at Headquarters.

"We were thrilled with the way he ran. I'm now thinking of going straight for the Norfolk or the Coventry at Royal Ascot with him," he said.

"It would be a big step up for him there but the form of his Newmarket run is working out well and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Brian Meehan's (Windfast) won next time out and ended up at Ascot.

"He's certainly been running in the right sort of company.

"Looking back at the Norfolk winners over the last 10 years, they have run well in good maidens and then gone on to Ascot so the argument is certainly there to take that kind of route."

Stevens also saddled Hoku to finish second in Listed company at York on Friday and while Ascot is an option for the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor, connections also have another route under consideration.

"She's still a maiden so we have that to deal with first. There's talk of the Albany but there's also the Empress Stakes at Newmarket (June 29) to look at," Stevens said.

"We might look to win a maiden somewhere and then go on to Newmarket, but the Albany is there too."

Stevens began sending out runners from his Chiddingfold base this season and having saddled five individual winners already, he is thrilled by the prospect of housing Royal Ascot contenders.

"(To have Royal Ascot horses) is beyond our dreams at this stage. When we went to Doncaster sales to buy some cheap horses to bash away with, we certainly didn't imagine this and it's testament to David Redvers' judgement."

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