Souchez Ready For G1 Atkins Test

An impressive piece of work alongside the star filly Ghisoni has added strength to the prospects of the talented two-year-old colt Souchez in the G1 J J Atkins Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday, June 11.

Already an impressive G2 winner, Souchez (John O'Shea/James McDonald) goes into the final juvenile G1 race of the Australian season as a proven current performer and an exciting future prospect.

The son of Lonhro has won two and been placed twice in his only five starts, the most recent of them in Brisbane where luck deserted him when he missed the start and produced an exceptional effort to run fifth over 1350m.

"He blew the start badly at Doomben the other day and then got home very strongly, so I think the step up to 1600m here will suit him, and as a G2 winner in Sydney he looks well placed," said his trainer John O'Shea.

"He's one of only a couple of Stakes winners in the race, so he looks like he's up to the class."

In his final gallop before the Atkins, Souchez impressed by keeping pace with the older and highly-regarded Ghisoni in their work on Tuesday

"He worked well with Ghisoni on the outside of the course proper at the Gold Coast on Tuesday morning so we're very happy with him going into this," O'Shea said.

Among Souchez's strongest opposition at Eagle Farm is Attention, a colt who had the better of him at their past two meetings, but on both occasions the Godolphin colt struck trouble and went down only narrowly.

In the G2 Champagne Stakes at Doomben he finished only a nose behind Attention and last time out was just over a length away after losing double that at the start.

"He is such a big strong colt, he's the type who has the ability and the physique to be a very good three-year-old. We have a lot to look forward to with him," O'Shea said.

On the same Eagle Farm card, the two-year-old fillies Nonpareil and Chipanda run in the Listed Lancaster Stakes.