Charlie Hills is weighing up options at Goodwood and in France for Cicero’s Gift after the colt’s comeback win at Sandown last Saturday.
Cicero’s Gift, a son of the stable’s Group One-winning sprinter Muhaarar, had a strong start to his career with three consecutive victories. However, after encountering trouble in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, he spent 382 days away from racing before returning to action in the Coral Challenge.
Trainer Charlie Hills expressed surprise and satisfaction with Cicero’s Gift’s performance, saying, “I was amazed, to be honest. He stuck to his task, and he’s obviously a very good horse. He’s come out of it in really good shape, so I’m delighted with that after being off the track for a year. He seems to sound like a pound, which is great.”
Looking ahead, Hills is considering the next steps for his promising colt. “Hopefully, we’ll see some improvement from that run in his next start, but we haven’t decided where that will be yet,” he said.
Discussing potential races, Hills mentioned the possibility of supplementing Cicero’s Gift for the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, noting, “We don’t have to decide on that (supplementing) until five days before, so we can see what the weather is doing and everything else. There is another race at Goodwood that he could go for as well, a mile and one (furlong) conditions race, and the Prix du Moulin (at ParisLongchamp) could be another race further down the line. He’s still quite inexperienced really, so to go and do what he did under Saturday, off top-weight as well, was really good.”
As Hills plans Cicero’s Gift’s future races, the colt’s versatility and potential in both domestic and international competitions highlight an exciting path ahead.