Defence Minister has been added to the lineup for the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury this Saturday.
The son of Too Darn Hot remains unbeaten in his two previous starts, having broken his maiden at Newmarket before overcoming a penalty at Haydock to maintain his perfect record.
Trained by Hamad Al-Jehani, the Qatari trainer who is gaining recognition in Europe, Defence Minister’s racing adviser, Richard Brown of Wathnan Racing, commented, "He’s still quite green for a breeze-up horse, and I believe he has a lot more to learn and will improve from that Haydock performance."
"Despite the penalty, he won stylishly and seemed to have plenty in reserve at the finish."
In the Group Two contest, Defence Minister will face competition from Gimcrack winner Cool Hoof Luke and Aidan O’Brien’s Round Tower winner Ides Of March, among others.
Additionally, Diego Ventura impressed on his debut for Al-Jehani at Ascot, reaffirming the promise he showed when winning on his racecourse debut for Gavin Cromwell at Naas, where he defeated Ger Lyons’ Magnum Force.
"We’re still considering Diego Ventura’s next steps, and his performance at Ascot was very encouraging, especially considering the difficulties he faced and still managed to win," Brown added.
"No decision has been made yet regarding his next race, and I plan to discuss it with Hamad to finalize a strategy."
"Hamad has done an exceptional job with just 10 horses. Transitioning from Qatar and learning the European racing scene has been a significant challenge, but he has built a great team and is achieving remarkable results."