Mawatheeq is only '50-50' for Newmarket bid

Mawatheeq is likely to bypass the Cambridgeshire Handicap in favour of a trip to France, according to trainer Marcus Tregoning.

The recent Doncaster winner is as short as 12-1 joint second-favourite with both Coral and Stan James for the £160,000 1m 1f cavalry charge at Newmarket on 3 October.

But Tregoning warned: "I'm not certain that he's going to be in the race and, while no decision has been made, I'm not sure the Cambridgeshire is the route to go.

"While it is a valuable race, it is a handicap and you often find that the best horse doesn't win it, because there are a lot of runners and they can find trouble.

"The aim is to get some black type with him. That doesn't matter whether it is this year or next year, but it is only 50-50 that he'll head to Newmarket.

"We are thinking that the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge at Ascot on Sunday week or the Group 2 Prix Dollar at Longchamp on Arc weekend might be where we'd end up. My preference at this stage would be Longchamp."