EXCEL TEAM CONSIDER NEWBURY PACEMAKER

Marco Botti plans to make a last-minute decision on whether to let Ceremonial Jade play a pacemaking role for Excelebration in Saturday's CGA Hungerford Stakes at Newbury.

Excelebration is enjoying a superb three-year-old campaign, with a superb victory in the German 2000 Guineas sandwiched in between two fine runs behind Sir Henry Cecil's brilliant colt Frankel.

He is set to meet older horses for the first time this weekend and Botti is pondering whether to run one of his lesser lights to ensure the seven-furlong contest does not turn into a farce.

"Excelebration is in good order and had a blow-out this morning. Everything is fine with him and he is still on track for Saturday," said the Newmarket handler.

"We left the other horse in and we are just going to see who is going declare and how many runners there are.

"A lot of the horses in the race are hold-up horses and what we don't want is a messy race with no pace.

"If, in the morning, it looks like there is no pace in the race, then we might declare Ceremonial Jade to make sure it is an even gallop.

"It will be a decision for the last minute."

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