Meade plots Ascot outing for Technician

Technician is being lined up for the Royal Ascot Gold Cup next summer after his victory in Sunday’s Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp. Trainer Martyn Meade was delighted with the three-year-old stayer’s display as he followed up his Group Two win in the Qatar Prix Chaudenay earlier this month, with a first-ever Group One success at the same venue. Technician is now taking a break for the winter, but Meade is already looking at him to pick up wins in next year’s long-distance division with Ascot high on the agenda. He said: “He’s done really well this season, going from winning a Listed, a Group Three Group Two and now finally a Group One – a pretty good achievement for him. “In the circumstances – a three-year-old in that type of ground and against older horses – it was pretty convincing, the way he did it. “He finished the race really well. I was thrilled to bits with him.” Meade added: “I’d have thought the Gold Cup would be right up his street. “We’ll be aiming at that and just hope we’ve got some nice ground there, and I think a track like Ascot would suit him. “His only bad race this year was Goodwood. He didn’t cope with the undulations of the track. Having said that, he will have grown up and be much stronger next year. “He may have just one prep run before the Gold Cup – it just depends. He’s a straightforward horse, so I’m not worried about getting him ready first time for a big one.”