Racing: Elvstroem arrives to take Lockinge by storm

Look out, Newbury, Elvis is ready to rock 'n' roll. Australia's latest globetrotting superhorse, Elvstroem, is set to tackle the Lockinge Stakes on Saturday. The five-year-old, winner of the Dubai Duty Free at Nad El Sheba in March on his first Northern Hemisphere venture, was yesterday supplemented, at a cost of £16,000, for the mile Group 1 contest, in which he will have 14 potential rivals.

Look out, Newbury, Elvis is ready to rock 'n' roll. Australia's latest globetrotting superhorse, Elvstroem, is set to tackle the Lockinge Stakes on Saturday. The five-year-old, winner of the Dubai Duty Free at Nad El Sheba in March on his first Northern Hemisphere venture, was yesterday supplemented, at a cost of £16,000, for the mile Group 1 contest, in which he will have 14 potential rivals.

Elvstroem's trainer, Melbourne-based Tony Vasil, went straight to the Berkshire track from Heathrow in the morning and was satisfied with what he saw. Two caveats had been soft ground and an undulating track, the first unfavoured by the Danehill horse, the second unknown, but current conditions, a fine forecast and level contours, changed amber to green. "He can handle easy conditions up to a point," said Vasil, "and it's apparently only going to get drier. We don't have a straight mile back home, but the tracks in Australia are flat, so that is a more important concern. You'd look at the topography rather than the direction."

The remarkable Elvstroem, known as Elvis at home, was the first Australian winner at the Dubai World Cup meeting. His nine-furlong triumph there was his fifth at the top level; the four before had come over distances between the seven furlongs of the CF Orr Stakes at his home track, Caulfield, and the extended mile-and-a-half of the Victoria Derby at Flemington. He has twice beaten dual Melbourne Cup heroine Makybe Diva.

Yesterday, enjoying a pick of grass in the sunshine with travelling groom Brian Baldwin at his British lodgings, Geoff Wragg's overflow yard at Abington Place, the strongly-built bay demonstrated that as well as the talent to take on the world, he has the imperturbable temperament that enables him to do so. "We have plenty in Australia who have the ability to compete away from home," said Vasil, "but not so many who could cope with the travelling. This is the ideal horse to try this with, he has a great mind and constitution, nothing bothers him."

Elvstroem, home-bred by part-owner Frank Tagg, has not seen home soil for eight weeks, having gone on to Hong Kong for the QE II Cup, in which he was drawn wide and came in ninth, after Dubai. His European campaign has the purpose of advertising his potential as a shuttle stallion; his pedigree - he is out of a Group 1-winning Marscay mare - is virtually perfect to Australian eyes, but he will need to add performance here.

Other options include the Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp on Sunday week, the Queen Anne or Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot at York, and the Eclipse Stakes. "It's a real adventure," said Vasil, "and this is the third leg. "

They clearly make them tough Down Under, for Choisir, the Aussie sprinter who took Royal Ascot by storm two years ago, notched his famous double within five days. "He was a late foal," added Vasil, "and he wasn't yet three when he won the Victoria Derby, so perhaps it's no surprise that as he's got older and more seasoned he's got better."

Elvstroem, whose regular partner Nash Rawiller is due to fly in to take the ride, will have 14 potential rivals on Saturday, including Autumn Glory, trained by "landlord" Wragg. Also there are the talented but enigmatic pair Rakti, from Michael Jarvis's in-form yard, and Ballydoyle representative Antonius Pius. Jarvis is another watching the skies, for his six-year-old charge, who won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last season, is another fast-ground lover.

Godolphin have two entries, Grand Emporium and Byron, Sir Michael Stoute can chose from Arakan or Chic, Luca Cumani fields recent Leicester winner Le Vie Dei Colori and Gerard Butler has supplemented progressive filly Tarfah.

One distaffer missing, though, is star mare Soviet Song, who scoped badly yesterday morning.