Art set to play key role

Michael Bell believes Golden Jubilee winner Art Connoisseur could be even better now than he was at Royal Ascot as he goes into tomorrow's Darley July Cup at Newmarket.The colt arguably represents Britain's best chance of keeping the prize at home against a squad of top international contenders."It looks like it's going to be really lovely ground for him and he has thrived since Royal Ascot," said Bell."It's difficult to gauge where he is, but given the preparation he had going into Royal Ascot one would think he shouldn't deteriorate and, if anything, improve a little."I haven't really assessed the draw yet, and really we have to see if any rain arrives, but at this stage I'm not uncomfortable with it."Scenic Blast was obviously very impressive at Royal Ascot, but I thought Art Connoisseur was as well, so it should be a good race. He gets the three-year-old allowance and while it's not very much, every ounce counts."Barry Hills saddles Equiano and Prime Defender and although the duo are outsiders, the trainer's son and assistant, Charlie Hills, feels they could outrun their starting prices."I can't believe both our horses are 100-1 - they are massive prices and I wouldn't put anyone off backing them each-way," Hills said in his column on www.racinguk.tv."Equiano was a Group One winner last year and one of the season's top sprinters. Admittedly he's been a little disappointing recently, when he has been racing prominently, so we're going to try some new tactics with him here."Prime Defender was only beaten a couple of lengths in this race last year and you can write off his last run in Singapore, where he was drawn 13 of 13 around a bend. He's worked really well since then and he won't be without a chance."