Bell aware of Blast challenge

Art Connoisseur's trainer Michael Bell believes Australian ace Scenic Blast will prove a formidable opponent when the Royal Ascot winners clash in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket next week.The King's Stand and Golden Jubilee Stakes heroes will square up in the feature event of the three-day July meeting on Friday, with Scenic Blast the 6-4 market leader with Stan James to build on his Ascot blitz.Art Connoisseur is the 6-1 third favourite with the same firm after he came from last to first to cause an upset in the Golden Jubilee.Bell said: "Scenic Blast will be a tough nut to crack and he deserves to be favourite, but we deserve to be up there as one of the principals."He added: "I was surprised that he won (at Ascot) from the point of view that he had only done three fast pieces of work, but I wasn't surprised he won on his Coventry win from last year."The girl who rides him out every day says that he improved for the run and you would like to think there is improvement to come."The three-year-old overcame a splint injury to score at Ascot and Bell is hoping the Lucky Story colt can prove as adept on the July course."I hope he is not just a one-course-horse but he has got to prove it," said Bell."He did win on the Rowley Mile as a two-year-old and also finished second to Mastercraftsman in a Group One race in which he didn't like the soft ground and there was a small field with no cover."