Scenic set for HQ blast-off

Connections of impressive King's Stand winner Scenic Blast are in confident mood ahead of the Darley July Cup at Newmarket on Friday.Danny Morton's five-year-old has been all the rage with punters since Ascot and his jockey, Steven Arnold, is pleased the gelding has been able to familiarise himself with Newmarket's undulations in recent workouts.Arnold said: "It's great riding in international races, but even better when you're on one of the top chances. We know the form of his rivals and nothing seems to have burst on to the scene since Scenic Blast won the King's Stand."He added: "If he turns up in the same form at Newmarket, and everything suggests he will, then he's going to be the one to beat again. He's not a weak sprinter, so the extra 200 metres (furlong) won't bother him, especially now he's had that strong 1000m run in the King's Stand under his belt. "He's also got a second at Group One level over 1600m (a mile), albeit against his own age, in the Caulfield Guineas. I think it's a real bonus Danny has been able to take him there (to Newmarket) twice and work alongside Takeover Target. The course won't be foreign to him."The undulating track has been in mind, but he's had some experience there and he's the sort of horse who travels well in his races and that will help him," he told www.heraldsun.com.au.Forming a strong Australian challenge with Scenic Blast is Takeover Target.The veteran performer is something of a forgotten horse in the race - but that suits his jockey, Jay Ford. Joe Janiak's 10-year-old was forced to miss Ascot, but the multiple Group One winner is out to prove he can still mix it with the best.Ford said: "You still get the people who pop their heads in to give him a pat, but it's nothing like it's been in the past. I can't recall the last time it was like this before a race. Even when he won the Salinger (his first Group One) there was still a little hype around him then."After Scenic Blast won the King's Stand, we've been able to slip under the radar. But I reckon we'll let them all know we're there on Friday and will give the scribes something to write about," he told The Australian Daily Telegraph.