Ballet Concerto to step up for Stoute

Sir Michael Stoute’s Ballet Concerto may make the step up to Group company after winning the John Smith’s Cup at York on Saturday.

The four-year-old looked comfortable under the guidance of James Doyle, coming out on top from a field of 20 over a mile-and-a-quarter.

The next move is yet to be confirmed, but the Betfred Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock on August 12, has been mooted as a possible target.

Stoute has won that Group 3 race three times, with Class Is Class the most recent victory in 2011.

Meanwhile, it appears that Ballet Concerto’s stable-mate Poet’s Word will be heading for Glorious Goodwood after a late withdrawal from the Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket.

The Glorious Stakes in August appears to be the likely route.