Defence Minister supplemented for a second time after missing Newbury.
Ante-post favourite Whistlejacket, along with the newly supplemented Defence Minister, headlines a competitive field of 12 confirmed runners for the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Whistlejacket has made a strong impression, winning three of his six starts. His victories include a notable performance in the Group Two July Stakes at Newmarket, and he is now seeking back-to-back Group One wins after his triumph in the Prix Morny at Deauville.
O'Brien has also kept the impressive Round Tower Stakes winner, Ides Of March, in contention, who recently finished behind National Stakes favourite Henri Matisse, as well as Camille Pissarro and Treasure Isle.
Defence Minister has quickly established himself with two wins from two starts under trainer Hamad Al Jehani and the Wathnan Racing team. After securing a debut victory at Newmarket, he followed up with a win at Haydock. He missed the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury due to soft ground after being supplemented just a week ago, and connections have opted to add him to the Middle Park field for £20,000. He is also entered in Thursday's Tattersalls Stakes.
Richard Brown, adviser to Wathnan Racing, commented, "Given the recent rain and unpredictable weather forecast, we want to have a range of potential targets for Defence Minister. He’s a very promising colt, but we know he prefers decent ground, so we're keeping our options open at this stage."
Other notable contenders include Michael O'Callaghan's Black Forza, Charlie Appleby’s Gimcrack runner-up Shadow Of Light, as well as Andesite (Karl Burke), Dash Dizzy (Charlie Johnston), Intrusively (Ed Bethell), and Jouncy (Andrew Balding).
