War Artist bursting for a run..

James Eustace's War Artist is bursting to return to the racetrack and may run at Newbury this weekend even if conditions don't suit.

The six-year-old hasn't been seen since finishing third in last year's July Cup but is pencilled in for a return in Saturday's Group Three Shadwell Stakes.

He was set to reappear in the Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle, but was scratched from that race when the ground turned soft.

Eustace is hoping the same scenario does not happen again this weekend.

The Newmarket handler told sportinglife.com: "He's very well and frankly he needs to run.

"He will run at Newbury all being well. He was going to run in the Chipchase at Newcastle, but they watered and then it rained and he's never run on soft ground. I don't know whether he'll handle it and I didn't want to run him first time for a year on that type of ground.

"I'm praying the same thing doesn't happen at Newbury. They did water on Tuesday morning, but Richard Osgood assures me they won't water again. There is some rain forecast later in the week but I hope it misses them.

"So long as it's not bottomless I think we'll have to let him take his chance now as time is getting on. I'm glad we didn't run at Newcastle as the ground was pretty soft that day, but if it was genuine good to soft at Newbury he would run.

"I'm hoping they miss all the rain and it's good fast ground as that's what he goes on."

War Artist was second in last year's Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot as well as his placed finish in the July Cup, and has been kept off the track since mainly due to colic surgery in the winter.

"He did us proud last summer and it's just a shame he couldn't get his head in front in a Group One, " Eustace continued. "It wasn't for lack of effort, he's a very genuine, straightfoward horse.

"He's been off the track due to circumstance conspiring against us rather than a major injury. After the July Cup he came out of the race really well and we were thinking of giving him a go over 5f in the Nunthorpe.

"He picked up a small injury and we fully investigated that and it turned out to be nothing serious, but in the meantime he'd gone over the top.

"Really he'd been in full training for 18 months prior to that. He'd done a full season in South Africa, arrived fit at the beginning of our winter and originally was supposed to go onto the United States after 60 days in this country.

"He was trained all winter, although plans changed and he was left with us which was great from our point of view.

"After he went over the top following the July Cup I thought we'd put him away until this season and we gave him a good long break.

"He didn't come back in until the beginning of December, got him going and he'd just started cantering in February when he had an attack of colic.

"He had to have colic surgery and luckily they opened him up and he'd trapped a bit of his short intestine and they managed to free it without having to take any of his gut out which was nearly a miracle. They stitched him back up and thankfully everything was okay.

"He still had to get over the incision they had made in his abdomen, and that took time although from day one he took the surgery really well. He rather amazed the vet with how well he'd taken everything.

"They said we had a chance of getting him back for the July Cup and possibly for Ascot, and they were pretty well right. We nearly got to Ascot, but I'm glad we didn't run there."

War Artist has been impressing in his recent work, though, and Eustace is hoping the break his Australian-bred horse has had will serve him well later in the campaign.

"He did his first piece of work this year that really grabbed me on the morning of the Golden Jubilee and everything looked good for the Chipchase until the ground changed," siad Eustace.

"In some ways I'm much happier with him this year than last year. He's a much better mover in his slower paces this year. Last year, frankly, he couldn't walk or trot to save his life like a lot of sprinters but this year you'd nearly fancy him doing a dressage test!"

"He has been impressing in his work, but I have to say I think we've got him as far as we can get him at home. He really is well in himself now, he's bouncing and I'm delighted to see him that way.

"He will come on for his first run, but he'll run very well all the same.

"He's in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in August, and Deauville is a possibility for the Maurice De Gheest. There is a Group Two at Baden Baden and the Haydock Sprint Cup as well - so we've got a lot of options and I hope we would benefit from the fact he is a fresh horse.

"We'd also like to keep one eye on Hong Kong in December too. He would be a great horse to travel abroad with. I feel Hong Kong is do-able and the fast ground would suit him. If he came back to his form of last year I would be hopeful of getting an invitation."