Richard Hannon has been patient with King Of Change.

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RICHARD Hannon’s QIPCO 2000 Guineas runner-up King Of Change may be set for a rematch with winner Magna Grecia after defying a lengthy absence to win at Sandown.

King Of Change had not raced since posting a career best at Newmarket 137 days ago when outrunning odds of 66-1 to finish two and a quarter lengths behind the Aidan O’Brien-trained winner.

Hannon opted to give the son of Farhh plenty of time to recover from the exertions of May 4 and saw his patience rewarded when King Of Change and Sean Levey landed the one mile Listed Chasemore Farm Fortune Stakes on Wednesday.

King Of Change has since been cut to 12-1 from 20-1 by Paddy Power for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on British Champions Day at Ascot on October 19.

“We’re pleased, he’s been working very well and it’s nice to see him run a big race,” said Hannon.

“He’ll have needed that, he’s been off a while so it was pleasing.

“He’s got a few nice entries and they are all possibilities at the moment. He will appreciate a bit of give in the ground and next year will probably be his year.

“We’ve a fresh horse to head into the autumn with. It was nice for him to prove the Guineas second wasn’t a fluke,” the trainer told Racing TV.

Meanwhile Magna Grecia, who has not raced since finishing fifth in the Irish 2000 Guineas, is into 8-1 with Paddy Power for the £1.1 million contest after connections indicated that Ascot was the target.

O’Brien said: “We had to give Magna Grecia plenty of time off but he’s progressing and had a racecourse gallop after racing at the Curragh on Sunday,” the Racing Post report.

“The plan is to bring him back in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on October 19 as long as we’re happy with him.”

The betting for the one-mile contest is headed by King Of Comedy (6-1) whose trainer John Gosden bagged a hat-trick at Sandown’s final flat meeting of the year.

Gosden teamed up with Frankie Dettori to win successive races with Magical Rhythms (one mile Class 4) and Sucellus (10 furlong Class 4).

The brace was preceded by the victory of Palace Pier who was sent of at 1-8 after posting an easy victory on his debut at the Esher track last month. He is best-priced at 20-1, but as short at 12-1 for next year’s 2000 Guineas where the betting is headed by Pinatubo at 5-4.

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