Real World picked up a cough and scoped badly ahead of intended run in Saturday's Coral-Eclipse; Stone Age skips Sandown in favour of Belmont Derby on July 9, live on Sky Sports Racing; trainer Saeed bin Suroor throws support to Frankie Dettori
Wednesday 29 June 2022 13:40, UK
Real World will miss Saturday's Coral-Eclipse following a setback, trainer Saeed bin Suroor has revealed.
Runner-up to Baaeed on his last two starts in Newbury's Lockinge Stakes and in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, the Godolphin handler was preparing to step the five-year-old back up in trip for Sandown's Group One feature.
Frankie Dettori had been pencilled in to ride the dual Group Two winner, who would have been bidding to give the in-form handler a 195th Group One success.
However, Bin Suroor reports the general 7/1 chance will miss the 10-furlong contest.
"Frankie is our man, but unfortunately the horse is not going to run," Bin Suroor said.
"Frankie has been my friend for the last 30 years - we have travelled all over the world together and we wanted to use him, but unfortunately the horse coughed and scoped badly, so we decided not to run. It is disappointing, but you don't run when they are not well.
"We will see how he is, but we will hope to use Frankie when there is something for him."
Stone Age will sidestep Sandown on Saturday in favour of a trip to America the following weekend.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained Galileo colt was hugely impressive in winning a Navan maiden and the Derby Trial at Leopardstown on his first two starts of the season, but could finish only sixth in the Derby at Epsom.
O'Brien decided against running in last Saturday's Irish Derby at the Curragh, instead favouring a return to a-mile-and-a-quarter in the Eclipse.
However, the Ballydoyle handler has now decided to prepare for a trans-Atlantic trip for the Belmont Derby, where he is likely to clash with Charlie Appleby's Breeders' Cup and French 2,000 Guineas winner Modern Games, who is set to be ridden by Frankie Dettori.
O'Brien, who won last year's Belmont race with Bolshoi Ballet, said: "Stone Age will go to Belmont the following weekend instead.
"It will give him another week and obviously it's against three-year-olds only. We can step up again after that, depending on how that goes."
