Epsom an option for classy Sumbal

Connections of easy Prix Greffulhe winner Sumbal have not completely ruled out supplementing the unbeaten colt for the Ivestec Derby after his stroll to victory at Saint-Cloud.

If the ground was to come up soft in the days leading up to the Epsom Classic then the Francis Graffard-trained three-year-old could still be involved on the Downs, despite needing to be added to the line-up.

However, his task in the Group Two Greffulhe, which has produced a winner of the Derby and the French equivalent in recent years, was made much easier after the red-hot favourite Epicuris, who holds an Epsom entry, began to act up in the paddock and refused to enter the stalls.

The colt now needs to pass a stalls test before he is allowed to run again, which could be as soon as Sunday in the Prix Hocquart at Longchamp.

The defection of Epicuris left only three runners and Sumbal's jockey Andrea Atzeni was happy to take a lead from Kouros Jelois, who set just a steady pace.

Untold Secret briefly threatened to make a race of it, but Sumbal, who was supplemented for the Greffulhe, quickened impressively in the soft ground and maintained his unbeaten record for Graffard and owners Qatar Racing.

"All options are still open for him," said David Redvers, racing manager for Sheikh Fahad's Qatar Racing operation.

"Obviously we were delighted with the performance, but we will have a think and then make a decision.

"He's ground dependent so if the going is on the easy side at Epsom then we will consider supplementing him.

"Longer term, I would say the Grand Prix de Paris (Longchamp) looks the race for him.

"Andrea got off him and said, 'I don't know what they are calling the ground but it felt good on him'. He even said that Sheikh Fahad could have won on him!"