King Of Steel was delivered to victory in Saturday's Qipco Champion Stakes by Frankie Dettori with his final ride at Ascot; Roger Varian's star could now be aimed at the Breeders' Cup Turf; watch the Breeders' Cup all live on Sky Sports Racing on November 3-4
Monday 23 October 2023 12:40, UK
Connections will take a watching brief before deciding whether King Of Steel will bid to follow up his Qipco Champion Stakes success with Breeders' Cup glory.
The Roger Varian-trained three-year-old, owned by Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing, is among the leading fancies for the Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita on November 4, but must first show he has recovered well enough from his Ascot exertions.
Varian told Sky Sports Racing: "We're very pleased with him, he's come out of the race sound and clean-limbed. He's taken it very well which is all we can ask at this stage.
"We're only 48 hours on from Ascot and there's a lot to consider and talk about before a decision is made later this week.
"If we're happy with the horse, I think Kia will be keen to go to the Breeders' Cup but we can't answer that question at the moment.
"We'll weigh it up over the next few days but there's no science to it - we'll just feel one way or the other.
"He'll get back to cantering from tomorrow (Tuesday) and then we'll see what sort of vibe he's giving us.
"I'd say it's likely he'd run in the Turf race if he went to the Breeders' Cup."
Whether or not King Of Steel makes it to the USA, Varian is already excited about what he can do next year as a four-year-old.
Varian said: "He's not run a bad race all year and that's why there was so much elation at Ascot, seeing him get over the line and get his Group One. Hopefully it's not the last one he'll win.
"It was very important he won one as a three-year-old and he's a horse we can all look forward to next year. There's no reason to think he can't get better!
"We'll have to see how he develops but he's a big horse and I'm sure he's not reached full maturity yet."
