RACING: The unbeaten 2,000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand has been ruled out of next week's Royal Ascot at York meeting but his trainer Aidan O'Brien hasn't ruled out Ad Valorem from filling the gap in the St James's Palace Stakes.
Also unbeaten from three starts, including the Middle Park Stakes, Ad Valorem hasn't run yet as a three-year-old but Ireland's top juvenile of 2004 was one of three Ballydoyle horses left in the St James's Palace at yesterday's forfeit stage along with the Derby failures Oratorio and Grand Central.
A total of 13 were left in the Day One highlight on Tuesday but Footstepsinthesand was conspicuous by his absence. The foot problem that prevented him from running in the Irish 2,000 Guineas last month has ruled him out of another Group One prize.
"He had been working towards Ascot and he worked nicely this morning. But afterwards his foot was just not right and he was a little sore," reported O'Brien. "It's only a niggling problem, nothing serious, but we decided to take him out because if we left him in we would have been only trying to get him there in time."
Races like the Sussex Stakes and the Prix Jacques Le Marois could now be on the agenda of Footstepsinthesand and O'Brien indicated yesterday that Ad Valorem, who has yet to race beyond six furlongs, is likely to be run over a mile when he does kick off his three-year-old career.
The Danzig colt has a number of entries next week including the Jubilee Stakes over six furlongs. However, his trainer said: "We have been getting him ready for this stage of the season but we will have to see if he is ready for a run. I would imagine we will give him a chance at a mile if he does go."
Another Ballydoyle star with options at a mile and sprint distances is Airwave, who is one of two O'Brien horses, along with Antonius Pius, left in the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday.
It's not certain that Airwave will take on the hot favourite Rakti, however, and O'Brien said: "Obviously she got the mile at the Curragh on her last start but that was in that sort of company. She is in the Jubilee Stakes as well."
The Ballydoyle trainer said he is unlikely to be heavily represented in the big two-year-old prizes next week but he did report that the horses who ran in last weekend's Derby races have all emerged unscathed.
Gypsy King did best of the O'Brien quartet at Epsom but plans for his next race have not been decided. "Going to the Derby he had only had one real race so it was understandable that he was very green," O'Brien reported.
Jump action dominates the action between Navan and Wexford this evening but the mile-and-five maiden on the level at the latter track could provide the best bet of the night in Kinger Rocks.
Dermot Weld's mare was a 10-length bumper winner on her last start but comes up against a different kind of opponent here, particularly the John Oxx newcomer Kastoria.
It's significant that the Aga Khan horse is still in training at four but a forecast of "good to firm" ground may not be ideal for a daughter of Selkirk. In contrast Kinger Rocks goes on all types of going and has a clear edge on experience.
Pat Smullen also looks to have a good chance in the following mile-and-five handicap with Noend who ran well at the Curragh previously and who was a winner at Clonmel on fast ground before that.
Another jockey to follow at Wexford should be Davy Russell, who teams up with the Charles Byrnes pair Articulation in the novice hurdle and Alota Baby for the Beginners Chase.
Ruby Walsh will the man for many at Navan. He teams up with the 141-rated Rosaker in the conditions hurdle but another Noel Meade runner King Of Foxrock looks a better value option in the second division of the maiden hurdle. Original Copy could be another for the champion jockey in the handicap hurdle while Khairambar's form behind Euro Leader and in front of Man About Town looks good enough for the novice chase.
