8 hours ago
Aidan O'Brien rules another star out of Royal Ascot in latest blow to plans
Lake Victoria, the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner, will not make the Coronation Stakes next week following an announcement by Coolmore
Aidan O'Brien has ruled another of his stars out of the Royal Ascot meeting. O'Brien enjoyed a stellar Derby Festival, sweeping the board in the Epsom Group 1 races by winning the Coronation Cup with Jan Brueghel, Oaks with Minnie Hauk and Betfred Derby with Lambourn.
He is expected to carry that momentum through to next week's five day Royal Ascot meeting for which he will inevitably have a host of live candidates. Yet long range plans have had to adjusted lately following the retirement of champion stayer Kyprios and a training setback suffered by one of his leading two-year-olds Albert Einstein.
On Monday another star was scratched from the prestigious fixture when champion filly Lake Victoria was ruled out of the Coronation Stakes.
Lake Victoria won all five starts last year, culminating in success at the Breeders' Cup, but finished sixth in the 1,000 Guineas. She redeemed herself with victory in the Irish 1,000 Guineas from which she was expected to progress to the royal meeting.
However Coolmore announced on Monday, 'Lake Victoria will not run at Royal Ascot. She will have an easy few weeks and will return for a late summer/autumn campaign.'
The statement did not divulge whether the filly had suffered any training setback but did reveal plans for Minnie Hauk and Whirl, who finished first and second at Epsom.
'Epsom Oaks winner Minnie Hauk will target the Irish Oaks, while Whirl, who finished runner-up in the Epsom Oaks, will head for the Gr.1 Pretty Polly Stakes.'
Lake Victoria had been odds-on favourite for the Coronation Stakes and following her defection bookmakers slashed the price of French filly Zarigana, controversial winner of the French 1,000 Guineas. She was cut to 10-11 from 11-4 by Ladbrokes while another O'Brien filly Exactly is 6-1 from 12-1.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "Lake Victoria's Ascot omission has shaken up the Coronation Stakes betting, and then some.
'Zarigana now holds this year's odds-on tag, while Exactly and Shes Perfect are now firmly in the mix as genuine frontrunners to cause a royal upset next week."
