2 days ago
Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Lake Victoria to miss Royal Ascot
Aidan O'Brien
will be short odds to be crowned top trainer at Royal Ascot for a 14th time next week but his powerful team for the meeting will not contain Lake Victoria.
The Irish 1,000 Guineas winner was ruled out on Monday and won't be seen in action again until later this season.
It is a blow to the Ballydoyle team as after losing her unbeaten record in the Newmarket Guineas, the 2024 champion juvenile bounced back to form with aplomb at the Curragh and had been a short-priced favourite to follow up in the Coronation Stakes.
In a social media post, her Coolmore ownership, reported: 'Lake Victoria will not run at Royal Ascot. She will have an easy few weeks and will return for a late summer/autumn campaign.'
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It did not specify if the filly has had a problem or not. It comes on the back of last week's announcement from Coolmore that the exciting two-year-old Albert Einstein would miss the Coventry Stakes at Ascot due to a 'sprained joint'.
Bookmaker reaction to Lake Victoria's defection was to install the French 1,000 Guineas winner Zaragina as new favourite, with another O'Brien filly, Exactly, made a 6-1 shot by some firms.
A total of six winners at Royal Ascot in 2024 was enough for O'Brien to be crowned champion trainer for a 13th time and took him to 91 winners in total at the world-famous meeting.
Before Ascot the Irishman could have a shot at more Classic glory this season as he has four fillies left among 18 entries currently featuring in Sunday's Longines Prix De Diane at Chantilly.
O'Brien landed the French Derby with Camille Pissarro at Chantilly earlier this month and he landed the 'Diane' – France's version of the Oaks – with Joan Of Arc four years ago.
His potential runners in the €1 million contest this time include Bedtime Story, sixth to Zarigana in the French 1,000 Guineas last time, and January, who chased home Desert Flower at Group One level last year.
Coolmore also revealed on Monday that Friday's Epsom Oaks heroine Minnie Hauk will bid to follow up in the Curragh equivalent while the runner-up there, Whirl, will contest the Pretty Polly over Irish Derby weekend.
Tuesday's Irish action is in Sligo where Al Arrivee, a half-sister to the dual Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo, is likely to be short odds to score in a bumper. Course and distance form is always a plus at Sligo and both Ilbdare and Cornmarket possess it in handicap hurdles.
