Godolphin's G1 Investec Derby hero Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) will miss the remainder of the season due to injury, but will return to the races as a 4-year-old. The chestnut was ruled out of the G1 Coral-Eclipse S. on the eve of the race with a leg injury and investigations have been ongoing ever since. Veterinary advice is for the colt to have two months of rest and trainer Charlie Appleby feels it would be too much of a rush to bring him back for autumn targets.
“We re-scanned him yesterday [Saturday] evening and after discussions with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed he was keen to see him stay in training, so we felt to give him the best chance next year we would give him the rest of this season off,” said Appleby. “He's going to miss eight weeks now anyway and you can't get a lead into championship race, i.e the Arc, by missing this much time so if we wanted him to run as a 4-year-old we felt he would have the best opportunity by giving him the rest of the season off. He's a substantial colt anyway, there's a chance there's more to come and going into his 4-year-old season he takes the best mile-and-a-half form.”
The 2017 G3 Solario S. hero, third in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in early May, also won the G3 Craven S. there in April.
He went on, “After the [G1] Irish Derby, some were crabbing the Epsom form, but since the Eclipse and Kew Gardens (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) winning the [G1] Grand Prix de Paris last night, it looks an awful lot better. The two races of interest are the Champion S. and the Arc, but it would be a push to get to those races and we've decided to do what is best for the horse and give him all the time he needs. The races we'll be looking at next year are the Coronation Cup, the King George and the Arc.”
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