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Royal Ascot winner Claymore could make a much-anticipated return in two weeks’ time at the traditional London race night at Sandown Park with the colt being aimed at the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes.
Royal Ascot winner Claymore could make a much-anticipated return in two weeks' time at the traditional London race night at Sandown Park with the colt being aimed at the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes.
The Jane Chapple-Hyam-trained four-year-old had one start at two when a convincing four length winner of a 7f novice event at Newmarket on soft ground when My Prospero, who went on to place in a pair of Group 1 events at Ascot last year.
The son of New Bay confirmed the promise when an excellent runner-up in the Group 3 Craven Stakes behind Native Trail before struggling in the French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp a month later. He bounced back on his next start winning the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot.
His mixed efforts continued at his final start of the season finishing fourth of five contesting the Group 2 York Stakes over 1m 2f in July.
The four-year-old is now being targeted to make his comeback in the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown Park on Thursday May 25, with the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe a possible longer-term target.
The Sandown Group 3 later this month will also potentially see the return to the track of last year's Derby winner Desert Crown.
Chapple-Hyam said: "Claymore is going for the Brigadier Gerard. He just got very jarred up at York.
"We got him ready to run at the Arc meeting and then it went bog-soft everywhere. It went from one extreme to the other, so we decided to pull the pin and have a lovely four-year-old for this year.
"We will see what we do in the Brigadier Gerard, but he is in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot and I don't know, is he a 50-1 shot for the Arc?
"The entries were on Tuesday and we've put him in – there's no harm. You just don't know if he'll make the cut, but better to be there than having to supplement."