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| Sumita Pawar |
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Marco Botti has set his sights on a comeback at York for Giavellotto, following the horse's fifth-place finish in the Goodwood Cup last week.
After narrowly winning the Yorkshire Cup at Knavesmire in May, the 4YO chose to skip the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and instead focus on the latter part of the season.
Giavellotto returned to action on the Sussex Downs and although he couldn't catch the frontrunner Quickthorn, he finished just half a length behind in a tightly contested race for the minor positions.
While Botti was frustrated with the way the Group One race was run, as Quickthorn built a significant lead that the chasing pack couldn't close, he was pleased with his star stayer's performance.
He said, “It was a funny race to watch, obviously. The winner is a good horse and with that margin of a lead he was never going to be caught.
“I thought our horse ran his race and ran well, it’s just a shame we were beaten a short head, a short head and a neck for second. To finish fifth just leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth.
“How the race was run was a bit disappointing, but credit to the winner. He’s a good horse and he has done that before, which is why I was surprised they let him take a big advantage.
“I think our horse he proved he’s up to that level and probably the ground was a little bit on the slow side for him – he’d definitely prefer better ground.”
Giavellotto's Dual Race Challenge
Giavellotto has been registered for two upcoming races. One is the two-mile Lonsdale Cup, which will take place at York on August 25. The other is the Irish St Leger, a race covering a distance of a mile and three-quarters, scheduled to be held at the Curragh on September 10.
Although Giavellotto's trainer, Botti, believes that the shorter distance might be more suitable for his horse, he is currently leaning towards entering Giavellotto in the Lonsdale Cup. This decision is based on the higher probability of favorable track conditions being present during that race.
“I think we have to say two miles is not an issue, but his optimum trip is probably a mile and six furlongs,” he added.
“He stays (two miles), he relaxes well and he enjoys the track at York, so we’ll see how he comes out and works in the next 10 days, but York has to be considered.
“The worry with the Irish St Leger would be if the ground went quite soft or heavy as that is not what he wants. I’m sure in terms of giving him a bit more time it wouldn’t be against him, but I don’t think I would run him on very testing ground.
“At the moment we’re waiting to see how he is, but we’re planning to go to York.”