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| Staff Writer |
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Royal Ascot victor King Of Steel will not be participating in the upcoming Juddmonte International at York. Instead, the colt, owned by Amo Racing, will be heading to Leopardstown for the prestigious Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes.
Initially considered an 8-1 fourth favorite for the Gr.1 race, trainer Roger Varian has decided to give the talented 3YO more time off the track.
He said, "We’re happy to give King Of Steel a bit more time and he’s likely to miss York and go to Leopardstown for the Irish Champion Stakes next month. We won’t know until we run him but you can make a case that he might be a better horse back at ten furlongs."
King Of Steel, the son of Wootton Bassett, had an impressive performance in the King Edward VII Stakes at the royal meeting, finishing first. In his last race, he finished third in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Varian added, "He ran a great race in the King George – it was a real stamina test at the trip as the race was run in tiring ground."
This decision marks Varian's first-ever runner in the Gr.1 Irish Champion Stakes since Roaring Lion's victory in 2018.
He said, "King Of Steel is in great health and has come out of the race in good shape, but my gut instinct was to go to Ireland after the King George and that’s what we intend to do."