James Fanshawe reports that Ambiente Friendly is "nice and bright" a week after his lacklustre performance in the Juddmonte International.
The colt, who had previously finished second in the Derby at Epsom and third in the Irish Derby, was expected to challenge City Of Troy again over a mile and a quarter at York. However, while City Of Troy set a course record with a dominant win, Ambiente Friendly struggled, pulling hard and eventually finishing a distant 10th out of 13 runners.
Fanshawe noted that Ambiente Friendly had gotten his tongue over the bit and made a respiratory noise, but the colt has recovered well. "He’s really well, actually. He’s come out of the race in good form and was back doing two canters this morning. He seems bright," Fanshawe said.
Reflecting on the race, Fanshawe acknowledged that Ambiente Friendly was too keen and never settled into the race.
With major entries in the Irish Champion Stakes, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and the Champion Stakes, Fanshawe will discuss the next steps with his owners, the Gredley family. "We have plenty of options, so we'll assess his condition over the next few days and talk to Bill and Tim Gredley about our plans," he added.