Task Force`s connections are eager to give him time to recover after his 2000 Guineas efforts since they believe their charge will have much to offer later in the year.
Under the guidance of Ralph Beckett, the elegantly bred son of Frankel made his way to Newmarket for the first Classic of the season following a strong campaign at two years old that culminated in a second-place finish behind Vandeek in the Middle Park Stakes in the autumn.
Sent off a 16-1 bet on his Rowley Mile comeback, Task Force finished seventh out of 11 colts to go to post, trailing the stunning winner Notable Speech by just under seven lengths.
After exerting significant pressure to get the lightly-raced three-year-old into the stalls in perfect order, the connections are eager to wait and let him become stronger before choosing his next assignment.
“We were disappointed not to win, but we were happy and Rossa (Ryan) felt he was still a little on the weak side,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte. “He’s a May foal and he only turned three a day or two before the Guineas, so we felt he was a little on the weak side and will improve as the season goes on and he gets stronger. We will just give him a little chance now. We trained him hard to get him to the Guineas, so we will give him a chance and let him strengthen and then pick our target in a month or six weeks’ time.”
He went on: “It was a big task to get him to the Guineas first time up – you have to train them hard enough – and it is for some and not for others. As we saw with the favourite and a few others who may not have run their race, they are no doubt still very good horses and will come back to themselves later in the year.”