Chancellor might be redirected to the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes after his late withdrawal from the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster on Saturday.
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned juvenile, who had already notched two victories on Town Moor, was a strong contender for the Group Two Champagne Stakes. However, he was withdrawn after inadvertently nudging the gate open with his head in the starting stalls and sustaining a cut to his mouth.
Cheveley Park’s managing director, Chris Richardson, reports that the son of Kingman appears to be in good shape despite the "frustrating" incident. The team is now considering alternative options, with a possible run at Newmarket on the horizon.
"Saturday was undoubtedly frustrating, but thankfully he seems to be fine now," Richardson said. "Rab (Robert Havlin, the jockey) mentioned that he was calm in the stalls until another horse kicked out, which led him to believe it was time to start. It was just one of those odd, unforeseen events, but we’ll move forward."
"We’ll assess his condition, but we’re contemplating the Royal Lodge – a Group Two race over a mile. He also has a few promising entries later in the year, including the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, which is also over a mile."
"We’d like to get a race in before then, so the Royal Lodge or a similar race could be a good opportunity."