Soccer

Royal Ascot next for Richard Hannon's Lusail

Richard Hannon's Lusail had back luck in running in the 2000 Guineas and will now head straight to Royal Ascot with the St James's Palace Stakes a likely destination.

Lusail has a pretty torrid time in the 2000 Guineas and could have finished higher than sixth for Richard Hannon but the next step is Royal Ascot nevertheless.
The 80/1 shot out-ran his odds in the Guineas and did so in very difficult circumstances, having a troublesome run against the best of his age group.

Indeed, the three-year-old colt got worked up in the stalls, didn't start well and then found himself short of room but still finished a creditable sixth in the Classic at Newmarket.

Before that, the Al Shaqab Racing-owned colt racked up a pair of wins in the July Stakes and the Gimcrack over six furlongs before stepping up to seven furlongs and then a mile in the Guineas.
Trainer Hannon is minded to keep Lusail over a mile with the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot next on the agenda.
"We've put him in the St James's Palace Stakes, the six-furlong race (Commonwealth Cup) and the Jersey Stakes," said Hannon.
"It looked like he definitely got a mile at Newmarket, so you may well see him in the St James's Palace. I thought he ran a super race in the Guineas, I was delighted with him.
"I doubt (he will run again), he'll go straight there and at the moment it's looking like the St James's Palace Stakes."
The Royal Ascot meeting runs from Tuesday, June 14 to Saturday, June 18 at Ascot racecourse in Berkshire, England. The meeting is described as a "spellbinding explosion of the senses, featuring an all-star cast and world-class racing."

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