Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) is on the mend from torn muscles sustained in Dubai in March and is on target to defend his title in the G1 Darley July Cup on July 15. The 5-year-old gelding, who also won last year's G1 Prix de la Foret, rounded out his season with a sixth in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. He beat just two home when 10th in the Mar. 25 G1 Al Quoz Sprint in his season opener over ground that was unsuitably soft.
“Limato had his first leg stretch on the grass since he travelled back from Dubai [on Tuesday] morning,” said trainer Henry Candy. “To be honest, he was in a bit of a mess with pulled muscles when we got him back home and it has been a long process putting him back together.”
Candy said the Paul Jacobs silkbearer has a planned appearance in Royal Ascot's G1 Diamond Jubilee S. prior to the July Cup.
“I have just given him plenty of rest and he looks back to his old self now,” the trainer noted. “He did not work with anything at all special yesterday but the manner that he did it, and his general attitude, made me think that he is back in good form. I plan to run him next in the Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot and, unless anything goes wrong, the Darley July Cup is where we will then be heading. I think that he put up a career best when he won the race last year. It's a very important race–any Group 1 is fantastic, but the July Cup is one of the best, if not the best, sprints of the year, and it's a wonderful race to win.”
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