Intilaaq Done For The Year

Sheikh Hamdan’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Intilaaq (Dynaformer), winner of the G3 Betfred Rose Of Lancaster S. Aug. 8, will be put away for the winter and will have Group 1 aims next year as a 4-year-old, according to trainer Roger Varian. The bay was removed from Saturday’s G1 Qipco Champion S. at Tuesday’s declaration stage.

“We gave him a racecourse gallop at Newmarket on Saturday and he didn’t gallop badly by any stretch of the imagination, but he didn’t quite fire in his work like he has been doing and like we know he can do when he’s 100%,” said Varian. “We’re pretty sure he’s a Group 1 horse, but to run in these Group 1 races you’ve got to be 100%. “Paul [Hanagan] rode him in his work and when he got off he said he’d felt this horse better. He’s a lovely horse and we don’t need to run him if he’s not quite cherry ripe. That’s what we collectively felt, so he’ll be finished for the year now and we’re very much looking forward to the bigger races with him next year.”

Intilaaq earned Rising Star status when breaking his maiden by eight lengths at Newbury in April, and after flopping when 15th in the G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas next out rebounded to take the Listed Steventon S. in July and the Rose Of Lancaster.