Irish Rookie (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), the 3/4-length runner-up in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches May 10, may bypass Sunday's G1 Prix de Diane and instead be supplemented for next Friday's G1 Coronation S. over a mile at Royal Ascot.
Newmarket-based trainer Martyn Meade told At The Races he may prefer to stick to a mile with his charge, and he also revealed Irish Rookie had a small setback in training and could find the extra few days into the Coronation beneficial.
“The campaign I organized for her was to run her in the Guineas and then go on to the Prix de Diane over a mile and two and step her up and see how we go from there,” Meade said. “The plan was to go back to France, but we worked her on Friday and Fergus [Sweeney], who was on her and had been riding her in at work, said the penny has dropped with her all of a sudden. In the early days it took her just a little bit of time to get into her stride when you asked her. Now at the slightest squeeze she absolutely jumps and goes. We are thinking, really should we be leaving a mile behind at this stage when she's done nothing wrong at that trip?”
Meade added, “Plus, the fact she had a little stone bruise after that bit of work, so I've just had to hold off a couple of days, and I'm just wondering the French race might come a little bit soon.”
Meade said he expects the conditions of the Coronation to suit Irish Rookie.
“Our alternative is to go for the Coronation S., which I think would work out well in terms of the track; the fact that it's not a straight mile, it's got a bend. It will be run in the British way rather than the French way, which will maybe help us.”
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