Connections of Slipofthepen have decided against pitching the twice-raced colt into Classic action this weekend and will instead work back from an appearance at Royal Ascot.
The chestnut son of Night Of Thunder, trained by John and Thady Gosden in the colours of the King and the Queen Consort, was on Monday taken out of the QIPCO 2000 Guineas on the ruling monarch’s Coronation Day this Saturday, and may now be rerouted to the French Guineas instead.
Slipofthepen enjoyed a racecourse gallop on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket's Craven meeting last week, but connections have decided to take a more patient approach rather than go for Guineas glory.
Speaking on Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast, the King’s racing manager John Warren said: “I think we were all hoping for that to be the case (that Slipofthepen would run in the 2000 Guineas), especially because it would have been both the King and the Queen Consort’s first Classic runner.
“But I think once we pieced all the jigsaw together and really analysed his prospects, I think we thought it’s come a little bit too soon. He’s an inexperienced horse who is only just learning how to use his legs as fast as he needs to.
“He’s won two races on the all-weather impressively and John Gosden thinks he’s up to becoming a high-class performer, (but) when we added it all together we felt it would be kinder to the horse to give him a little bit more experience.”
Whether Slipofthepen heads for ParisLongchamp or not, his main target is to run in front of his owners in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.
Warren added: “He’ll do some important racecourse gallops and because he’s held in high regard, there’s a possibility that we will not discount looking at the French Guineas.
“It’s early days to be firm on the plan, but here we are two weeks out from that and that’s what we’re looking at, and if we don’t make it there is the Heron Stakes at Sandown a few days later with the objective that all roads lead to Ascot, which would be great.
“We’re hoping the King and the Queen Consort will be able to attend racing that week, so it would be tremendous to give them a few runners.”
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