The QE II

[my miss storm cat]

I hope they'll be okay.....


Godolphin pair reported lame after QEII defeats
by Rodney Masters and Tony O'Hehir

GODOLPHIN duo Librettist (pic) and Proclamation were both lame on Sunday after sustaining defeats in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes that left their stable with virtually no chance of finishing the season in Europe with a UK Group 1 victory.

Future plans for themilers were on hold but racing manager Simon Crisford acknowledged that the stable was unlikely to field a candidate in the campaign’s two remaining Group 1 events for three-year-olds and up, the Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes and Emirates AirlineChampion Stakes.

Librettist, who had won two Group 1 races coming into Saturday’s race, finished a disappointing sixth and Proclamation, who was also expected to play a prominent part in the outcome of the race, only a place ahead of his stablemate. Crisford said: “Both horses are lame in front so it is a question of monitoring their progress in the next few days. Everything is on hold. Proclamation was disappointing and never looked like he had any finishing kick in him. Librettist didn’trun anything like as well as he can run.”

Godolphin horses have won four Group 1 prizes in Europe but unless a contender emerges for one of the remaining two-year-old prizes, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes was probably the team’s last throw of the diceat that level in Britain.

Crisford added: “I don’t think we will have anything in the Champion Stakes or the Sun Chariot Stakes.”

The Ed Dunlop-trained Court Masterpiece, who finished third behind George Washington, has run his last race in Britainand will have two races in Japan before standing at a stud in the Far East.