Lone Eagle enters King George reckoning

Meade chooses Ascot showpiece next for his Irish Derby runner-up.

Lone Eagle is set to take on the cream of all-aged top middle-distance performers in this month’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes, after connections ruled out a trip to France.

Trainer Martyn Meade has decided to wait for Ascot’s mile-and-a-half showpiece and not take his Irish Derby runner-up to France for the Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp on Wednesday.

“He’s going for the King George. Everything’s been perfect since the Irish Derby,” said Meade.

“Obviously it’s a huge ask going there. It was a toss-up of going there or to France, and we decided we’d stay on home territory and take on the big guns at Ascot.”

Meade is making plans too for his unbeaten juvenile Detail, having bypassed the July Stakes at Newmarket.

The Wiltshire trainer felt that Group Two came too soon – but he rates the son of Dabirsim quite highly following his eye-catching debut win at Newmarket win last month.

Detail overcame a slow start and greenness to get the better of Maybury by a neck, and Meade is considering a Listed contest over six furlongs next.

“I was thinking of running him in the July Stakes on Thursday but I didn’t because I thought maybe it was a step too far for him at this stage,” said the Manton handler.

“We’ll try to find a Listed race for him somewhere and run him back quite quickly. It didn’t take a lot out of him.

“He was quite impressive on the basis he fell out of the stalls, and you would have written him off. He’s still quite green, so I think that will bring him on, and he’s a nice prospect.”

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