Saffron Beach ruled out of Breeders’ Cup bid

Unsatisfactory blood tests scupper American adventure.

Jane Chapple-Hyam has ruled Saffron Beach out of the Breeders’ Cup after being unhappy with her blood test results.

The four-year-old gave the Newmarket handler her first Group One success, winning the Sun Chariot Stakes last autumn and followed up with a second top-level victory in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville in August.

Runner-up to Pearls Galore in the Matron at Leopardstown last month, hopes were high she could win the Sun Chariot for a second successive year, but she ran flat behind Fonteyn and subsequently scoped dirty.

Owned by Ben and Lucy Sangster and their son Ollie – who is soon to join the training ranks – in conjunction with James Wigan, the four-year-old mare recovered sufficiently to be given the green light to run in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland next weekend.

However, despite working well, connections felt her bloods showed she was not fully ready to make the trip to America.

Chapple-Hyam explained: “I drew blood on Wednesday to look at her profile and it wasn’t good, so we started her on a course of antibiotics and we looked at the profile again on Thursday.

“Even though it had improved, it is not in the right zone to be putting her on an aircraft and potentially giving a bug to everyone else and perhaps getting travel sickness.

“We couldn’t take the risk for the welfare of her and all the others on the aircraft, so we decided not to go.”

Saffron Beach, an impressive winner of the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and who is set to become a valuable broodmare, has been given an entry in the Hong Kong Mile, where she could potentially run for new owners.

Saffron Beach was a comfortable Royal Ascot winner
Saffron Beach was a comfortable Royal Ascot winner (David Davies/PA)

“She has an entry in the Tattersalls December Mares’ Sale and if the lucky purchaser would like to run her in the Hong Kong Mile, if she is fit and well, she has been invited to that race and I have accepted,” Chapple-Hyam added.

“It is disappointing not to run in the Breeders’ Cup, but that is horse racing. We take the good and the bad.

“We have been very lucky to win two Group Ones with her and, who knows, the new owner may want to run her in Hong Kong.”

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