O’Meara mulling QEII date for Lord Glitters

Ascot option open for popular grey.

David O’Meara is considering returning Lord Glitters to the scene of his greatest triumph, in next month’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

The evergreen seven-year-old has been out of luck since claiming last year’s Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, but he has run a number of solid races in defeat – including when finding only Addeybb too strong in the Listed Doonside Cup at Ayr on Saturday.

O’Meara was satisfied with that effort and hopes Lord Glitters’ previous good form at Ascot would be a plus if he were to return to Group One company there.

O’Meara said: “It was a good run by Lord Glitters at Ayr, and I was happy. I thought for a moment we were going to get there, but Addeybb just got first run on us.

“Where we go next, I’m not completely sure. He is in the QEII, and we could go there.

“Palace Pier will be very hard to beat, but Lord Glitters loves it there and he could pick up the pieces.”

Lord Glitters has run over further than a mile on each of his last three starts, but O’Meara believes dropping back to that trip would be no issue.

He added: “He has been running over further lately, but he would be fine going back to a mile.

“He won the Strensall Stakes at York a couple of years ago, and we then dropped him back to a mile, and he was fine.”

Summerghand could make his next appearance in the Group Three John Guest Bengough Stakes at Ascot (Dan Abraham/PA)
Summerghand could make his next appearance in the Group Three John Guest Bengough Stakes at Ascot (Dan Abraham/PA)

O’Meara may send his Stewards’ Cup hero Summerghand to Ascot on Saturday week for the Group Three John Guest Bengough Stakes.

The Lope De Vega gelding was last seen finishing down the field on his Group One debut in the Sprint Cup at Haydock earlier this month.

O’Meara added: “It was a big step up from Newmarket to the Sprint Cup at Haydock, but I thought he ran OK.

“He is in a Group Three in Ireland on Saturday, but he might go to Ascot for the Bengough Stakes. We will keep an open mind.”

Eagles By Day, left, is likely to be put away for the remainder of the campaign (Dan Abraham/PA)
Eagles By Day, left, is likely to be put away for the remainder of the campaign (Dan Abraham/PA)

There will be no trip to Australia for the Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 3 for Eagles By Day, with O’Meara considering drawing stumps for the season with the son of Sea The Stars.

He added: “Eagles By Day will probably have a break now for the rest of the year. I liked his run the first day for us at York (won the John Smith’s Silver Cup), then I thought he ran well enough in the Goodwood Cup.

“I’m not sure he totally stayed the trip in his next two starts, in the Lonsdale Cup and Doncaster Cup. We might just come back a little bit in trip with him next year.”

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