Fox Vardy misses Chester Cup outing

Keith Hamer
May 3, 2021 5:15 pm

Meade runner ruled out of Friday feature.

Fox Vardy has been ruled out of the tote+ Chester Cup on the Roodee on Friday.

Trainer Martyn Meade has revealed the son of Frankel is not quite right and will therefore miss the valuable long-distance handicap.

“He’s not going to go, I’m afraid. He’s just not 100 per cent. It’s nothing serious,” said the Manton handler.

The five-year-old, owned by King Power Racing, was a 16-1 chance for the extended two-and-a-quarter-mile showpiece.

Meade is to drop Statement back down to seven furlongs after she failed to run up to expectations in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday.

The Lawman filly was sent off the 7-1 third favourite behind joint market leaders Alcohol Free and Santa Barbara, but she faded out of contention after making plenty of the running.

Meade feels the race may have come too soon after she was a close second in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury two weeks earlier.

“It was obviously disappointing, but it came a bit soon for her really,” he said.

“She’s a horse that likes to have a good time between her races and that came too quick for her and she ran too free. Her chances completely evaporated then.

“We might drop her back to seven furlongs – that was the other thing, if she really stayed. I think it was a combination of both those things.

“We’ve nothing definite for her. It’s early days, but we won’t run her for a bit.”