Royal Ascot reappearance on the agenda for Glass Slippers

Breeders’ Cup heroine will have options at showpiece meeting.

Kevin Ryan’s Glass Slippers will head directly to Royal Ascot in June after connections opted to miss this weekend’s Temple Stakes at Haydock.

The mare enjoyed a successful four-year-old campaign last season, culminating with victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland in November – the first European-trained runner to win that race.

A prior win in the Group One Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes qualified the bay for the latter race, a run that was bookended by second-placed performances in both the King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood and Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp.

Saturday’s Temple Stakes had been suggested for the five-year-old’s seasonal debut, but Ryan has confirmed she will be seen next at Royal Ascot.

“We’re skipping the Temple Stakes,” he said.

“We’ll go straight to Ascot, or at least that’s the plan.”

Glass Slippers is entered in both the King’s Stand, a race she finished fifth in when beginning her season last year, and also holds an entry for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes over six furlongs.

“She’s in both races and we’ll decide a bit closer to the time which to go for,” her trainer said.

The mare is eligible to defend her Breeders’ Cup crown in November as the only age restriction on the race is that entrants must be over three years old, but Ryan will focus on her early campaign before planning another trip to the States.

“We’ll worry about that (the Breeders’ Cup) when we get to the end of the year,” he said.

“We’ll think about her targets in Europe first, but she’s in great nick at home.”

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