Beckett sights set on Irish Derby with Westover

Frankel colt had little luck in fine Epsom run.

Ralph Beckett is eyeing Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby compensation for Westover following his luckless run at Epsom on Saturday.

A narrow winner of the Sandown Classic Trial in early April, the Frankel colt endured a trouble passage in the Cazoo Derby before flying home once in the clear to finish third.

Westover was beaten just under three lengths by the impressive winner Desert Crown and was only a head behind the runner-up Hoo Ya Mal, leaving Beckett to wonder what might have been.

“I think perhaps second got away, whether we could justifiably think we’d have won, I think that’s a leap of faith,” the trainer told Sky Sports Racing.

“I’d like to think he would have bustled up the winner certainly, and made the winner work harder for it.”

Beckett said his confidence was dented after Westover was handed stall two in Thursday morning’s live draw and feels it ultimately led to his downfall.

He added: “Up until Thursday at 10.30am I thought we’d got everything right. The draw obviously was a negative, purely statistically. That pricked our balloon slightly at the time and I think with a better draw he wouldn’t have got stuck down on the fence. That’s life, isn’t it?”

The Andover-based trainer reports his Juddmonte-owned stable star to be none the worse for the experience and a trip to Ireland is next on the agenda.

Beckett said: “He pulled out very well this morning and he was kicking the door down when he was fed, so I would imagine he’ll go to the Curragh in three weeks’ time.

“The Irish Derby is the obvious race for him. Rory Mahon, who ran Ferrans Stud for Juddmonte for 40 years, every time he saw me in the last six months he’s said ‘that horse will suit the Curragh you know’. I think he’s right.

“We’ll concentrate on the Curragh first and see what we do after that. I’ll put him in the King George on Tuesday and we’ll see how we go.”

Prosperous Voyage (pink cap) chases Cachet in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket
Prosperous Voyage (pink cap) chases Cachet in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket (Tim Goode/PA)

Beckett also provided an update on 1000 Guineas runner-up Prosperous Voyage, who is bound for the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot following an aborted trip to France last weekend.

He added: “She’ll run in the Coronation. The Highways Agency in their wisdom decided to close the M20 last Friday night with half of Liverpool trying to get to the Champions League final on Saturday morning, so we never actually made it to the gate at Dover and she kept missing ferries.

“I turned her round and came home, otherwise it was going to be a 16 or 18-hour trip for the Prix Saint-Alary.

“She came back in good shape, thank God, and she worked yesterday and worked well.”

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