Lavery sets out Park Stakes aim for New Energy

Doncaster next on the agenda after Deauville disappointment.

Sheila Lavery’s New Energy is pencilled in for Doncaster’s Park Stakes after disappointing in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville.

The New Bay colt was previously a one-and-three-quarter-length runner-up in the Irish Guineas in May and was then beaten three lengths when eighth in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

At Deauville he started as a 14-1 chance under Robbie Colgan, but ran towards the rear of the field throughout and was never able to throw down a challenge when finishing seventh behind Aidan O’Brien’s Tenebrism.

Lavery felt the run was an underperformance and noted that the chestnut had overheated before the race and became unsettled after loading into the stalls.

“He ran very disappointingly. I think he boiled over before the start, we’re not really quite sure what got to him,” she said.

“We’ll give him some time, I don’t know if France came too quick after Ascot. He just sweated up badly and he got upset in the stalls.”

The trainer will now give the horse a short break before he is prepared for the Park Stakes, a Group Two contest run during Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.

“We’re just letting him down a little bit, then his next target will be the Park Stakes at Doncaster,” she said.

“We’ve just backed off him slightly, he’ll have a little break and then go to Doncaster hopefully.

“He’s really well, he travelled back from France better than he travelled back from Ascot, he ate and drank the whole way.

“He’s looking great and he’s fresh, I’m delighted with him and he’ll just benefit from us backing off him.”

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