Crystal Black’s future could contain Ebor tilt

Six-year-old gave connections an unforgettable experience at Royal Ascot.

The Sky Bet Ebor is among the potential options for consideration by the Crystal Black team, following his “once in a lifetime” victory at Royal Ascot last week.

The six-year-old lined up in Friday’s Duke of Edinburgh Stakes chasing a fourth consecutive victory for trainer Gerard Keane, with his son and four-time champion jockey Colin in the saddle.

An impressive victory not only sealed a popular family success but also sparked scenes of wild celebration in the Ascot winner’s enclosure – and Keane senior admits he is still coming back down to earth almost a week on.

“It was great to get it, it was just unbelievable,” he said.

“We had a good party in the lads’ hotel that night and they came down here to the local pub last Sunday and we had another good party, so we’ve had a good time of it! It’s a once in a lifetime job probably.

“The horse came out of the race well, he came home that night and he’s in great nick. We won’t put a saddle on him until next Monday.”

Having seen his stable star successfully step up to a mile and a half in Berkshire, Keane does not view a further hike in trip for the GBP 500,000 Ebor over a mile and three-quarters as a major concern, should connections opt for a trip to the Knavesmire in late August.

Crystal Black and Colin Keane in full flight at Royal Ascot
Crystal Black and Colin Keane in full flight at Royal Ascot (David Davies/PA)

He added: “We haven’t really (made any plans), he’ll probably get an entry in the Ebor. He’s gone up 8lb to a mark of 111, so he’ll probably get an entry in the Ebor and we’ll see.

“You’d say he’s more or less finished in handicaps now, although you might have to take a chance in one for a big pot, like the Ebor, otherwise you’re probably looking at a Listed race or a Group Three.

“The other thing is there’s a good bit of interest in him from Australia, so we’ll have to talk about those things.

“The trip wasn’t a problem (at Ascot), the ground was our biggest fear because he’s a big horse at about 17 hands. I wouldn’t want to run him on quick ground all the time, but he went well on it the other day and Colin was very happy with him.”

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