Town Moor probable target for Kinross after missing York

Ground conditions on the Knavesmire were deemed too quick.

Doncaster’s Park Stakes is the most likely next port of call for Kinross after connections made the difficult decision to sidestep a hat-trick bid at York last weekend.

Ralph Beckett’s stable stalwart was in line to secure a third successive victory in the Group Two City of York Stakes, but was withdrawn on Saturday morning on account of unsuitable ground.

Now a seven-year-old, the dual Group One winner has yet to add to his tally of 10 career victories after three starts so far this season, most recently taking third when bidding for a third victory in the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood last month.

Owner Marc Chan is unsurprisingly keen to take a cautious approach with his pride and joy and while he holds an entry in the Sprint Cup at Haydock on September 7, Doncaster’s seven-furlong Group Two the following Saturday – a race he won under Frankie Dettori in 2022 – is currently the favoured option.

“That (ground) was the entire reason he didn’t run at York, there was nothing else,” said Chan’s racing manager Jamie McCalmont.

“It was frustrating not to be able to run, but Marc is very keen not to run him on extremes of ground and as I’ve said before, we’ve got an older horse here that owes us nothing.

“It was very tempting to run on Saturday, believe me, but you only had to look at the times to see how quick the ground was.

“He just wants good ground, that’s all, and as Ralph said on Monday Morning at least we’ve still got a horse we can race. If he’d run on Saturday, finished fourth or fifth and got jarred up, we might have been saying ‘listen guys, that’s it’.

“The race at Doncaster he won two years ago is probably where’ll he go. It would be nice to run in a spot next time where it’s the right trip, it’s the right ground, the horse is in the best form and where you can’t make any excuses.”

Kinross winning the 2023 City of York Stakes under Frankie Dettori
Kinross winning the 2023 City of York Stakes under Frankie Dettori (Mike Egerton/PA)

McCalmont sees no reason why Kinross will not race on beyond this season if his desire remains intact.

He added: “Every race at this point is a bonus for us. If you saw him in the paddock at Goodwood last time, he was pulling the arms out of the girl leading him round and the enthusiasm to race is still there, which is important.

“If that enthusiasm is there, there’s no reason why he can’t run next year. If the horse is fit and sound and well we’ll keep going, believe me.

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