Lucarno latest Eclipse doubt

/ Editor / 04 July 2007 / Leave a Comment

Lucarno could be latest casualty from Saturday's Eclipse after trainer John Gosden revealed the colt may take in a race in France as his next assignment.

The three-year-old who has put in two creditable performances this season in the Epsom Derby and the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot has been left in the 1m 2f contest at the latest declaration stage but the Newmarket trainer is also eyeing the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp on Saturday week.

"I did the obvious thing. With these races you know it's not going to be a field with massive depth to it in terms of numbers. I left him in just to keep an eye on it," he said.

"The more likely race for him, if we are going to run in July, would be the Grand Prix de Paris on the 14th, the Group One for three-year-olds over a mile and a half at Longchamp.

"We will have a good look at that but I've just left in the Eclipse in case there was a reason to consider declaring.

"He's in good form and came out of the rather slowly-run King Edward VII well.

"He ran a nice race in the Derby for an inexperienced horse and he's progressive.

"He doesn't have to run in the Eclipse or necessarily in the Grand Prix de Paris but that would be a target at the moment," Gosden told At The Races.

Lucano is currently trading at 36 for success on Saturday in a market still dominated by Authorized on 1.49. Doubts about the participation of George Washington saw his price drift out to 16 but he can now be traded at a best price of 9.8.