Saffron Beach ruled out of Breeders’ Cup bid

The four-year-old gave the Newmarket handler her first Group One success, winning the Sun Chariot Stakes last autumn and followed up with a second top-level victory in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville in August.

Runner-up to Pearls Galore in the Matron at Leopardstown last month, hopes were high she could win the Sun Chariot for a second successive year, but she ran flat behind Fonteyn and subsequently scoped dirty.

Owned by Ben and Lucy Sangster and their son Ollie – who is soon to join the training ranks – in conjunction with James Wigan, the four-year-old mare recovered sufficiently to be given the green light to run in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland next weekend.

However, despite working well, connections felt her bloods showed she was not fully ready to make the trip to America.

Chapple-Hyam explained: “I drew blood on Wednesday to look at her profile and it wasn’t good, so we started her on a course of antibiotics and we looked at the profile again on Thursday.

“Even though it had improved, it is not in the right zone to be putting her on an aircraft and potentially giving a bug to everyone else and perhaps getting travel sickness.

“We couldn’t take the risk for the welfare of her and all the others on the aircraft, so we decided not to go.”

Saffron Beach, an impressive winner of the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and who is set to become a valuable broodmare, has been given an entry in the Hong Kong Mile, where she could potentially run for new owners.

“She has an entry in the Tattersalls December Mares’ Sale and if the lucky purchaser would like to run her in the Hong Kong Mile, if she is fit and well, she has been invited to that race and I have accepted,” Chapple-Hyam added.

“It is disappointing not to run in the Breeders’ Cup, but that is horse racing. We take the good and the bad.

“We have been very lucky to win two Group Ones with her and, who knows, the new owner may want to run her in Hong Kong.”

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.