Clive Cox says the reason for Heartache's poor showing in Sunday's Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte was down to a muscle injury.
The two-year-old announced himself to the racing world with a superb victory in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot last month and was the hot favourite to follow up in France.
The Kyllachy filly failed to deliver, coming home half-a-length behind Karl Burke's Unfortunately and Tom Dascombe's runner-up Frozen Angel in third place.
Cox has now stated that an examination of Heartache after the race revealed a pulled muscle and he believes it was the reason for her first defeat.
“Sadly she's just not 100 per cent. I think she's pulled a muscle over her back,” the trainer told At The Races.
“Gerald (Mosse) was quite right in his summing up after the race. It was the first time he's ridden the filly, but he felt we might find something in the next 24 hours and he was right.
“Our physio has been on the case already and she's happy that we've got a handle on it. I hope she can reproduce a more Ascot-like performance next time.
“That said, fair play to the two colts that beat us, I thought they were two nice colts.”
