Gleneagles given Deauville date

Aidan O’Brien has revealed that Gleneagles could make his way to France this weekend for the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville.

The Ballydoyle star was forced to miss his recent intended engagement in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood when O’Brien took him out because of the soft ground.

That denied racing fans the chance to see the hotly-anticipated ‘Duel on the Downs’ with Freddy Head’s Solow, who subsequently won the mile-contest readily under Maxime Guyon.

There will be no Solow to contend with at Deauville on Sunday, but O’Brien says Gleneagles is earmarked for that contest should the ground conditions be in his favour.

“We are looking at Deauville and will be watching the weather forecast this week. If they don’t get rain we will look hard at going there,” said O’Brien.

“He was ready to run in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and is in good form.”

Gleneagles has been in breathtaking form in three runs so far this season at the mile journey from which O’Brien says he is unlikely to deviate.

He was an emphatic winner of the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on his reappearance in early May and followed up by landing the Irish version at the Curragh later that month.

That win was somewhat more laboured in soft ground and his master-trainer has all but vowed not to run with too much give in the ground again.

Gleneagles was back to his very best on good ground at Royal Ascot, giving a dominant performance under Ryan Moore to land the St James’s Palace Stakes.

Although he holds an entry in the Juddmonte International at York later this month, it seems unlikely O’Brien will take on the extra distance in that 10-furlong contest and France now looks a more likely destination.