Trainer Richard Hannon has confirmed King Of Change won't be heading to Royal Ascot next week.
King Of Change had been a general 3/1 favourite for the Queen Anne Stakes, which takes place on Tuesday, but Hannon has opted to bypass the Royal meeting in favour of an autumn campaign.
The four-year-old won three times last season, the highlight of those victories coming at Ascot in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, while a runners-up finish was also recorded in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
It was thought King Of Change would be turning up at Royal Ascot for his first outing in 2020 but Hannon has revealed his charge will not be heading to Berkshire after all.
He told the Racing Post: “He's quite a heavy colt who showed when winning the QEII last season that he loves some cut, so rather than campaign him on fast going through the summer we've decided we'll save him for some big targets later in the year.
“There are a lot of big prizes for him at that time of the season and it was always a big part of the plan, so we're happy to wait. There's the Prix du Moulin for him and on Champions Day he could go for the QEII again or the Champion Stakes, when he'd be more likely to get his ground.”
