King Of Steel recuperating at Dominic Ffrench Davis's yard before vets decide whether he can race on

Amo Racing’s stricken star King Of Steel should have been preparing for another shot at Royal Ascot glory next month but is instead resting up at Dominic Ffrench Davis’s yard in Lambourn recovering from the injuries that have curtailed his season.

The Champion Stakes winner left trainer Roger Varian’s yard a fortnight ago after being found to be lame following a routine exercise on the watered gallop in Newmarket as he prepared to make his seasonal return in last week’s Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown.

King Of Steel will shortly be transferred to Amo Racing’s Irish base at Mullingar in County Westmeath for further rest and recuperation, an establishment he is familiar with having enjoyed a three-month spell there last winter. There he will be assessed by vets to decide whether he can race on or be found a place at stud for 2025.

Ffrench Davies said: “The situation is that we’re looking after King Of Steel at the moment. He’ll probably go back to Ireland shortly to Amo Racing’s pre-training yard to recuperate further, which is standard practice for the operation.

“There is nothing untoward about any of that but there’s no point him staying with Roger Varian to recuperate at great expense to the owner. The owner owns a yard in Lambourn so it makes economic sense to have the horse here for now and hopefully he can get back to full health.”

Ffrench Davies also took charge of Galileo colt Mr Hampstead when Amo Racing split with Varian but the son of Galileo is unlikely to make his first start for his new trainer in Saturday’s Betfred Derby.

Ffrench Davis added: "We're toying with idea of running him in the Queen's Vase. He's a baby of a horse really. We had him here last year and as he cost a lot of money. Kia sent him to Roger. The reports were good but he ran into a good horse in Meydaan at Newcastle first time."

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