Derby winner Adayar to miss Eclipse with Appleby eyeing King George return

Last year's Derby winner Adayar will miss the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown and is likely to return in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot next month.

Adayar has yet to run this season and was previously ruled out of the Dahlbury Coronation Cup at Epsom after a minor setback.

The Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot was another potential target but trainer Charlie Appleby felt that race would come too soon, with connections now looking to the Ascot Group 1 on July 23 after ruling out the Coral-Eclipse on July 2.

Appleby said: "We have decided to bypass the Eclipse at Sandown and head straight to the King George VI at Ascot with Adayar.

"He is back in full work and doing well, but we want to allow him plenty of time to build back up to race fitness."

Adayar burst on to the mile-and-a-half scene this time last year with an impressive four-and-a-half-length success under Adam Kirby in the Derby and cemented his status as a top-class performer when following up in the King George.

Adayar beat superstars Mishriff and Love by a length and three-quarters and three and a half lengths to establish himself as a major contender for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. A leg infection ruled him out of his prep in the Prix Niel, but he was the choice of William Buick for Europe's richest race when he found Torquator Tasso, Tarnawa and stablemate Hurricane Lane, sent off the 3-1 favourite, too good.

He was last seen 13 days later when a disappointing fifth of nine in the Qipco Champion Stakes and was expected to return at Epsom but Appleby reported "a minor setback, in the respect that he was coughing for a few days".

Read this next . . .

'She's maturing all the time and 12-1 is much too big' – Royal Ascot eyecatchers

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.