Passenger suffers Eclipse KO as ‘Sandown will come too soon’

Passenger will miss the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday week as he continues his recovery from a setback which caused him to sit out Royal Ascot.

Sir Michael Stoute’s colt made a thrilling start to his four-year-old campaign, brushing Israr aside with a degree of ease that sent him straight to the top of the ante-post lists for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at the Royal meeting.

An infection ruled him out of that particular Group One assignment and connections have now run out of time to prepare Passenger for the Eclipse, where he was generally the second-favourite behind Derby hero City Of Troy.

Alan Cooper, racing manager for owner the Niarchos family, confirmed that Passenger will be missing from the Esher Group One – where he would have had the chance to replicate the achievements of his sire Ulysses, who struck in the Sandown feature in 2017.

However, having seen the form of his Chester win franked in good style by Israr’s Wolferton Stakes romp at Ascot, hopes are high the four-year-old can be back soon to build on his Roodee triumph in one of the many top-race entries he holds later in the season.

Cooper said: “Sandown will come too soon for Passenger and we’re now just playing it all by ear. We entered him yesterday in the Juddmonte International (at York) and Sir Michael will make his recommendations in due course.

“He was all set to run at Ascot in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes but he got a temperature which knocked him out of Ascot unfortunately and these biological things can take a bit of time to get over. He’s getting back on track. The horse will tell Sir Michael and we will go from there.

“It’s a good form line (with Israr) and we look forward to seeing Passenger back on track.”