Fitri Hay's progressive Duke of Hazzard (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) made it a stakes hat trick last weekend with a win in Goodwood's G2 Celebration Mile, and trainer Paul Cole has decided that rather than take up an entry in the Sept. 8 G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, the 3-year-old colt will be put away for the year.
“I think he has had quite a busy time,” Cole said. “We are now thinking of another plan, and that plan is to look at the Lockinge and Queen Anne next year. His last two races have not been run to suit him, but he has still won. On Saturday it looked like he was never going to get a run. But he has what everybody wants: he is a horse with a great turn of foot. He has had a busy time, and I don't want to prejudice his chances next year by asking too much this year.”
Duke of Hazzard made seven starts this campaign, finishing third and fifth adrift of Persian King (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G3 Prix Fontainbleau and G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains before going unplaced in a Haydock handicap. He was fifth in Royal Ascot's G3 Jersey S. before reeling off consecutive wins in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil S., the G3 Thoroughbred S. and the Celebration Mile.
Cole suggested the early part of the colt's season could have gone better if not for a lingering foot injury.
“He had this cavity last year; we treated it, and we thought we got away with it. He was cruising in the French 2000 Guineas, and he flattened out a little bit when he came off the bridle, and the same thing happened in the Jersey.
“I made a rather big mistake of sending him to race at Haydock, and you could say it was lucky rather than unlucky that his shoe came off, because it exposed the cavity. When horses are feeling things they can learn to pull up. So we put the blinkers on when we sorted it to help him concentrate, because he was getting a bit tired in feeling the problem before.”
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