Last season's G1 Ascot Gold Cup winner Trip To Paris (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}) will miss this week's G2 Qatar Goodwood Cup and be aimed instead at the G2 Lonsdale Cup at York's Ebor meeting. The 5-year-old, who also ran fourth in last year's G1 Emirates Melbourne Cup, returned to action on July 16 after more than seven months off the track following a tendon injury. His reappearance in the 10-furlong Listed Bet365 S. at Newbury saw him finish a respectable third, just over three lengths off the winner, Scottish (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}).
Trip To Paris's trained Ed Dunlop commented, “It was an encouraging return and he came to hand quicker than I thought. He now goes for the Lonsdale Cup. I thought Goodwood was a bit too soon after that run and with the greatest respect to Goodwood, it is not the ideal track for a horse that had a tendon injury to run on. York gives us a nice break between races.”
Potential big-race targets for Trip To Paris later in the season include the G1 Palmerstown House Irish St Leger and a possible return to Melbourne.
Also out of the Goodwood Cup is Godolphin's Antiquarium (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), last-start winner of the John Smith's Northumberland Plate.
Charlie Appleby, who trains the 4-year-old, explained, “He has had a minor setback and we have had to treat him with anti-inflammatories, so unfortunately he will miss the Goodwood Cup. We will look to getting him back as soon as possible, and he is still in the Ebor, which could be a possibility.”
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