Ertijaal still in Qipco 2000 Guineas after Lingfield win
William Haggas will make a decision within the next fortnight on whether to let Ertijaal run in the Qipco 2000 Guineas.
Last Updated: 23/03/14 12:04pm
Narrowly beaten by champion juvenile Toormore on his racecourse debut at Leicester last May, Ertijaal got off the mark in impressive fashion at Yarmouth at the end of June before injury ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.
The Oasis Dream colt overcame a wide draw to make a winning return to action in Saturday's Spring Cup at Lingfield and Haggas plans to speak with owner Sheikh Haman Al Maktoum next week to discuss a potential Classic bid.
Haggas said: "It's still a bit early days to be making any definite plans. I was very happy with him yesterday and I'm glad to have got that out of his system, as he is quite an enthusiastic horse.
"Everyone wants their good horses to win by a long way and although he only won by a head, it really is very difficult to come from out there (stall 13) to win.
"He needs to improve quite considerably to have a chance in the 2000 Guineas, but it is a once in a lifetime race.
"I'm going to Dubai next week, so I'll discuss things with Sheikh Hamdan then, but I think a lot will depend on how the horse progresses in the next two weeks.
"He's good this morning and if he was to run in the Guineas, he will definitely be going straight there.
"The idea of running him yesterday was if he was good enough to run in the Guineas, and I'm not saying he is at the moment, it would give him a good month to prepare for the race.
"The trial races like the Craven and the Greenham are far too close to the Guineas for a horse like him, having been off a long time with an injury."