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Ivawood to come back in trip at Royal Ascot

Gleneagles
Image: Ivawood (left): Big run in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

Richard Hannon has raised the intriguing possibility of Ivawood dropping back to six furlongs to tackle stablemate Tiggy Wiggy in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

Third in both the Newmarket and Irish 2000 Guineas already this season, the trainer was left delighted with the colt's latest performance at The Curragh, but feels that dropping back from a mile is the best step to take now, at least until later in the season.

As a consequence, the Commonwealth Cup or the seven-furlong Jersey Stakes are now options on the table for Ivawood at Royal Ascot.

“Ivawood ran a super race in Ireland," the trainer told At The Races. "I thought he travelled great. I’m not sure he got the mile on the day. Maybe the ground was a little bit sticky for him.

"I think he might get a mile, maybe at the end of this year, maybe next year, but right now it looks like we’re going to go for the six-furlong race or the Jersey.

"He travelled brilliant and he looked a million. He was unlucky not to be second, I think. If we’d ridden him to be second, he could have been second, but we were trying to win the race and we just got caught and got tired going to the line.  But he ran a good race."

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Hannon also confirmed Tiggy Wiggy, third in the 1000 Guineas, is on course for the Commonwealth Cup, the new six-furlong contest restricted to three-year-olds.

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“Tiggy Wiggy is fine," he said."She canters away at home. Tom Marquand, who rides her every day, is very happy with her. She’s going to go to Ascot. I hope she behaves – there’s a lot of people there.

“When she behaves worse, funnily enough, she’s at her best. She didn’t behave very well at the Guineas. She was sideways going out but she ran a super race.”

The trainer also had news of other Royal Ascot candidates for the stable, The Queen's Peacock, the winner of a Listed contest at Newmarket last Saturday in good style, and Queen Anne hopefuls Night Of Thunder and Toormore.

“Peacock looked like he wanted a mile and a quarter when he ran in the Feilden and was second to Golden Horn," said Hannon.

"He gave himself every chance not to get the mile and a quarter there, as he hit the gate running and was a little bit keen. If he was ever not going to get the trip, he wouldn’t have got it that day, but he battled and stuck to it very well – and he was in front for a long way. He goes for the Tercentenary Stakes and hopefully he’ll go very well.

“[Night Of Thunder] and Toormore have come out of the Lockinge very well and all roads lead to the Queen Anne for both of them. There are a few [alternative] options for Toormore, races all over Europe and they [the owners] could duck the issue but they are very keen to go to the big spots and win the big races and you have to say full marks to them.”

Night of Thunder is quoted at 5/1 and Toormore at 8/1 in Sky Bet's Queen Anne Stakes betting, the pair having finished first and second respectively in last month's Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

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