Dirty scope puts Saffron Beach Breeders’ Cup plan on hold

Plans for a possible trip to the Breeders’ Cup are on hold for Saffron Beach after she scoped dirty following her defeat in defence of her Group One Royal Bahrain Sun Chariot crown at Newmarket on Saturday.

The Jane Chapple-Hyam-trained daughter of New Bay has been in excellent heart this season, winning both the  Duke of Cambridge at Royal Ascot and following up with her second top-level success in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville in August.

Subsequently runner-up to Pearls Galore in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown, she was made favourite to retain her Sun Chariot title on the Rowley Mile.

However, William Buick’s mount was under pressure from two furlongs out and she finished eighth of nine to Fonteyn, beaten over 16 lengths.

Chapple-Hyam was initially perplexed by the run and she explained: “It is very unfortunate. We got her back to the yard and we scoped her, because she was sound.

“We thought we had better put a scope down her to see if there was anything going on inside, and she scoped dirty, with mucus. She is on a course of antibiotics.

“It was very similar to when she ran a nothing race in last year’s Falmouth Stakes. She looked fine on Saturday and got the ‘best-turned-out’ award, too.

“The frustrating thing is we scoped her after her last gallop, just to check, and everything was clean and she has showed no signs of coughing. Yet we put the scope down after the race and she had a dirty lung.”

Owned by Lucy, Ben and Ollie Sangster in partnership with James Wigan, plans for Saffron Beach to run in the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland next month are now on hold.

Chapple-Hyam added: “We will regroup and I will see the owners at the Tattersalls Sales later in the week.

“She has a few weeks to recover, but I don’t know at this stage how the treatment will go.

“At least we have got an answer, because you can be left not knowing.”