Dual French Classic winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) looks unlikely to have a rematch this summer with Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), with St Mark's Basilica set to target 10-furlong features like the July 3 G1 Eclipse S., Aug. 18 G1 Juddmonte International and Sept. 11 G1 Irish Champion S.
The Coolmore partners' St Mark's Basilica has gone unbeaten in three runs since taking last year's G1 Dewhurst S., adding the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains over a mile on May 16 and stepping up to 10.5 furlongs to take the G1 Prix du Jockey Club three weeks later. He had the G1 2000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare back in sixth in the Poulains, and that colt's owner/breeder/trainer Jim Bolger indicated after Poetic Flare's latest win in the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot that the colt would stick to a mile for races like the G1 Sussex S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois this summer.
“St Mark's is in the mix for the Eclipse; something like that will be the plan for him,” said trainer Aidan O'Brien. “I'd have thought the Eclipse, the Juddmonte and the Irish Champion are all the races we'll be looking at for him. I think at the moment we're happy to keep him at 10 furlongs, but obviously he could drop back. I think that's the sort of plan we're thinking of at the moment.”
O'Brien also provided an update on last week's G1 Prince Of Wales's S. winner Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Last year's champion 3-year-old filly could meet St Mark's Basilica over 10 furlongs this summer, but also has options over 12 furlongs including the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
“Love is good. We're happy with her,” said O'Brien. “Obviously she's done very little since Wednesday, she's only back cantering again now, but we're very happy with her. To do that after a long break, we were delighted. She hadn't had a run since the Yorkshire Oaks so we were delighted. Anything over 10 furlongs or a mile and a half is her all over. She's in the mix for all those types of races now, anything over that trip. It's great to have her started again and now we can look at all those races.”
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