'We’ve taken a grown-up decision to wait' - John Ryan's sprinting star Manaccan out for season after setback

Newmarket trainer John Ryan has been forced to scratch his sprinting star Manaccan from all future engagements after the colt suffered a setback in training.

The four-year-old had the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York as his major seasonal target but Ryan has been unable to get him back in time for that assignment on August 25. He had been as short as 12-1 for the big sprint, but the decision was taken to put him away for next year.

It has been a luckless season for the four-year-old, who looked set for a big campaign after progressing through the ranks last year. He returned with a promising third to Vadream in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket when carrying a 3lb penalty and drawn on the "wrong side" on the Rowley Mile. However, he was a late absentee for the King's Stand Stakes and has not been seen since. 

Despite the latest setback, Ryan and owners Newsells Park Stud - Ossie Ardiles Syndicate still have high hopes for Manaccan, who they hope will develop into a stallion prospect.

Ryan said: “Manaccan is in a field just now as he had a setback, which meant he couldn’t make York, and we’ve taken the decision to finish him for the year. He doesn’t like soft ground, which it would be at places like Longchamp on Arc day or Ascot for the British Champions Sprint.

“Manaccan has not got many miles on the clock, so we’ve taken a grown-up decision to wait and hopefully bring him back better than ever for a crack at the big sprints in 2024. The owners hope one day that he can become a stallion prospect as he’s a Group winner already, and hopefully he can add to his CV.”

The son of Exceed and Excel was on a roll at the end of 2022 when he won twice at Listed level and signed off with a career-best win in the Group 3 Pat Smullen Mercury Stakes at Dundalk.

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