'We'd have been going there with a touch of uncertainty' - Shaquille team opt to miss Champions Sprint at Ascot

Shaquille will not run again this season having not been declared to contest the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot due to connections not being entirely happy with him.

Trained by Julie Camacho, Shaquille has been the standout sprinter of the campaign with Group 1 victories in the Commonwealth Cup and July Cup. He overcame terrible starts to win comfortably on both occasions.

The three-year-old had been regarded as a leading contender to add a third Group 1 to his haul on Saturday, but did not feature in the final field of 15 headed by last year's winner Kinross.

Steve Brown, assistant to his wife, said Shaquille had not been completely sound on Thursday morning which, combined with the likely testing ground at Ascot, led to the decision not to run.

“We’re just not 100 per cent happy with him and we’re not going to go if he’s not anything other than 100 per cent,” he said. “Given the ground conditions as well, we’d have been going there with a touch of uncertainty.

“It’s not a big problem and he’s always been a 100 per cent sound athlete through his career.”

Shaquille (far): won the July Cup at NewmarketCredit: Edward Whitaker

Discussions on Shaquille’s future are set to take place between Camacho, Brown and the horse’s owners – Martin Hughes, Peter Rawlings and Michael O'Shaughnessy – with all options remaining open to him in 2024.

Brown said: “I think we probably need to take a step back and talk about things. There’s communication going on about his future but we’ve not decided anything yet beyond him not running again this season.

“We’re very blessed he came into our lives. We’ve had Judicial, who’s just left us, and it’s been the most wonderful era with some wonderfully talented horses.”

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