Leading QEII fancy retired following setback

Belardo won his second Group 1 in the Lockinge Stakes earlier this year

Belardo won his second Group 1 in the Lockinge Stakes this yearCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Belardo, who had been a general 6-1 chance for the Qipco Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, has been retired to stud following a setback, trainer Roger Varian said on Monday morning.

In a post on his website, Varian said: "The timing of this setback is very unfortunate and I am disappointed for both [owners] Prince Faisal and Sheikh Mohammed Belardo will not be able to run at Ascot on Saturday.

"He had been working exceptionally well, however he was not 100 per cent following his last piece of work and we don't have sufficient time to get him to the QEII."

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Keith MelroseBetting editor

Published on 10 October 2016inNews

Last updated 18:56, 10 October 2016

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