Vandeek to miss Prix Maurice de Gheest

Vandeek has been ruled out of the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville next weekend after suffering a setback in training.

Simon and Ed Crisford’s colt enjoyed an unblemished juvenile campaign last season, winning each of his four starts including back-to-back Group One wins in the Prix Morny at Deauville and the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.

However, his three-year-old campaign has so far not gone according to plan, as after being beaten by Inisherin in a soft-ground Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock on his reappearance, he was forced to sit out a planned rematch in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot following unsatisfactory blood tests.

A subsequent third-place finish in Newmarket’s July Cup offered hope plenty for the rest of the campaign, but he is now set for another spell on the sidelines.

In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Ed Crisford said: “Unfortunately Vandeek has met with a setback and it is too early to say how much time he will need before resuming full training.

“It is very frustrating for everyone concerned as he had looked as good as ever in his recent work.”