Unsatisfactory scope scuppers Giavellotto's Newmarket defence
Having finished a creditable third in last month's Coronation Cup at Epsom, Giavellotto was being readied to defend his crown on the July Course before being scratched on Friday morning.
Explaining his absence, Botti said: 'We scoped this morning, he had a few coughs and we weren't happy with the scope. Tomorrow (Saturday) he was meant to be doing a piece of work and we felt he wasn't going to be 100 per cent.
'It's disappointing because this race has been in my mind for a long time and there's not many left in the race, but on the other hand the horse's welfare comes first and if we feel he's not going to be 100 per cent, there is no point in going to the races.
'These things normally just take a few days and then they are OK and it's just unfortunate that we're so close to the race and were meant to gallop the horse tomorrow. We just felt it's not the right thing for the horse to gallop with a little bit of infection, but I'm sure it will clear up soon.'
Botti is unsure where Giavellotto will make his next appearance, with a return to Sha Tin in early December top of his agenda.
The trainer added: 'We have made an entry in a Group One in Germany in August and long-term we would obviously like to run him in Hong Kong, so we'll work backwards from that.
'As the season goes on into the autumn another thing we have to bear in mind is the ground, because he doesn't want it soft.
'He has an entry in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but we made that entry a long time ago and I would say at this stage it's not a race we'll probably go for. All the other options will be considered and Hong Kong would be the priority basically.'
A small field is guaranteed for the Princess of Wales's Stakes, with Charlie Appleby leaving in Arabian Crown and El Cordobes and John and Thady Gosden confirming both Military Academy and Palladium.
The other contenders are James Owen's Wimbledon Hawkeye and the Clive Cox-trained Ghostwriter, who was last seen finishing third behind Godolphin's globetrotting star Rebel's Romance in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Six entries have been made for the Group Three Bahrain Trophy, including Aidan O'Brien's pair of Galveston and Scandinavia, with the former of particular interest after finishing third in the King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting.
Andrew Balding's Furthur, who came even closer to Ascot success with a close-up second in the Queen's Vase, also features.
Nine juveniles are in the mix for what looks a strong renewal of Kingdom of Bahrain July Stakes.
Appleby could saddle Norfolk runner-up Wise Approach and the unbeaten Maximized, while Ed Walker's Do Or Do Not also brings strong form the table having finished second in the Coventry Stakes.
O'Brien's sole representative is Curragh maiden winner Brussels, with Eve Johnson Houghton's Salisbury scorer Zavateri, Paul and Oliver Cole's impressive Goodwood victor Jel Pepper and Hugo Palmer's dual winner Tricky Tel others of interest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Who needs what to qualify for Euro 2025 knockouts?
We've reached the second round of group-phase fixtures at Euro 2025, and with it comes the chance of teams either securing their place in the knockout stage, or being and Wales are both in trouble after opening-game defeats, while world champions Spain were ominously impressive. BBC Sport looks at how each of the four groups are shaping up - and who needs what to reach the quarter-finals. What is the format at Euro 2025? The top two teams from each of the four groups will progress to the quarter-finals, with the sides in third and fourth eliminated. If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points at the end of the phase, the following criteria will determine their rankings:Most points won in matches between those teamsGoal difference in matches between those teamsGoals scored in matches between those teamsIf teams still have an equal ranking, the above criteria will be reapplied exclusively to matches between the remaining teams to determine rankingsIf teams are still level then goal difference across all group matches is usedThen goals scored in all group matchesThen Disciplinary recordThen higher position in the overall European qualifiers Group A Remaining fixtures (all times BST): Finland v Switzerland & Norway v Iceland (both 10 July, 20:00)Norway became the first team to secure their place in the quarter-finals with a win over Finland on Sunday, combined with Switzerland's victory. They are guaranteed top spot because of their head-to-head record against both Switzerland go into the final round of games knowing a point would see them progress via goal need to beat Switzerland to go are eliminated. Group B Remaining fixtures (all times BST): Spain v Belgium (7 July, 17:00), Portugal v Belgium (20:00), Italy v Spain & Portugal v Belgium (both 11 July, 20:00)Spain will progress on Monday if they beat Belgium and Portugal fail to win against will go through if they win and Belgium do not beat and Portugal could both be eliminated if they lose. Group C Remaining fixtures (all times BST): Germany v Denmark (8 July, 17:00), Poland v Sweden (8 July, 20:00), Poland v Denmark & Sweden v Germany (both 12 July, 20:00)Eight-time winners Germany will progress to the last eight on Tuesday if they beat Denmark and Poland fail to beat who have progressed in the past eight tournaments, will be through if they win and Germany avoid defeat. Denmark and Poland could be eliminated with defeats. Group D Remaining fixtures (all times BST): England v Netherlands (9 July, 17:00), France v Wales (9 July, 20:00), England v Wales & Netherlands v France (both 13 July, 20:00)The Netherlands, who won the tournament in 2017, will progress if they beat England and France avoid defeat by will be through if they beat Wales and England fail to beat the champions England will be out if they lose to the Netherlands and France are not beaten by Wales. Wales, in their first major tournament, will be eliminated if they lose to France and the Netherlands get a positive result against England.
South Wales Argus
2 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Dalgliesh positive despite Scotland defeat in Summer Series
England ran in five tries at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly to secure the win but Scotland battled valiantly for 80 minutes, continually refusing to let their opponents get away from them in the scoring, as Holly McIntyre, Emily Norval and Poppy Mellanby all crossed over. And when reflecting on the result, Dalgliesh was pleased with how her players connected with one another and adapted during the game. 'I thought the clarity that we played with in terms of our intentions to move the ball and cause England problems was really impressive,' she said. 'We have worked really hard on our connection [between players] on both sides of the ball. 'I'm just really proud of the connection, how the players worked on the field to identify what was happening and then adapt to the different pictures that they were seeing.' 😎 A recap of the results from yesterday's opening games in the #U6NSummerSeries — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2025 Scotland's opening try came from McIntyre's superb score after Lucy Macrae's pinpoint cross-field kick and Dalgliesh was thrilled with the all-round team move that led to the score. 'I'm delighted for her [Holly] and the forwards gave us a brilliant platform to allow that kick to take place. 'Holly's finish was outstanding and I'm delighted for her.' Next up for Scotland is a clash against Wales, who also lost their opening match of the competition, going down 27-10 to Ireland. And although Dalgliesh said the team would review Wales' opening game, she insisted the most important thing would be to concentrate on their own game heading into the encounter. 'I think it's important that we still focus on ourselves,' she continued. 'We will take the opportunity to have a look at [Wales'] game to see which areas we can go after. 'But we've showed that we can score some quality tries and we can take confidence from that to take into our next match on Friday.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
South Wales Argus
2 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Metcalfe: Wales will respond after defeat in U20 Summer Series
The hosts showed determination throughout the physical encounter, reducing Ireland's advantage to 10-5 and 15-10 during the match through scores from Savannah Picton-Powell and Seren Singleton. But tries from Irish quintet Sophie Barrett, Robyn O'Connor, Hannah Clarke, Jemima Adams-Verling and Ellie O'Sullivan-Sexton ultimately put the game out Wales's reach at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. However, Metcalfe insisted her charges won't dwell too much on the defeat and that they will work hard to improve before they next take to the field. 'We're Welsh, we'll be sure to keep going,' said the 18-year-old. 'I'm really proud of the girls for what they did today. 'We left everything out on the field, and I can't doubt anyone's intent. We are a really young side, so there's a few things we need to freshen up on, but I'm really proud of our efforts.' 😎 A recap of the results from yesterday's opening games in the #U6NSummerSeries — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2025 Both sides matched each other's intensity in the tackle during the opening exchanges, but Ireland were able to withstand Wales' early pressure as the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes. Barrett and O'Connor gave Ireland a 10-0 lead midway through the first half, but Wales regrouped well, halving the deficit on the half-hour mark when Chiara Pearce, fresh off the bench, offloaded to the charging Picton-Powell to dot down. Clarke finished a cross-field Irish move seven minutes into the second 40 minutes, but Wales refused to give up the ghost, hitting back five minutes later as Singleton crashed over in the corner following good work to get the ball out wide on the right to reduce the gap back to five points. Metcalfe explained it was passages of play such as the one Singleton scored from that Wales can take as one of the positive from the clash. 'I think the way we move the ball [was pleasing],' she continued. 'Our intent too and the way we were running on the ball, we're working really hard, but it's just about the little bits to finish things off now. We can definitely do it.' Amidst the driving rain, Adams-Verling, named Player of the Match, re-established Ireland's two-score buffer on 58 minutes before O'Sullivan-Sexton's late effort rounded off the scoring. Wales will be back in action on 11 July when they take on Scotland in the second match of the competition. Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
