Royal Ascot 2017 – Hugo Palmer’s Best Of Days to head to Royal Ascot after skipping the Investec Derby at Epsom

HUGO PALMER is looking to Royal Ascot with Best Of Days after he was ruled out of the Investec Derby.

Best Of Days failed to sparkle in a mile-and-a-quarter gallop on Friday morning and connections decided not to send him to Epsom.

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Best Of Days has not been seen since winning the Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket last September.

Palmer said: “The horse is in great nick but we always knew after his niggle at the beginning of March that the Derby would be cutting it fine.

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“His work (on Friday morning) was particularly satisfactory but he just got tired.

“And if a horse is getting tired over a mile-and-a-quarter gallop eight days before the Derby they are not going to run to the best of their ability.

“He has grown a lot over the winter and is much bigger and stronger, and with him being a big horse it takes a little bit more time to get him ready.

“The Derby is the world’s greatest race but it takes a hell of a horse to win it, so rather than push him and let him run poorly we will look at other options.

"He is in the King Edward VII, the Queen's Vase, the Irish Derby and the Eclipse.

"We have got a month to Ascot and that takes the pressure off.

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"I think at this stage, although he has an entry in the Queen's Vase, I would say the King Edward VII is more likely.

"He is a gorgeous horse and I can't wait to run him."