Yorkshire trainer David O’Meara ponders Ascot return for Lord Glitters

DAVID O’Meara is considering returning Lord Glitters to Ascot, the scene of his greatest triumph, for next month’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

The evergreen seven-year-old grey has been out of luck since claiming last year’s Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in the colours of the late Geoff Turnbull and his wife Sandra.

But Danny Tudhope’s mount has run a number of solid races in defeat - including when finding only Addeybb too strong in the Listed Doonside Cup at Ayr on Saturday.

O’Meara was satisfied with that effort and hopes Lord Glitters’ previous good form at Ascot would be a plus if he were to return to Group One company there.

The Upper Helmsley trainer said: “It was a good run by Lord Glitters at Ayr, and I was happy. I thought for a moment we were going to get there, but Addeybb just got first run on us. Where we go next, I’m not completely sure. He is in the QEII, and we could go there.

“Palace Pier will be very hard to beat, but Lord Glitters loves it there and he could pick up the pieces.”

Lord Glitters has run over further than a mile on each of his last three starts, but O’Meara believes dropping back to that trip would be no issue.

He ventured: “He has been running over further lately, but he would be fine going back to a mile. He won the Strensall Stakes at York a couple of years ago, and we then dropped him back to a mile, and he was fine.”

O’Meara may send his Stewards’ Cup hero Summerghand to Ascot on Saturday week for the Group Three John Guest Bengough Stakes.

The Lope De Vega gelding was last seen finishing down the field on his Group One debut in the Sprint Cup at Haydock earlier this month.

O’Meara added: “It was a big step up from Newmarket to the Sprint Cup at Haydock, but I thought he ran OK.

“He is in a Group Three in Ireland on Saturday, but he might go to Ascot for the Bengough Stakes. We will keep an open mind.”

There will be no trip to Australia for the Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 3 for Eagles By Day, with O’Meara considering drawing stumps for the season with the son of Sea The Stars.

He added: “Eagles By Day will probably have a break now for the rest of the year.

“I liked his run the first day for us at York (won the John Smith’s Silver Cup), then I thought he ran well enough in the Goodwood Cup.

“I’m not sure he totally stayed the trip in his next two starts, in the Lonsdale Cup and Doncaster Cup. We might just come back a little bit in trip with him next year.”

Yorkshire filly Dandalla and Miss Amulet are two of 12 fillies in contention for the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

Leyburn-based Karl Burke’s Dandalla is set to step up to Group One company following wins in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Duchess of Cambridge at Newmarket.

Ken Condon’s Miss Amulet earned her tilt by winning the Group Two Lowther Stakes at York last month.

Meanwhile the Owen Burrows-trained Minzaal, winner of York’s Gimcrack Stakes, heads the Group One Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes for colts on the same Newmarket card.