Bell has Eclipse option for Motivator
However the Newmarket trainer, who revealed that Motivator was slightly sore after losing a shoe in the winner's circle, will mull over the options before a final decision is made.
"He is a little foot-sore in his off-fore as he lost a shoe, I think after the race in the winner's enclosure when he was parading round," reported Bell yesterday.
"But he has basically emerged unscathed. The norm after a race like that is to have a relaxed easy week before picking his next race and organising his schedule around that.
"There are two possible stops either the Irish Derby or the Eclipse. Nothing is set in stone and I have to speak to the racing manager Harry Herbert before a policy decision is made."
Should Motivator run in the Eclipse at Sandown on July 2 he would be dropping back to 10 furlongs and be taking on older horses for the first time. Otherwise it could be the Budweiser Irish Derby against his age group at the Curragh the previous Sunday.
The colt was greeted by a huge number of his 230-strong owning syndicate the Royal Ascot Racing Club after his emphatic five-length success in Saturday's Epsom Classic, which took his unbeaten record to four.
Bell had been busy fielding calls from well-wishers all morning, but was perhaps starting to feel the effects of the previous night.
"His trainer has been better," he joked. "It was a great day, but we had to get back to Newmarket with my wife and three kids. We celebrated with the staff in the pub and then treated the kids to a Chinese."
There is still some confusion about what happens to Motivator at the end of his career, with his owners suddenly finding themselves with a horse on their hands that has huge value as a stallion.
"It is difficult to tell until we have had the remainder of the summer and maybe the autumn because the horse is actually owned by Ascot racecourse and races in the colours of the Royal Ascot Racing Club," said Douglas Erskine-Crum, the chief executive at the Berkshire track.
"It is not easy for that sort of organisation to plan and run any stallion operation as we don't own a stud or anything.
"It would probably be the case that the horse would be moved on to a stud somewhere maybe for a stallion syndication but it is very early days."
When asked if the members would get a share of the money if Motivator was sold, Erskine-Crum replied: "No they don't. Ascot racecourse owns the horses and takes the financial risk on them, which has been clear since day one of the club when we started it some seven years ago.
"Having said that, we weren't expecting to get into this situation where we were very lucky indeed to have a Derby winner."
