Park facing Coronation test

Walk In The Park will be out to book his place in the Vodafone Coronation Cup with a good run in his next race.

Last season’s Derby runner-up was not beaten far when unplaced behind Manduro over 10 furlongs at Longchamp on Sunday in his first race for almost 10 months.

“He’s fine and he’ll probably run on May 8 in a Group Three at Longchamp. He’ll run there as long as the ground is okay for him,” said his French-based, English-born trainer John Hammond.

“Basically he needs a mile and a half and some cut in the ground. On Sunday it dried up quite a bit before the race and they went very quick.

“I was disappointed he finished ninth but he was only beaten four and a half lengths by the winner.

“It was a very strong race. There were nine previous Group winners in the race.

“It was one of the strongest Group Twos I’ve seen for quality of numbers.

“The race was run on the inside track at Longchamp which didn’t suit him.

“As for the Coronation Cup, a lot will depend on his next run. If he ran well he would be a possible for Epsom. We will have to see how we go.”

Hammond has also given Gharir a British Group One entry in the Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 20.

“He’s going to run here in a Group Two on May 1 if he’s okay and it will depend on how he goes there.

“Both horses had been off the track for a long time. Gharir hadn’t run since last June. I was slightly throwing him to the lions on his comeback race.”

That was at Saint-Cloud two weeks ago when he was fourth to Svedov in a Group Three contest over a mile.