Artist misses Nunthorpe test

War Artist has been ruled out of the Coolmore Nunthorpe at York on Friday week.

The five-year-old was a 10-1 shot for the five-furlong heat with Ladbroke and Coral following placed efforts in both the Golden Jubilee and July Cup.

However, trainer James Eustace has confirmed his ex-South African star will bypass a trip to the Knavesmire as he looks towards a late-season campaign.

“The connections have decided to give the Nunthorpe a miss and leave him for a possible run in the Sprint Cup at Haydock,” said Eustace.

“We are aiming for a foreign campaign in the later half of the year so if we decide he needs a bit longer, he might give Haydock a miss too.

“The horse is absolutely fine but he’s been on the go since Wolverhampton in March and we’ve had such a good run, so we decided to give him a holiday after the July Cup.

“We are looking at the Global Sprint Challenge races and thinking about running in Melbourne at the Spring Carnival meeting.

“The Hong Kong Sprint in December is also a possible target.”