Arc skips Ebor

Leading fancy Arc Bleu will not line up in next week’s totesport Ebor at York, with connections electing to give him a break following his Galway Festival exertions.

Having got up on the line to beat Halla San in the Northumberland Plate on his penultimate start, Tony Martin’s seven-year-old ran a fine race in defeat when third in the G.P.T Galway Handicap.

Martin believes the one-mile-six-furlong trip of York’s big handicap may be on the short side for his charge and thinks there are better options for him in the autumn.

“He ran well in Galway but we decided after the race the best thing to do was to give him a break,” said Martin.

“He ran in a two-mile race last time and he was caught for speed turning for home, so the York race would be short enough for him anyway.

“We thought we would enter him up for the Cesarewitch at Newmarket in October as two mile, two furlongs round there should be ideal and he will go through the autumn ground better than some of the Flat-bred horses.”

Martin also has Salute Him entered in the Ebor – although the trainer has given up all hope of him making the cut for the race.

“I felt Salute Him would had to have won at Galway to get in but he ran disappointingly,” Martin told At The Races.

“I have more or less ruled out the possibility of him running at York and he may run at Dundalk on Friday night instead.”