Item to get the chance to show his true worth at 10 furlongs
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Wed 10 Jun 2026
Connections of Item are keen to put a line through his disappointing Betfred Derby effort, with a drop back in trip planned after he struggled in the rain-softened ground at Epsom.
Andrew Balding’s Dante Stakes winner lined up as Britain’s leading hope for the premier Classic, but could finish only ninth as York third Christmas Day raised his game to provide Aidan O’Brien with his 12th Derby success.
“He’d beaten the winner four or five lengths the last day in York, so that sort of tells you it wasn’t his run and Colin (Keane) said he wasn’t handling the ground at all,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.
“Maybe the 12 furlongs was beyond him too. It’s hard to tell because he wasn’t handling the ground, but I think we’ll just put a line through that and freshen him up now and go back to 10 furlongs and build up again for the second half of the season.
“I think something like the York Stakes might suit or there’s the race at Deauville, the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano.”
The Juddmonte team enjoyed a far better result in Friday’s Betfred Oaks, with the John and Thady Gosden-trained Legacy Link filling the runner-up spot behind hugely impressive winner Thundering On.
With Legacy Link finishing six lengths clear of the chasing pack on the Surrey Downs, Mahon feels there is still plenty to look forward to.
He added: “We were over the moon with her, I thought she ran a huge race. They’re two very, very good fillies, I’d say. We were second best on the day unfortunately, but we were delighted with the run and she’s going to be a filly to look forward to for the rest of the year.
“There are no definite plans. We’ll just see how the next week or two goes, get Ascot out of the way and make a plan from there.”
When asked if he would be keen to avoid a rematch with Thundering On – with the Juddmonte Irish Oaks on July 18 an option for both fillies – Mahon said: “I think on that ground we probably would be, but I think on better ground we’d be happy to roll the dice again.
“On a different track and different ground, we’d hope for a different result, but on that ground the winner was definitely exceptionally talented and you’d be slow to take her on again.”
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