Cox ponders Force plans Trainer Clive Cox is in no rush to commit Lethal Force to future targets after his star sprinter had to make do with the runner-up spot in last weekend's Prix Maurice de Gheest. The four-year-old was a commanding all-the-way winner of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and was even more impressive when making every yard to break the track record in the July Cup at Newmarket. The grey was unable to keep tabs on Freddie Head's brilliant filly Moonlight Cloud at Deauville last weekend, but Cox is far from dejected. Cox said: "He appears to have come out of the race in really good form. We're giving him a bit of a breather now, but the first impressions are he's taken the race well. "We were not at all disappointed by his run. It would have been great to have kept his winning run going, but Moonlight Cloud is a very special filly and our horse would have appreciated the ground a bit quicker. He ran a very brave race. "I'm sure we can regroup. We'll have a breather, look at our options, and decide which route we're going to take in the next few weeks." One Cox speedster for whom plans are more certain is Reckless Abandon. The three-year-old was due to clash with Lethal Force in the July Cup, only for an abscess to rule him out of contention in the days leading up to the race. Reckless Abandon is now bound for the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock on September 7, but Cox insists his likely participation on Merseyside will have no bearing on whether Lethal Force will run in the same race. The Lambourn handler said: "Reckless Abandon is in great nick. He had that setback with the abscess in early July, but I'm very pleased with him, physically. He's maturing all the time. "Haydock is very much on the agenda for him and we're looking forward to it. "Both horses are very much in charge of their own plans. "Hopefully they continue to do as well as they are doing and we run them in the right races."
