White Birch likely to skip Ascot engagement White Birch is not certain to take his place in the BetMGM Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot on Saturday – but could run at the track in the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes on October 17. With the ground at the Berkshire track currently good to firm and with only light showers forecast, the likely prospect of fast ground would be far from ideal for the five-year-old. Trainer Jamie Osborne, who praised the patience of connections, is not prepared to risk the gelding when perfect conditions could be just around the corner. “The way it is looking at the moment he is a doubtful runner on Saturday I think – unless the weather forecast is wrong – I think the ground is going to be good to firm,” said the Lambourn trainer. “His owners have been very patient and I might just ask for a little more patience if the ground is good to firm and we will wait. “I don’t know what his boundaries on ground are as we’ve only run him once, but I think it would be foolish to run him on fairly quick ground on Saturday when nice ground for him is probably just around the corner.” Patience Required For Group One Winner New owners Barratt Racing secured White Birch for 300,000 guineas from John Joseph Murphy in October last year. The Group One winner has had to sit and suffer as the drought conditions left him unable to make inroads for Osborne throughout the summer. There was promise in his belated comeback in the Winter Hill Stakes on soft ground at Windsor when he kept on well to finish a close-up third behind Tenability. “I think any trip between 10 furlongs and a mile and a half suits him and he still has an entry in the Champion Stakes (Ascot, October 17) if the ground is not too firm,” said Osborne. “It would be interesting to see what turns up for that race and there will be some great place money on offer. That is not impossible.”
