Lazy Griff in frame for Sandown run Lazy Griff could return to Sandown next week after connections opted to sidestep a potential appearance at Royal Ascot. Placed in the Derby and the Irish Derby before injury curtailed his three-year-old campaign, the Middleham Park Racing-owned colt made a promising return from 11 months on the sidelines when third on his first start over two miles in Sandown’s Henry II Stakes at the end of May. A tilt at the Gold Cup was considered, but trainer Charlie Johnston felt the Royal meeting’s two-and-a-half-mile feature may have been too much of a test at this stage of his comeback and he could instead stick to two miles in a Listed event back at Sandown on July 3. “We half thought about going to the Ascot Gold Cup, we just felt we didn’t learn enough at Sandown about the trip to then go in at that deep end over that distance,” Johnston explained. “I actually half thought about the Hardwicke before it turned into practically a Group One on fast ground. “There’s quite a few irons in the fire. He could go to the Coral Marathon next Friday or he could go to the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud next Sunday. One of those two is the most likely, I suppose Sandown is probably the slight favourite at the moment, but we’ll see. “He’s in good order, he came out of his reappearance well and he’s ready to go again.”
