Decision time pending for Scorthy Champ

Joseph O'Brien has revealed that plans are fluid with Scorthy Champ who has the option of heading to Royal Ascot or for the Belmont Derby.

Last season's Group 1 National Stakes winner at the Curragh has contested the 2,000 Guineas in Newmarket and at Headquarters last month where he finished seventh and sixth respectively.

O'Brien said: “We haven’t decided yet if he’ll go to Ascot, we’ll have to decide on Sunday. It’s a good St James’s Palace Stakes.

“He’ll either go there or he’ll go to the Belmont Derby.”

Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Field Of Gold is the ante-post favourite for Tuesday's Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot with Henri Matisse, the French 2,000 Guineas victor, and Ruling Court, who landed the Newmarket version, also in the mix.

The trainer elaborated further on the level of competition at Royal Ascot as he said: “It’s a humbling enough place — a tough place to get winners, maybe the toughest place of all.

“We’ll be well represented in handicaps and stakes races. I’m happy with the preparation of most of them and we’ll be doing the best we can to get on the scoreboard.

“Ascot is a special week of racing and our owners want to have runners there and we go and give it our best chance.”

Additional reporting by Alan Magee