Lord Glitters to Bypass Repeat Bid in Queen Anne

Last season's Queen Anne Stakes (G1) winner, Lord Glitters, will not return to the scene of his stunning success this month, with trainer David O'Meara revealing his stable star is recovering from a setback.

Lord Glitters sprang a 14-1 surprise in the first race of the royal meeting last year under Danny Tudhope and went on to contest the Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1), Juddmonte International Stakes (G1), and QEII Stakes Sponsored by QIPCO (G1) before finishing his season at the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), where he was ninth.

Dubai was under consideration for Lord Glitters in the winter, but the injury he sustained meant he would not have traveled, and Meydan's World Cup fixture ended up being canceled because of COVID-19.

Speaking to the Racing Post as part of the stable tours series, O'Meara said: "He had a holdup at the beginning of the year with a splint, and he would have missed Dubai had it gone ahead. He'll miss the Queen Anne and will probably be ready for the second half of July."

O'Meara already has various options in mind for Lord Glitters when the 7-year-old does return, adding: "That would bring in races like the Summer Mile (G2) at Ascot, the York Stakes (G2), and Strensall Stakes (G3) in August. He'll likely go back to Ascot for Champions Day, and he looks like he retains all his enthusiasm and ability."

This year's Queen Anne will be worth £250,000 (US$314,560), down from the £600,000 ($754,944) prize fund available last year, with prize-money levels at the fixture slashed due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.