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No Sussex regrets for O'Brien

The Aidan O'Brien-trained GleneaglesThe Aidan O'Brien-trained Gleneagles
© Photo Healy Racing

Aidan O'Brien has no regrets about sidestepping the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood with the brilliant Gleneagles.

The dual 2000 Guineas hero and St James's Palace Stakes winner looked set for a mouthwatering clash with top older miler Solow in the Group One contest, but was not declared, with connections citing the rain-softened ground as the reason.

Conditions had dried up prior to racing on Wednesday, with the going officially described as good, but O'Brien insisted he was happy with the decision not run his star three-year-old.

Asked if he had any regrets about not running, O'Brien told Channel 4 Racing: "No, absolutely not. I was delighted the minute I walked out on the track that he was at home.

"The straight is on the slow side of good and Gleneagles is a fast ground horse.

"There are absolutely no doubts. When we were listening to everybody before we came, we would be (having doubts), but the minute we put a foot on it we knew it was the right thing."

The Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville and the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp are the next viable options over a mile for Gleneagles and O'Brien is not ruling out a step up to a mile and a quarter in either the Juddmonte International at York or Leopardstown's Irish Champion Stakes.

He said: "The lads will make the decision on where he goes. He could go to France for the mile race (Marois), he could go to Longchamp for the mile race (Moulin), he could go to neither.

"He could go to York for the mile and a quarter, he could go to Leopardstown for the mile and a quarter.

"Wherever he gets proper fast ground, he'll go somewhere like that."