Reasons emerge for disappointing Touleen outing

High-class filly Touleen is set for a short break after returning a dirty scope in the aftermath of her defeat at Ascot last weekend.

Having split Aidan O’Brien’s Guineas heroines Precise and True Love in the Coronation Stakes at the Royal meeting, the Owen Burrows-trained Touleen was favourite to open her account for the season in the Group Three Valiant Stakes but hung under pressure and was beaten just over two lengths into fourth place.

Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell, said: “At the time the only thing William (Buick) could say was what we could all see, that she hung noticeably and never went forward, she just hung.

“But she didn’t scope great when she got back, exactly like last autumn when she ran poorly in the Rockfel at Newmarket. It’s strange, there was quite a bit of mucus down there and she’d scoped perfectly clean leading into the race.

“I don’t quite know how or why that happened, but we’ll obviously have to give her a bit of a break, get her cleaned up and go again.”

Gold is also looking forward to seeing Touleen return to a softer surface in due course, adding: “The vet said it (scope) was definitely enough to have accounted for a disappointing run and I think she probably does want easier ground, too.

“She coped with it (quick ground) at Royal Ascot and she’s a light-framed filly so I always thought she’d handle it, but she did hang the the other day and most Lope De Vegas in my experience do prefer a bit of cut, so as well as scoping bad I think there might have been a bit of ground factor there.”