The colt who realised 20-year-old jockey Billy Loughnane's meteoric ascent by capturing the Betfred 2,000 Guineas will have his next start at Royal Ascot. Fresh from his hugely impressive victory at Newmarket Racecourse on Saturday, trainer George Boughey has confirmed that Bow Echo will tackle the St James's Palace Stakes rather than travel to Ireland for the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
The Night Of Thunder colt delivered a decisive performance to land the first Classic of the season, making Boughey the youngest ever trainer to do the Guineas double and giving Loughnane a landmark first victory in the UK at the highest level.
Boughey reported the colt to have come out of the race in excellent condition as he names his next big race target. "He's come out of the race in very good shape. He's just a straightforward, high-class horse," said Boughey. "Ascot is very much the plan. It's somewhere we've always hoped we'd get to with a live chance, and to go there now as a Guineas winner is very exciting."
Explaining the decision to sidestep the Irish Guineas, Boughey added: "He was trained for the 2,000 Guineas and this gives us a nice gap to freshen him up and go again. It makes sense to give him that bit of time."
Bow Echo is set to remain over a mile for the time being, with his ability to settle and quicken expected to suit the demands of Ascot. "I think the track will suit him really well," Boughey said. "He switches off, travels strongly and has a turn of foot. On fast ground, which you tend to get at Ascot, he should be very effective."
Beyond Ascot, Boughey indicated that a step up against older horses could follow, with the Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse under consideration. "We'll take it one race at a time but Ascot comes next and then we'll hopefully look towards races like the Sussex Stakes."
