Marco Botti willing to bide his time

Trainer Marco Botti has confirmed that he will have to bide his time with German 2000 Guineas winner Knife Edge.

The three-year-old charged to victory in Cologne in May as he won the German Classic with jockey Ryan Moore on board.

His powerful performance raised plenty of eyebrows but Knife Edge then suffered an injury just days after his win in Germany.

Botti was forced to withdraw him from the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and he was hoping to run him at Chantilly.

Knife Edge was expected to run in the Prix Jean Prat in France but connections are still willing to bide their time before they decide their next move.

Speaking about their plans, Botti admits that it will be August at the earliest before fans see him back in action.

“At the moment we have not finalised plans with him. He had a little bit of a setback when he came back from Germany,” he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

“It’s nothing serious, he has just got a bit held up. One race we had in mind was the Prix Jean Prat, but he missed that.

“I don’t think he will be ready until the middle of August.

Physically he is one of those horses that will improve with time. “I hope he will be kept in training next year as I see him turning into a really nice four-year-old.”