Trainer Tim Pitt has decided to temporarily close his stable and suspend all racecourse activities among strong concerns over the health of his horses. Pitt has not had a winner since January 5th and will not have any runners at least for the next three weeks, in view of the previous disappointing results.

"We have been conspicuous by our absence and we won't have any runners for the next three weeks," trainer Pitt explained. "Our horses have returned some dirty scopes and indifferent blood results so I don't want to run them again until we dot all the Is and cross the Ts. It's nothing untoward but enough to decide they should not be going to the races.”

However, Pitt will try to have his star Les Arcs ready to defend his title at Royal Ascot. The trainer has only sent out one runner since Les Arcs appeared for the first time in the season at York last week. He finished 13th of 14 in the Duke of York Stakes.

“A few of our runners were not finishing their races,” Pitt explained. “There doesn't seem to be the same zip around the well-being of the yard that there was last season so we will be taking things steady for the moment.”