RACING:BONFIRE WAS found to be lame yesterday morning following his disappointing run in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday.

Trainer Andrew Balding is going to have the problem checked out, but believes the Dante Stakes winner lost all chance by running too free in the early stages of the mile-and-a-quarter showpiece won by Nathaniel. Winning trainer John Gosden said immediately after the race he would not make a quick decision about whether the horse’s next race would be in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

“Because of the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics there are only two weeks, it’s compressed, between the Eclipse and the King George and that is not ideal when you’ve had a lay-off and have a tough race like yesterday,” he said yesterday.