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John Gosden’s star mare Dar Re Mi has been ruled out of next week’s Darley Yorkshire Oaks.

The three-time Group One winner was forced to miss last month’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes due to a foot problem and connections feel she would not be fit enough to do herself justice next week due to the work she missed.

Gosden’s racing secretary Peter Shoemark said: “She lost a bit of time due to the foot abscess that caused her to miss the King George and the Yorkshire Oaks has just come a bit too soon for her. She will now be aimed at the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp (September 12).”

Despite Dar Re Mi’s absence, 10 high-class fillies remain in York’s Group One contest on August 19.

Last year’s dual Oaks winner Sariska has been left in by Michael Bell, while Nassau Stakes heroine Midday could line up for Henry Cecil.

This year’s Oaks winner Snow Fairy and the runner-up Meeznah are both in contention, while Barshiba, Flying Cloud, Irish raider Profound Beauty, Eleanora Duse and Hibaayeb are all possibles.

Completing the entries is Gosden’s High Heeled, although she appears an unlikely runner having been declared to run in France on Saturday.

Aidan O’Brien has yet to finalise running plans for the Juddmonte International at York next Tuesday.

With Harbinger out of the equation after suffering a career-ending leg injury, Rip Van Winkle is favourite across the boards for the Group One contest and the trainer is certainly eyeing up a trip to the Knavesmire.

Irish Derby winner Cape Blanco, a distant second behind Harbinger in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, is another Ballydoyle inmate under consideration for the race.

“We’re looking at the Juddmonte with both Rip Van Winkle and Cape Blanco but it hasn’t been decided whether we will run one or both,” said O’Brien.

“They are both in good form and ready to run, we’re just waiting for everyone to decide. It’s not definite by any means – we have the Juddmonte and then the Irish Champion a couple of weeks later.

“We’re looking at the Juddmonte with Rip Van Winkle – we’re hoping he’s going to turn up, we just haven’t confirmed it definitely with everyone yet.”

The main opposition appears to be the Khalid Abdullah-owned duo Byword and Twice Over.

The Prince’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said: “Last year we thought Byword was very good but he was affected by a virus and this year he has come on in leaps and bounds. There’s probably not a huge amount between him and Twice Over and it’s going to be fascinating.”

Twice Over’s trainer, Henry Cecil, added: “I’m hoping he’ll run very well. He’s in good form and there’ll be no excuses.”

Harbinger has been hailed as “one of the all-time greats” after injury forced connections to announce the colt’s retirement from racing.

The four-year-old colt became the highest-rated Flat horse in the world following his breathtaking 11-length triumph in last month’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

But less than a fortnight before his next intended target, the Juddmonte International at York on August 17, Harbinger fractured his near-fore cannon bone on the gallops in Newmarket on Saturday.

The son of Dansili underwent surgery on Saturday evening, but connections felt it was too much of a risk to return the Sir Michael Stoute inmate to the racecourse.

A decision on a potential stud career has yet to be confirmed.

Harry Herbert, racing manager for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, said in a statement issued on behalf of the colt’s owners, the Admiral Rous Syndicate: “It is with regret that it has been decided to retire Harbinger from racing.

“Thanks to the professionalism of the veterinary surgeons, Bruce Bladon of O’Gorman Slater & Main, Andrew Bathe of Rossdale & Partners and Antony Clements of Baker & McVeigh, the operation undertaken at Rossdales Hospital has been successful.

“We are pleased to report that the horse is recovering well. The decision to retire Harbinger is based on the welfare of the horse which is paramount. The owners, for whom this is very sad, are naturally sorry that their great horse has had his career cut short.

“In winning the Hardwicke Stakes so impressively and then producing one of the greatest performances of all time to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by 11 lengths in record time, Harbinger has confirmed himself as one of the all-time greats.”

Harbinger is reported to be in a comfortable condition following surgery after suffering a career-threatening leg injury.

The brilliant winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, owned by Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, fractured his near-fore cannon bone during a routine spin on the gallops in Newmarket.

John Warren, co-owner of Highclere Stud, said: “He had a comfortable night. The surgery he had was straightforward and all of those things. Hopefully we will know more later this afternoon.”

Harbinger, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, was officially rated the best horse in the world after winning the King George by 11 lengths in a record time.

He was next scheduled to run in the Juddmonte International at York later this month, after which the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was on the agenda.

The son of Dansili has won his last four races, including the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, and has accrued over £770,000 in prize-money.

Derby hero Workforce will have to show connections he is back in peak condition before they allow him to return to the racecourse.

The King’s Best colt looked destined for greatness following his seven-length Epsom triumph but he was well beaten in fifth as stablemate Harbinger ran away with the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Nothing significant has come to light following that lifeless display and connections will give him all the time he needs to find his feet once again.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, told At The Races: “There is no question he was a very impressive winner of the Derby. He won by seven lengths and you can never take that away from him. It was an outstanding performance which ever way you look at it.

“We’re pretty sure he didn’t give his true running at Ascot. He has been checked out thoroughly with a fine tooth comb and nothing significant has been revealed, so we are just going to have to let him tell us when he’s ready to go back to the races.

“We’re not going to put a programme on him, and realistically the one remaining race for him in Europe is the Arc. But we want to know he is back on song and giving everyone the vibes we’re looking for.

“We want to be convinced he’s going to do himself justice. All the signs were that he would at Ascot, but he didn’t. Perhaps he just needed a bit more time and perhaps he had a much harder race at Epsom than we thought.

“People need to remember that Ascot was only his fourth race. He’s a big, scopey horse and he may just need a bit more time to strengthen up.”

Not many Derby winners stay in training beyond their Classic campaign, but Grimthorpe is not ruling out the possibility of Workforce running as four-year-old.

He went on: “If he improves as much as Harbinger did between three and four, then we’re going to have something quite special. It’s certainly a possibility that he could stay in training, but we haven’t really got there yet. That will be Prince Khalid’s decision.”

Brilliant King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Harbinger is poised to drop back in trip for a crack at the Juddmonte International at York next month.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt is officially rated the best in the world after his 11-length demolition of Cape Blanco at Ascot last weekend.

While the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October remains the big objective for the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing-owned four-year-old, connections feel a run in the interim will be to his benefit.

Highclere manager Harry Herbert told www.highclereracing.co.uk: “The horse looks really well and Sir Michael reports that he has now put back all of the weight he lost during the race.

“He feels it is too long a gap between now and the Arc for Harbinger not to have another race and with this in mind, we are seriously considering running him in the Juddmonte International on August 17.”

Harbinger has powered his way to the title of top-rated racehorse in the world thanks to his breathtaking performance in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Racing’s official assessors had no problem in raising the Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt forward from a mark of 123 to 135 following his 11-length romp in Ascot’s midsummer showpiece on Saturday.

“You’ve got to be very impressed. He looked an improving colt before the race,” Phil Smith, the British Horseracing Authority’s head of handicapping, told At The Races.

“All his performances this year were very progressive and I expected him to a run a big race. I didn’t think he’d win and I certainly didn’t think he’d win like that.

“We looked at the second horse, Cape Blanco, and imagined what if Harbinger had not been in the race. Cape Blanco was 119 going into the race and so we took the view that Cape Blanco had replicated his 119.

“We therefore just had to decide what we called the 11 lengths. We took the view that was worth 16lb, which would be pretty much the norm and brings Harbinger out on 135.

“It’s quite a big jump – we had him on 123 before that – but I’m pretty confident he’s that and could probably be better. It was very impressive.”

He went on: “Instantly we’ve got Harbinger 1lb below Sea The Stars’ end-of-season performance (in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe). He has still got one, two or possibly three more races to come, so we will see how he runs in his subsequent races.

“It may well be we have him as high or higher than Sea The Stars. He’s the best horse in the world today, definitely, but he’s not the best horse ever. He’s got a hell of a lot to prove.

“It was a once performance. No-one could get any of his previous performances into the 130s, even though he looked to be climbing the ladder. We would want him to do it again before we can get him into the late 130s or early 140s. He’s got to do something similar in the future.”

Harry Herbert is still on cloud nine following Harbinger’s scarcely believable display in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

The Dansili colt was tackling Group One company for the first time in the Betfair-sponsored contest but barely came off the bridle in breaking the course record and scoring by 11 lengths.

Harbinger’s Derby-winning stablemate Workforce and Irish Derby hero Cape Blanco were among those left trailing in his wake and Herbert, racing manager to owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, admits the display is still hard to take in.

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in for any of us and it was one of those rare racecourse performances where it is difficult to believe it actually happened,” he said.

“I think it was a once-in-a-lifetime performance and it’s hard to understand how horses can improve so rapidly, but he obviously has done and is doing so.

“I find it extraordinary that he’s broken the track record when he has really been given an easy time during the entire race. Olivier (Peslier) didn’t have to get after him once and watching the replay again I was as amazed and gobsmacked as I was at the time.

“There was that amazing shot where he came by Workforce and Cape Blanco on the bridle and it is just all so exciting.”

The four-year-old is now as short as even-money favourite to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October and Herbert has his eyes very much fixed on the French showpiece.

He continued: “It was a great performance and a great training performance and we will almost certainly look towards the Arc now. I’ll talk to Sir Michael (Stoute) and see whether he wants to go straight there or give him a prep race.

“I certainly couldn’t rule out the Breeders’ Cup and there are other races like the Japan Cup. Then the decision will have to be made about what we do next year. All of the owners will have to decide whether we keep him and race again.”

Harbinger put up a devastating performance to run right away with the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Olivier Peslier looked to be going best as he sat in fourth place as they turned into the straight in the Group One contest, and the response was electrifying when he asked for an effort.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt (4-1) brushed Derby winners Cape Blanco and Workforce aside as he powered an amazing 11 lengths clear, with Cape Blanco finishing second and Youmzain third.

Dar Re Mi has been ruled out of Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot after suffering a bruised foot.

John Gosden’s three-time Group One winner was due to tackle Derby hero Workforce as well as the talented Harbinger in the Betfair-sponsored contest but has been declared a non-runner.

Gosden’s racing secretary Peter Shoemark said: “She has bruised her foot and unfortunately that means she will be unable to run. It’s just unfortunate that it has come so close to the race but she will be absolutely fine. It’s not ideal but we’ll look forward now and the Yorkshire Oaks could be her next objective.”