ARCADIA, Calif. - Two years ago in Britain, Missed the Cut reeled off three consecutive wins, ending with an easy victory in the Golden Gates Stakes at the world-famous Royal Ascot meeting. Missed the Cut is arguably in better form this year, evidenced by his second consecutive Grade 3 win in Saturday’s $100,000 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Santa Anita. The win has led to a plan by trainer John Sadler and the partnership that owns Missed the Cut to run the 5-year-old in the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Keeneland on April 20 in advance of an expected trip to Royal Ascot. “He’ll probably run in the Elkhorn,” Sadler said on Sunday. “We’ll give him a freshening into Royal Ascot.” :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Sadler said a race at Royal Ascot has not been chosen, but one option is the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, a $314,000 race at 1 1/2 miles on June 22. In the San Luis Rey Stakes, Missed the Cut was never far from the front in a field of five and rallied wide to lead in the final furlong under jockey Antonio Fresu. Missed the Cut will face a decent test in the $350,000 Elkhorn Stakes, which brings together runners from throughout the East Coast and Midwest. “I think he’ll run well at Keeneland,” Sadler said. Owned by the partnership of Bee Zee LLC, Lanes End Racing, St. Elias Stables, Edward Babington and Edward and Lynne Hudson, Missed the Cut has won 7 of 15 starts and earned $445,777, racing in Europe, Saudi Arabia and the United States. In 2023, Missed the Cut started four times on dirt in California with mixed results. He won the Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup at 1 1/2 miles last October, but was last of 12 behind White Abarrio in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita last November in his most recent start on that surface. Missed the Cut has raced on only turf since Christmas, with no plans for a surface switch, Sadler said. “They wanted him to make it as a dirt horse,” Sadler said. “This year, it’s been a turf campaign.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.