William Haggas has decided against sending Rivet to Newcastle on Good Friday and he will instead head for the bet365 Craven Stakes at Newmarket next week.
The Racing Post Trophy winner had been under consideration for the inaugural running of the £100,000 32Red Burradon Conditions Stakes.
However, Haggas wants to be certain his disappointing run in the Dewhurst was down to a dislike of Newmarket and nothing else before he rules out a crack at the 2000 Guineas in favour of the French equivalent.
"He'll go to the Craven. I was very tempted (to run him at Newcastle) but I need to find something out about Newmarket," said Haggas.
"The jockey said he didn't like the track last year and I have a niggling doubt that wasn't the reason he didn't run to form, so I'd like to find about before the Guineas."
Martyn Meade’s Eminent will also run at Newmarket’s first meeting of the season, but his handler has yet to decide whether to aim him at the Craven or Feilden Stakes.
Eminent won his only outing as a two-year-old, over a mile at Newmarket last September, and is a general 33-1 chance for the first colts' Classic, while being widely available at 40-1 for the Investec Derby.
"From our point of view, at this stage he could be anything. Everything he is doing at home is fine. This is potentially our best horse in the yard," said Meade.
"He will have one major bit of work, then a pipe-opener before Newmarket.
"I think we were lucky to get away with one run last year. There was a bit of a temptation to go to the Racing Post Trophy, but I think on heavy ground at Doncaster there wouldn't have been too much point doing that.
"One has to be a little bit worried about the lack of experience, but that is why we want to run him in Craven week, so we can give him a bit of experience.
"To win first time out over a mile is a bit annoying in a way, as it would have been better winning over seven then we could have gone straight into the Craven for that. Now we have to consider whether we go for the Craven or the Feilden (over nine furlongs).
"He will be entered in both and we will decide from there. My own little feeling is that he is a horse that will get further than a mile.
"I would be more confident if it came up a bit softer. I would be quite happy with a bit of rain. I've got to look after him a bit, so a bit of give in the ground is important.
"He is entered in the Dante and we will look at the Derby, I think there is a possibility he is a Derby horse, but we have got to cross one bridge at a time. This is a bit of uncharted territory for us, as it is not like we have three Derby wins under our belt.
"He is a difficult horse to assess at home as he covers the ground so wonderfully. It doesn't look as if he is going terribly quick. He just lollops along and that is his style, like when he won at Newmarket.
"He took a bit of time to get himself organised and then as he hit the dip and came out of it there was no stopping him."
Meade added: "At the moment Jim Crowley is going to ride him, as he rode him in his first run. As long as his retained people (Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum) don't come in, that is the plan."
