Fruits Of Love was reported 'a little bit better' today as he battles to be fit for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.

But the five-year-old has been forced to miss a gallop that was part of his planned build-up to Saturday`s race.

And Mark Johnston admitted that the setback his stable-star suffered at the weekend is likely to affect the horse`s chance in the Ascot showpiece, for which he is 4-1 second favourite with Coral.

Fruits Of Love`s participation has been in doubt since he knocked his hock while swimming last Saturday - too close to the big race to allow the use of anti-inflammatory drugs.

After a checking last year`s King George third over at his Middleham stable, Johnston said this morning: 'It is a little bit better today.

'But that is not to say it is anything other than a fairly serious setback.

'We will keep trying but all we can do to reduce the swelling and the pain is to use ice and cold water - we can`t use drugs.'

The setbackhas forced his trainer to redraw Fruits Of Love`s preparation for the unofficial mid-season mile-and-half championship of Europe.

'We will keep his exercise going,' Johnston said. 'But he would have galloped today or tomorrow and he won`t do that now.

'He will do steady canters on our fast gallop as our all-weather gallop and round gallops are both quite stiff and would put pressure on his hock.

'We will also look at taking him to Peter Calver`s old place at Ripon, which we bought in the winter and has a grass gallop, and we might take him on the box there tomorrow.

'It will undoubtedly affect his chance on Saturday.

'My guess is we will get the swelling down but you can never tell how he will react and whether he will favour it until he comes under pressure and so we won`t know until in the race itself.

'I would hope we would be in a position to know whether he will run by Thursday.' - PA