With racing there is always a little history involved. One of the few top races John Gosden has never won as a trainer is the one-mile 2,000 Guineas, and many of us hoped that after a scintillating performance in the Craven Stakes his Field of Gold was going to fill the most significant hole in his trophy cabinet. That eye-catching run had ensured that, like his Gosden-trained sire Kingman, Field of Gold started favourite. Sadly, just like his sire, he finished half a length second in the Guineas last Saturday, narrowly failing to catch the Charlie Appleby-trained winner Ruling Court.
Gosden doesn’t do sour grapes and few would contest his post-race comment: ‘The winner has kicked and gone and we ran out of racetrack. Given another 25 yards, it would have been ours.’ So was it jockey error? Not for me. Kieran Shoemark, who had a miserable time with the armchair critics last year on succeeding Frankie Dettori as the Gosden stable jockey, rode exactly the same race he had done in the Craven, settled at the back and coming with a late run. Unfortunately for Kieran, Field of Gold was just that fraction slower than Ruling Court under William Buick in picking up when the two riders asked their mounts for maximum revs. There is a temporary hole in my bank balance but I can’t wait to see the pair clash again – and see the imposing grey Field of Gold when Team Gosden reckons he is strong enough to tackle ten furlongs.
At this time of year I try to offer Turf readers a dozen horses worth following through the season, not all Classic contenders or potential world-beaters, but those who will hopefully be seen on a few Saturday cards and contesting handicaps at festivals like Ascot and Goodwood. It will be a fascinating season. Will this be the year Rossa Ryan becomes champion jockey? Will Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing start to see some results from its massive bloodstock expenditure? What will Ralph Beckett do as a follow-up to winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Bluestocking and a Breeders’ Cup with Starlust last year? If Ralph’s horses were apples in a bran tub you surely couldn’t dip your hand in without pulling out a winner: they scored with 49 juveniles last year. Since he says he’d be disappointed if his Seacruiser isn’t a Stakes horse, let’s open our Twelve with him.
By contrast, Jim Goldie’s American Affair looked a promising sprinter, winning first time out at Kelso when not fully ready. ‘He’s got a good arse on him,’ said jockey Paul Mulrennan.
Another sprinter from the North in good hands is Michael Dods’s Northern Ticker, named because his owner was undergoing a heart procedure. Charlie Hills, who has trained Irish Classic winners and handled top sprinters like Muhaarar and Battaash, had a poor season by his high standards, but looks back on track, with Jason Watson riding many for the Lambourn yard. His once-promising juvenile Cicero’s Gift ran well behind Dancing Gemini and has hopefully been rejuvenated after being gelded and undergoing wind surgery.
There is a temporary hole in my bank balance but I can’t wait to see the pair clash again
Harry Charlton looks to have a promising all-round team and his Cosmic Year is well fancied for the Irish 1,000 Guineas. Let’s include his speedy Completely Random. Amo Racing’s main trainer, Raphael Freire, looks to have a promising stayer in Mr Hampstead, a Goodwood winner last week, and Ed Walker’s Sir Lowry’s Pass is unbeaten at Goodwood after winning a nine furlong handicap there.
On Guineas day at Newmarket, Sir Mark Prescott’s Born Ruler caught my eye as one likely to win over longer than that. Lambourn trainer Owen Burrows turns up something of real quality most seasons and his Gethin impressed when winning over ten furlongs at Newbury. James Fanshawe is no stranger to success at Ascot and his Kind Of Blue is by Blue Point, who won five times at the track. Karl Burke is sweeping all before him with two-year-olds and I include his four-year-old Night Raider after two stirring victories on the all-weather. Finally, there looked to be a touch of class about William Haggas’s Frankel filly Consecrated in her all-the-way victory at Newbury.
So how did our Twelve do over the winter? First a confession. In final selections for the team I miscounted and included 13, as keen readers noted. But they did us proud. Between them they contested 41 races. Hollygrove Cha Cha, Lavender Hill Mob, L’eau Du Sud, Potters Charm, Imperial Saint and White Rhino all won races. So did Fergal O’Brien’s Leloopa at a handsome 22-1, while Tom Lacey’s Cruz Control scored for the second time at Aintree’s Grand National meeting at 10-1. Our star though was Gavin Cromwell’s Inothewayurthinkin who defeated the mighty Galopin Des Champs to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup at a highly respectable 17-2. With nine individual winners you can’t ask for much better and our profit through the season to a £10 win stake was a healthy £218.
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