Gosden saddles two in Dante; Stoute seeks seventh Middelton
victory with Bragging
Renewals of the Dante S. (Eng-G2) rarely come as
potentially informative as Thursday’s edition, with all the leading protagonists for Epsom bar Zawraq
(Shamardal) lining up for the leading blue riband trial on York’s Knavesmire circuit.
Despite their prominent place in the winter ante-post lists for the Derby
(Eng-G1), both Ballydoyle colts
John F Kennedy (Galileo) and Ol’ Man River (Montjeu) were last
and soundly beaten in their respective sophomore bows in the April 12 Ballysax S.
(Ire-G3) at Leopardstown and May 2 Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) at Newmarket, respectively.
Ryan Moore is on
the former, who at least has faster ground to help redeem a reputation now tarnished
after he had become the talk of Tipperary when winning the Juvenile Turf S.
(Ire-G3), also at Leopardstown, in September. Ol’ Man River had a slick surface in the Guineas, but never looked comfortable at any stage and it would be remarkable if the Beresford S.
(Ire-G2) winner could turn around his fortunes in just 12 days.
Unusually, it is a colt without any pattern-race form who heads the betting in ultra-impressive 10-furlong
Sandown handicap winner Jack Hobbs (Halling). Despite the obvious merit of that 12-length rout
on April 24, his presence has not deterred connections of the Prix du Jockey Club
(Fr-G1)-bound fellow John Gosden trainee Golden Horn (Cape Cross) in taking part. The latter sports the famed Oppenheimer silks and was widely heralded
as one of the season’s more exciting prospects when taking Newmarket’s listed Feilden
S. going nine furlongs on April 15.
“You’ve got to come here and test the waters on lovely
ground in these important trials,” Gosden said. “It’s a true track and a proper track with a
long straight and no excuses or hiding places. One is in the English and one in the French
Derby, so it makes sense to run them together. They are still relatively inexperienced
horses in that developmental phase, so this will tell us a lot more.”
Qatar Racing’s Elm Park (Phoenix Reach)
offers a solid line of form to the mix after besting the re-opposing Nafaqa (Sir Percy)
in the Royal Lodge S. (Eng-G2) at Newmarket in September and following up in Doncaster’s Racing Post Trophy
(Eng-G1) the next month. Andrew Balding dodged a fast-ground Guineas and has
been rewarded with some serious rainfall in the interim as his stable star bids to
emulate Authorized and Motivator in completing the Racing Post Trophy-Dante
double.
“It has been a bit tricky, as he was at his peak ready
to run in the Guineas, but the main thing is the horse has to run in a trial and get his season
going,” Balding said. “Whatever he does at York, I think he will come on for the run. If he
performs up to our expectations at York, I think he can have a big impact on the
Investec Derby. There does not appear to have been anything overwhelming from the trials so far.
There is very often a horse you notice that was staying on in the Guineas, but there
doesn’t seem to be anything from that race this year. It seems everyone is turning up at York.”
Sir Michael Stoute holds the record of most winners of York’s Middleton S.
(Eng-G2), and it would come as no surprise to see Freemason Lodge
celebrating a seventh on Thursday’s card with the progressive Bragging (Exchange Rate).
Brought out just 11 days after her comeback win in the nine-furlong Dahlia S.
(Eng-G3) at Newmarket, Khalid Abdullah’s bay has obviously given all the right signals for her trainer
to make such an uncharacteristic move in backing her up.
Penalized for their top-level wins in 2014, Elite Racing Club’s Prix Jean Romanet
(Fr-G1) heroine Ribbons (Manduro) and Kirsten Rausing’s British Champions Fillies & Mares S.
(Eng-G1) scorer Madame Chiang (Archipenko) both need the ground not to dry out further. The latter won over this course and distance in
the Musidora S. (Eng-G3) when it was soft 12 months ago and her two efforts before Champions Day — when 10th in the Epsom Oaks
(Eng-G1) in June and sixth in the Prix Vermeille (Fr-G1) at Longchamp in September — came on ground with no ease in it.
“She looks terrific and has done very well from three to four,” trainer David Simcock
remarked. “We may not see her
at her best at a mile and a quarter on this ground with a penalty, but we have to start
somewhere and the main objective for the first part of the season is the Pretty
Polly S. ([Ire-G1] at The Curragh on June 28). She’s got a great top gear, but it’s getting there that
takes a little while so she might need soft ground over this trip.”
It will be interesting to see what Qatar Racing Ltd. and Newsells Park Stud’s Secret Gesture (Galileo) can achieve this year, having
looked to plateau in 2014 despite sound efforts when second in this race and in the York
S. (Eng-G2) over the same track and trip.