Gosden issues ground warning about Jack Hobbs; Zawraq out
of Derby
John Gosden holds a significantly strong hand in Saturday’s Derby (Eng-G1) at
Epsom, with Golden Horn (Cape Cross) and Jack Hobbs (Halling) currently first
and second favorites for the blue riband, but the trainer was keeping an eye on
the possibly volatile weather forecast as he pondered the best option for the
latter.
Godolphin’s acquisition was second to his stable companion in the Dante S.
(Eng-G2) at York May 14 and pleased in a spin around the Surrey venue
during the “Breakfast with the Stars” morning, but the Clarehaven Stables
conditioner does not want to see quick ground prevail for him.
“The race is at 4:30 p.m. and if it is sunny and breezy, I would be
concerned. I will walk the track beforehand,” Gosden said.
“Godolphin and the other partners are aware that I will be doing that. Jack
Hobbs is a grand, scopey, rangy individual, who should improve with age. The
Derby comes soon enough for him. He is a talented individual, who I hope will be
racing at four and five.”
The bay has drawn the “lucky” stall 10, which has provided the winner on
seven occasions since 1986. If he makes the line-up, Jack Hobbs will be
partnered by William Buick for the first time in a race after he became
acquainted with him here the other day.
“He did everything in hand and went round there very well, so I was very
happy with him,” Buick said.
Buick was on Golden Horn at York, but was reluctant to separate the stable
companions on merit.
“Jack Hobbs may not have been the completely finished article in the Dante,
even though Golden Horn showed he had the better turn-of-foot,” he added. “Jack
Hobbs has taken a leap forward now and that has probably made a man of him. He
galloped out very well to the line at York and I think they’ll both stay.
“They are very classy and exciting horses and I’m aware that Golden Horn is
the main danger, but if I was on him I’d be thinking that about Jack Hobbs too.”
Godolphin took out their well-regarded Best of Times (Dubawi), but by far the
most significant withdrawal on Thursday was Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al
Maktoum’s Zawraq (Shamardal). One of the leading protagonists had suffered a
setback earlier in the week and connections of the April 12 Leopardstown Two
Thousand Guineas Trial winner were forced to accept defeat in the race to make
the line-up.
Racing manager Angus Gold explained, “He did a bit of work this morning and
moved beautifully under Pat Smullen, but by the time he got back to the yard he
was definitely not right again. It’s very bad timing.”
If draw statistics are taken at face value, Khalid Abdullah’s Epicuris (Rail
Link) has things against him exiting from stall 1, which has not housed a winner
since Oath in 1999. Unbeaten at two and crowning his campaign in the Criterium
de Saint-Cloud (Fr-G1), the imposing homebred suffered a surprise reversal by
Silverwave (Silver Frost) in the Prix la Force (Fr-G3) at Longchamp April 6
before refusing to enter the stalls for the Prix Greffulhe (Fr-G2) last month.
Behavorial specialist Nicolas Blondeau will be on hand to guide him in
Saturday, something which would not have been allowed under the French rules,
and trainer Criquette Head-Maarek is hoping he can better the sixth placing of
her only prior runner American Post 11 years ago.
“There will be a parade and crowds at Epsom, but he would have to face that
(at Chantilly) too,” she said. “He’ll be with Blondeau for two days and he
really helps calm him. Epicuris is very well-balanced and I think he’ll handle
Epsom.”
Also with a poor record is stall 2, which is where the May 7 Chester Vase
(Eng-G3) winner Hans Holbein (Montjeu) will start from.
Aidan O’Brien said of him, “He’s a horse who looks like getting a mile and a
half well and probably will get further in time and he wouldn’t mind ease in the
ground.”
As things stood mid-afternoon on Thursday, the going at Epsom was good with
head of racing and clerk of the course Andrew Cooper saying, “We have had a
drying day but the ground remains good, with a goingstick reading of 7.3 at 2
p.m. There is a risk of showers, maybe thundery, from 8 a.m. tomorrow. There is
no great certainty about the showers arriving, so we will have to just wait and
see what happens.”
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