Equinties - Godolphin clean sweep

Gm Equinauts

It was a beautiful weekend for the boys in blue…

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUND UP

CLASSIC MELTDOWN

Racing X is a funny place most of the time. No one is ever happy, there is always something wrong with the game, and there are always a few boom merchants and cry babies screaming across the platform in equal measure.

Well, Racing X didn’t disappoint after the 2000 Guineas thanks to FIELD OF GOLD and, more notably, Kieran Shoemark.

Before we talk about Shoey, let’s talk about the winner of the 2000 Guineas, RULING COURT.

William Buick rode a mighty fine race here. He cajoled his mount along with three furlongs to go so he wouldn’t be left behind, and on his first run at Newmarket, RULING COURT handled the track well to pull alongside and kick away.

It was a nice performance, and it was a pretty decent performance from SHADOW OF LIGHT as well considering Buick deserted him. Having been unsure if he would stay the mile, Mickael Barzalona reported that he did, and now he is off to the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

As for RULING COURT, he has some rather big assignments going forward. Charlie Appleby was always vocal that he was using the Guineas as a prep for the Derby, and he could well be a horse for the Triple Crown.

He said: “We definitely think he’s a Derby horse and if he wins that… it’s good for the sport to have an incentive like this, so we’ll go for the Derby and then we’ll see where we are, but the Derby is a race we always saw him running in.”

Betfred are offering up a £2 million bonus if any horse can do the Triple Crown, so with that kind of money on offer, it would be hard to ignore.
Anyway, what about FIELD OF GOLD?

You know it’s a controversial ride when Matt Chapman, often seen as the jockeys’ best friend in the punditry world, did his own personal video on social media and found Kieran Shoemark to interview him at Newmarket yesterday.

Shoemark admitted yesterday that he knew he had messed up when he was going into the dip and the horse didn’t quite respond as quickly as he had in the Craven. That said, the race set up nicely for him albeit he was in the wrong position, he had plenty of cover, and Shoey had all the engine plus some underneath him … ultimately they had a nightmare not winning. They should have won the 2000 Guineas. It’s as simple as that.

To add further weight to this discussion, John Gosden’s interview with ITV all but confirmed that the legendary trainer thought the ride was why he lost the 2000 Guineas, not the horse itself.

When asked if this was a 2000 Guineas that got away, much like Kingman’s 2014 Guineas, Gosden said: "It's not dissimilar.” Ouch. It was clear what happened on Saturday, and Shoey won’t need reminding of it any time soon. We move.

WEEKEND FOR THE AGES

Yes, we’re still talking about the boys in blue because, well, they had a weekend for the ages.

That’s right, Godolphin bred and owned the winner of the 1000 Guineas, Kentucky Derby, and Kentucky Oaks this weekend, while their 2000 Guineas winner was bought for 2.3 million at the Arqana breeze-up sales last year.

Click the YouTube link below to see it:

Let’s focus on the 1000 Guineas winner, DESERT FLOWER. The vibes were really strong from the Godolphin camp ahead of this weekend, and she was very strong in the market.

Bet365 may have super boosted her Sunday, and the Blogger’s money was down, but even that double penalty couldn’t stop her.

It was a bit of a weird race to work out. The group closest to stand side was made of just FLIGHT, RED LETTER, and REMAAT, and as the camera changed with two furlongs to go, it looked like they had the advantage, causing DESERT FLOWER backers to sweat.

FLIGHT and RED LETTER then drifted towards DESERT FLOWER, which wouldn’t have been ideal, while Appleby’s unbeaten daughter of NIGHT OF THUNDER kept straight and true to show her superiority producing what was a pretty cut-and-dry performance. Both of Ollie Sangster’s fillies, FLIGHT and SIMMERING, ran huge races.

Remember those strong vibes we were talking about? Well, they continued post-race as well, as Appleby said: "It's been amazing. It took us long enough to win a Guineas with the colts and people have been asking where the fillies were, but we've found one now and she's the best we've had. I see no reason why she can't step up in trip.”

That final line is key. Appleby has never won the Oaks, and it would complete Appleby’s set for British Classics if she were to go to Epsom and win. It’s incredible to think that Godolphin have two Guineas winners who could both go off favourite for the Epsom Classics, and if they both obliged, they could both have eyes on the St Leger for the Triple Crown.

The last filly to win the ‘Fillies’ Triple Crown’ was OH SO SHARP in 1985. Boy, it would be fun to see it attempted with DESERT FLOWER.

Anyway, she is now 5/2 for the Oaks, with FALAKEYAH at 10/1, LAKE VICTORIA at 14s alongside TARIMA, and DREAMY at 16/1. FALAKEYAH was a shortener in the market yesterday after her impressive Pretty Polly Stakes wins, but Owen Burrows was quick to pour water on the idea.

So, in what doesn’t look like a vintage crop for the Oaks, DESTER FLOWER is very much the correct favourite.

THE DERBY PROBLEM

Epsom Downs, specifically the Derby, is becoming a bit of a problem child.

It’s well-documented how the racecourse itself is something the Jockey Club have economic issues with because, well, the racecourse only really has the Derby weekend. Away from that, it’s pretty meaningless.

The Epsom Derby is great, and it still attracts big numbers from the general public to watch the race, but it’s no where near the same level as, say, the Grand National and it’s quite clear from photos then and now that the crowds are different.

So, how have the Jockey Club tried to ‘big up ' the Epsom Derby? Well, last year they held a draw for the Derby stalls outside a Wetherspoons with no crowd, that was disastrous.

They also floated the idea of a seven-day Derby Festival meeting.

The seven-day meeting never really got off the ground, but live TV draws for the stalls is not something new in racing. They do a special one for the Stewards’ Cup every year where a trainer gets to pick the stall, and they are revisiting this idea this year.

In news released yesterday, there will be an Epsom Derby draw using the same equipment used for the FA Cup and, quite remarkably, declarations for the race will be made at the 72-hour stage rather than the standard 48 hours. The decision has been made in order to “innovate and ensure our sport’s most iconic flat race continues to stand out from the rest”, according to Epsom general manager Jim Allen.

He continued: “Having consulted with a range of stakeholders we are confident this change will not only help build anticipation for the world’s most famous Flat race earlier in the week but also provide more certainty around the runners and riders on the day, driving more interest and engagement before the start of the Betfred Derby festival.”

72-hour decs are bold. Say the ground is uncertain 72 hours out from the Derby – should trainers declare their horse and potentially travel them over only to declare them a non-runner?

As expected, trainers aren’t overly happy with this, starting with Aidan O’Brien.

He said: "What I would say is that 12 hours is a long time in a racehorse's life, never mind 72. I'm not complaining as that is what they've decided to do and they have their reasons, but it wouldn't have been our preference to do something like that.

"I think they’ll give it a go and see what is going to happen. The problem about doing it like that is that you could have non-runners. Horses might not be right and lots of things can change."

Do we think this will ultimately alter the build-up for the Epsom Derby? On the face of it, we’re not sure. If the BHA/Jockey Club have a big boost in promotion/advertising to go alongside it, then maybe? However, this is horse racing – we aren’t the most forward-thinking. ‘Premierisation’ got the green light without any money put aside for promotion, so there is precedent to suggest that projects get the go-ahead without proper consultation.

We guess it’s worth trying, but they need to really hit the marketing. We’re open to business, if you’re reading this BHA!

WEEKEND EYE-CATCHERS

FROST AT DAWN - SATURDAY 13.10 NEWMARKET

William Knight had a good weekend at HQ thanks to a winner with STORY HORSE on Sunday, but he nearly caught his first success on the weekend one day before in the Listed Ellen Chaloner Stakes. FROST AT DAWN was just denied by a neck in the opener on 2000 Guineas Day having stumbled at the start.

That didn’t really stop her as she still went prominently, but it wouldn’t have helped.
The front pair pulled well-clear of the third, VADREAM, and this horse has been campaigned aggressively over here and in Meydan. She’ll like the faster ground this summer and could turn into a fun little horse for sprint contests.

KIHAVAH - SUNDAY 14.55 NEWMARKET

One of the big eye-catchers this weekend was KIHAVAH in the 1m6f handicap yesterday because, well, he got absolutely no run through. PJ McDonald waited and waited and waited and waited some more, but he didn’t get a good run at all.
He pulled him out for a run late-on, but it was too late and all he could manage was fifth.

He is on a career-high mark now, but he’s ever-so consistent and can land another handicap this season.

The other eye-catcher we backed was MERCHANT. He’s well in…

RISK ON

20.00 SNOW CREEK

6f was too short for this chap last time out and this step up should suit. He’s rumoured to have a little bit of a weak mindset but should be well-handicapped enough to go close. We’re hoping 9/2 is a good ew play with most firms paying 3 places, Denise paying 4 if you can use them.

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