Classic redemption beckons for Field Of Gold in the Irish 2,000 Guineas
Field Of Gold can earn compensation for his near miss at Newmarket by taking the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas, the first Irish Classic of the season, on Saturday afternoon at the Curragh.
John and Thady Gosden's colt won two of his four outing as a juvenile and was most impressive in the Craven on his return to action. On the back of that, he was sent off favourite for the Newmarket 2000 Guineas but his late charge for glory came up just shy of Ruling Court.
He took a little time to find full stride on that occasion but finished off to great effect and there is every chance this track will help bring out the best in him. He probably isn't a mile ahead of the opposition, but his Newmarket effort sets the standard, and he can emulate his sire, Kingman, who won this in 2014.
Scorthy Champ and Expanded were disappointing at Newmarket and there wasn't enough in their efforts to suggest they could improve enough to win this just three weeks later. Hotazhell was a Group 1 winner at two and is interesting on his return to action, while the unbeaten Cosmic Year may carry his head high, but he is a smart sort, worthy of respect.
Windlord is one of the outsiders, and third choice of three in the Juddmonte colours, but he can outrun his odds. He isn't entirely straightforward, which he showed when hanging left in the straight at the end of the Classic Trial at Sandown, but he has plenty of ability and if allowed to race prominently and not in a pacemaker role, he could cause an upset.
The nap on the card goes to Himalayan Heights in the Tulfarris Hotel And Golf Resort Handicap. Always a smart sort, he looked much improved when winning on his return, after being gelded, and there is every reason to expect further improvement despite him having to run off a career-high mark of 93.
In the Group 2 Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes, Storm Boy is an obvious starting point, but the Australian import is hard to assess. The market will speak volumes with regard to his claims but regardless of which way he trends, Iberian makes plenty of each-way appeal. Unlucky last time, on his first run after wind surgery, the make-up of the race should suit, and he has leading claims.
Sunday is Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas day and Aidan O'Brien can claim an 11th win in the race courtesy of Lake Victoria. During her juvenile season, she won three Group 1s, but her trainer admitted from an early stage of this season that it would be a struggle to get her to the Newmarket Guineas.
In the end, she managed to turn up there but looked like a filly who badly needed the outing. Beaten just two and a half lengths into sixth place behind Desert Flower, she ran a superb race, and with much improvement expected, she will be hard to beat.
Flight, who finished runner-up in Newmarket, seems not to have been given the credit she deserves. She raced in a small group on the near side of the track, away from the group which contained five of the first six home, and ran a huge race to be beaten just a length by Desert Flower. She has the scope to improve further and should not be dismissed lightly.
The Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup is a superb race on paper, and it may pay to side with the only filly in the race, Kalpana.
The Andrew Balding-trained Juddmonte filly developed rapidly last season, and it culminated in that classy success in the Champion Stakes at Ascot. She is dropping back in trip just a touch but has always shown plenty of pace, so that shouldn't be an inconvenience. There is every reason to expect further progress from the four-year-old and she can prove too sharp for Los Angeles and White Birch.
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