Tag Archive for: Angus Gold

Group One engagement on agenda for classy Anmaat

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Connections of Anmaat are toying with the idea of running in France if he does not take up his intended engagement in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on Sunday week.

The hugely-consistent Owen Burrows-trained five-year-old, who won the Group Two Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp in October, opened this season with a runner-up effort behind 2021 Derby winner Adayar in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket earlier this month.

The son of Awtaad, who stayed on well under Jim Crowley to get within two and a half lengths of the classy winner, has won six of his 11 starts and placed on the other five occasions.

Now Anmaat could take the step into Group One company for the first time.

Angus Gold, racing manager for the gelding’s owners Shadwell Estates, said: “He has come out of the Gordon Richards well.

“The original plan was always to look at the Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland at the end of next week.

“Either that, or the Prix d’Ispahan (May 29). We will look at those, as long as he is in good shape.”

Plans are similarly fluid for the William Haggas-trained Mujtaba, who was beaten a neck by Point Lonsdale in last week’s Huxley Stakes at Chester.

Mujtaba (right) was touched off by Point Lonsdale (left) at Chester
Mujtaba (right) was touched off by Point Lonsdale (left) at Chester (David Davies/PA)

“I don’t know what the plans are as yet,” said Gold. “I thought he ran a good race. Jim (Crowley) was a bit annoyed with himself. He said if he sat right up Ryan’s backside, he thought he would have won it.

“I think that is being a bit harsh. That was only his first run of the season and he is a big, galloping horse.

“I know he has won at Chester, but he’s also run badly there before. I don’t think it suits him. He wants a more galloping track ideally.

“For me, at least it showed he belongs in that sort of company and I thought he ran a very good race.

“He’ll go anywhere where there is a bit of decent ground. He wouldn’t want quick ground.”

Mutasaabeq has eyes on Lockinge prize this weekend

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Mutasaabeq will bid to break his Group One duck in Saturday’s Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, with connections confident his rivals “will have to go some to beat him”.

The Charlie Hills-trained five-year-old defied a penalty to beat last year’s Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Native Trail in the bet365 Mile, which was switched to Newmarket’s Guineas meeting after heavy rain forced Sandown’s card to be abandoned the previous week.

The Shadwell Estates-owned Mutasaabeq, who registered a fourth win at Rowley Mile course, was one of 16 horses confirmed for the Lockinge on Monday.

Angus Gold, Shadwell’s racing manager, believes his victory in the Joel Stakes last September in first-time blinkers showed improvement and the signs are that he will continue to progress.

“He goes to the Lockinge. It was a nice performance last time. It didn’t surprise me that he stayed on well, because he looked like he wanted that (a mile) before,” said Gold.

“Obviously, you don’t go into a race like that thinking you are going to beat a Guineas winner necessarily, but I was obviously really pleased with him.”

Winner of six of his 13 starts, Mutasaabeq seeks a hat-trick after back-to-back Group Two victories.

He could take on Ralph Beckett’s dual Group One winner Angel Bleu, Sun Chariot runner-up Laurel, Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Modern Games and Champion Stakes third My Prospero in what is shaping up to be an excellent renewal, although Inspiral is a notable absentee.

Gold feels match fitness should benefit the son of Invincible Spirit, adding: “All being well, if he turns up in the same sort of form he was at Newmarket, they will all have to go some to beat him.

“Certainly the early signs – and though it is only one run so far – are that his behaviour was much better. He is a much more mature and relaxed horse and he was heading very much the right way the other day.

“The blinkers certainly didn’t seem to do him any harm.”

Mostahdaf team eyeing distance switch for Dubai fourth

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Mostahdaf is likely to be dropped back to 10 furlongs when he returns to action following a respectable effort when up against Japanese superstar Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

John and Thady Gosden’s five-year-old produced a career best to win the mile-and-a-quarter Neom Turf Cup in tremendous fashion in February.

But he had the misfortune of bumping into Tetsuya Kimura’s ultra-impressive colt when upped to a mile and a half at Meydan, paying the price for trying to match strides with Equinox and fading into fourth in the World Cup night Group One.

Having secured £750,000 for his Riyadh success and topped that up with a further £250,000 for finishing fourth in Dubai, the son of Frankel is now enjoying a well-earned rest before recommencing battle on home soil later in the summer.

“He bumped into a monster and I thought he ran a great race,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell, when reflecting on Mostahdaf’s exploits in the early part of 2023.

“He probably paid the price for chasing the winner off the bend late on and faded to fourth. The winner was that good he just went right away and our horse tried to go with him off the bend and paid for that.

“I think we will probably drop him back in trip in time to a mile and a quarter. He has plenty of pace, as we saw in Saudi the time before.

“I spoke to John (Gosden) and he seemed very happy with the horse and he seems to have come out of the race in really good shape. We’ll just freshen him up, give him a little break and hopefully have him back mid-summer.

“He’s done us proud and has earned £1million before the season has started over here.”

Although there may be few secrets left to discover about Mostahdaf, there is plenty to learn about his half-brother Mostabshir in the coming months.

Also trained by the Gosdens, the Dark Angel colt is nearing a return following a taking debut at Kempton in November and is a possible for a Guineas trial in the next couple of weeks if continuing to please connections.

“We’re happy with him so far and he will probably run during that Craven week, either at Newmarket or Newbury,” continued Gold.

“We will just see nearer the time if that will be the Craven Stakes or the conditions race there (Newmarket), or even the Greenham.

“But we will see how he is doing and whether we want to start him off a bit easier than that, or if everyone is happy with him and we go for a trial.

“He’s won his only start and he’s potentially nice, but now we have to see the next step.”

Breeders’ Cup a long-term possibility for Saudi scorer Mostahdaf

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Connections of Mostahdaf may target the Breeders’ Cup Turf at the end of the year should he continue to sparkle this summer.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained colt took his earnings to over £1million with a seven-length demolition of a strong Neom Turf Cup field in Riyadh on Saturday.

Jim Crowley’s mount was one of the easiest winners over the two-day Saudi Cup meeting and following his eighth victory in 13 career starts, the son of Frankel may now head to Dubai for the Sheema Classic.

Angus Gold, racing manager to owners Shadwell Estate Company, said plans for Mostahdaf could involve working back from the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita in November.

“He hasn’t got back to England yet, so we haven’t sat down to discuss plans,” said Gold. “Obviously, we want to see that he is in good shape and take it from there, but the Sheema Classic is the obvious route.

“I’d be silly if I said anything other than I was very impressed by him. On his day, he is a pretty high-class horse. He seems to go well fresh.

“I thought they did brilliantly to prepare a horse like that through an English winter, to go out and run a race like that first-time out.”

Very soft conditions did not suit when last of 20 in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp in October.

Jim Crowley/Riyadh
Jim Crowley gives the post-race de-brief to Thady Gosden (left) and Shadwell’s assistant racing manager Richard Hills (Simon Milham/PA)

Yet the five-year-old looked in great shape ahead of the Group Three Neom Turf Cup and from an ideal draw at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse, Crowley had the race won turning for home, before he was eased down at the end of the extended mile-and-a-quarter race.

“He was in a perfect spot and all went his way,” said Gold.

“The one thing we do know about him is he loves proper fast ground. He moved beautifully on that fast ground on Saturday.

“Jim said to me that something like aiming him backwards at the Breeders’ Cup at the end of the year on fast ground, the mile-and-a-half race, might be an option.

“We haven’t sat down to make any long-term plans, though. With these sort of horses, it is fairly obvious sort of races. If he goes back to the Sheema, he is going to need a break then, so there will be nothing early.

“Depending on how he comes out of it all, you’d obviously look at Royal Ascot.

“I would say anything mid-summer onwards, anything from a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half would suit.

“He had plenty of speed on Saturday, but we know he stays a mile and a half.

“The options are varied, but we know he goes well fresh and so I think we will pick and choose our spots, but get him through Dubai first in one piece, hopefully.”

Hukum back in training after injury break

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Coronation Cup winner Hukum will be kept in training, with a mid-summer return in mind for the lightly-raced six-year-old.

Hukum gave trainer Owen Burrows a first Group One success in June when landing the Epsom contest under Jim Crowley.

After beating Pyledriver, who had won the same prize in 2021, thoughts turned to a run in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

However, those plans were short-lived. While Pyledriver took the King George, the Shadwell-owned horse required surgery on an injury picked up during his Epsom success, having been found lame when he returned to Farncombe Down Stables in Hungerford.

The injury, which required three screws inserted into a hind leg, has now healed and Hukum is likely race on in a bid to add to a tally of nine wins from 15 starts and earnings of over £630,000.

Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold said of the six-time Group winner: “He has been back in training a while now, so as long as he stays in one piece, he will remain in training.

“There isn’t a plan. There is no point having a plan in January, as we don’t know if he will be sound in the middle of February.

“I would think he will be out from the middle of summer onwards. We need to take one step at a time with him. There is no point making a plan in case it all goes wrong.

“Hopefully we can stay on track.”