Tag Archive for: John Gosden

Running Lion could be bound for Chantilly rather than Epsom

/in /by

John Gosden was hesitant to commit to a tilt at the Betfred Oaks with Running Lion following her dominant success in the Howden Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket.

The three-year-old was sent off at 100-30 for the Listed contest following a hat-trick of all-weather wins and was always travelling strongly in the hands of Oisin Murphy.

Once given her head, Running Lion soon put clear daylight between herself and her rivals and passed the post with four and a half lengths in hand over the runner-up Sumo Sam.

Betfred immediately slashed the winner to 7-1 for 20-1 for Epsom – but having seen her sire Roaring Lion come up short in the stamina department when third in the 2018 Derby, Gosden raised the French equivalent, the Prix de Diane, as a possible alternative.

“We’re delighted with her. We brought her down here for a piece of work and Oisin said we should go for the Pretty Polly rather than the 1000 Guineas as she’ll need the mile and a quarter, so we’ve made the right decision,” said the Clarehaven handler.

“Roaring Lion was a wonderful horse with all the Group Ones that he won. He won the Dante in tremendous style, we went to the Derby, he was the last one off the bridle and didn’t see out the mile and a half, so it will be very interesting with this filly whether she’s more Prix de Diane or a mile-and-a-half Oaks filly. We’ll have to give that a bit of thought.

“Anything’s possible and you’ve got more trials to come. There’s the Musidora at York and the Newbury trial and the filly of Sir Michael Stoute’s who won here on Friday (Infinite Cosmos) looked very classy, so we’ll see how it shapes up.”

John Gosden was delighted with Running Lion's performance
John Gosden was delighted with Running Lion’s performance (Mike Egerton/PA)

He added: “The jockey’s first reaction was to possibly stay at a mile and a quarter and I’m always interested as to what they say when they come back straight away, not when they’ve had time to think.

“We made the mistake with Roaring Lion, who hit the line strongly in the Dante but didn’t see out the trip in the Derby, so we’ll give it a lot of thought.

“The idea would be to go to one of the Oaks, which one it is I don’t know. We won the Diane last year (with Nashwa) and it’s a wonderful race, you just don’t want a bad draw.”

HMS President finished with a flourish to secure top honours in the £100,000 Howden Handicap.

Torcello gave a bold sight in front for much of the one-mile-six-furlong contest, but was unable to resist the late charge of Alan King’s 7-1 shot, with a neck separating them at the line.

HMS President (right) gets up to score at Newmarket
HMS President (right) gets up to score at Newmarket (Nigel French/PA)

Adjuvant also came home strongly to dead-heat with Torcello for second.

King’s assistant, Robin Smith, said of the Rossa Ryan-ridden winner: “I thought he got a bump early on and that lit him up and Rossa did a good job of managing him from then on.

“I thought if he could keep the horse on his outside (Adjuvant) behind him he’d keep finding and these big fields probably suit him as they go a gallop and come back to him if they go hard in front, like they did today.

“He’s a very talented horse and we’re very pleased to have him. The plan for some time has been to come here today and we’ll see where we go from here.”

Charlie Appleby followed up his earlier success with Adayar when newcomer On Point (8-11 favourite) dug deep to win the Howden British EBF Maiden Stakes.

The son of Blue Point is now likely to head to Sandown’s National Stakes before a Royal Ascot tilt.

“He’s been an honest little horse and a straightforward horse. He’s been very professional and we know the family on both sides so we were very keen to have a Blue Point winner.

“It’s fantastic and what you love to see is that he’s shown all the characteristics that his dad showed as a two-year-old, with showing up early and having natural speed. He was a bit fresh in the paddock when saddling beforehand, but you don’t mind that. You’d rather them get a feel for it all before the jockey gets on.

“As William (Buick) said, It’s hard to really assess as it was a bit of a two and a half furlong burn up, but he’s done it and knuckled down and we’ll hopefully get another run into him before we start making Ascot assessments. I’d say we’ll probably take a look (at the National Stakes), I’m always keen to try to get two runs in before Ascot.

“It’s a big day and a big occasion and sometimes you can lose a horse there (if you have only had one run previously). It takes a while to get them back and at least if they’ve cut their teeth a couple of times they’ve a bit better understanding of it all.”

No Coronation Classic bid for Slipofthepen

/in /by

Slipofthepen could be rerouted to the French 2000 Guineas after connections decided against a bid for Classic glory at Newmarket this weekend.

Two impressive all-weather wins at Kempton from John and Thady Gosden’s promising colt raised the exciting prospect that the three-year-old could give the King and the Queen Consort a runner in the Qipco 2000 Guineas on the ruling monarch’s Coronation Day.

Slipofthepen enjoyed a racecourse gallop on the Rowley Mile last week, but was not left in the first Classic of the season at Monday’s confirmation stage, with the team opting for a more patient approach.

Slipofthepen galloping at Newmarket
Slipofthepen galloping at Newmarket (The Jockey Club/John Hoy/Megan Ridgwell)

Speaking on Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast, the King’s racing manager John Warren said: “I think we were all hoping for that to be the case (that Slipofthepen would run in the 2000 Guineas), especially because it would have been both the King and the Queen Consort’s first Classic runner.

“But I think once we pieced all the jigsaw together and really analysed his prospects, I think we thought it’s come a little bit too soon. He’s an inexperienced horse who is only just learning how to use his legs as fast as he needs to.

“He’s won two races on the all-weather impressively and John Gosden thinks he’s up to becoming a high-class performer, (but) when we added it all together we felt it would be kinder to the horse to give him a little bit more experience.”

Slipofthepen could run at Royal Ascot for owner King Charles III
Slipofthepen could run at Royal Ascot for owner King Charles III (Molly Darlington/PA)

Whether Slipofthepen heads for ParisLongchamp or not, his main target is to run in front of his owners at Royal Ascot next month.

Warren added: “He’ll do some important racecourse gallops and because he’s held in high regard, there’s a possibility that we will not discount looking at the French Guineas.

“It’s early days to be firm on the plan, but here we are two weeks out from that and that’s what we’re looking at, and if we don’t make it there is the Heron Stakes at Sandown a few days later with the objective that all roads lead to Ascot, which would be great.

“We’re hoping the King and the Queen Consort will be able to attend racing that week, so it would be tremendous to give them a few runners.”

Arrest out to collar Sandown’s Classic Trial

/in /by

Arrest is given the opportunity to earn himself a shot at Derby glory when he makes his seasonal debut in the bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown.

The Group Three contest has proved a key pointer to the world’s most famous Flat race in the last couple of years, with 2021 runner-up Adayar going one better at Epsom and last season’s winner Westover finishing a luckless third in the Derby before lifting the Irish equivalent.

Like Westover, the John and Thady Gosden-trained Arrest is a son of the great Frankel and also carries the late Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte operation.

“We’re looking forward to seeing Arrest back in action, he’s in good nick and it’s a good starting point,” said Juddmonte’s racing manager Barry Mahon.

“It worked out well for us last year with Westover and hopefully history can repeat itself.”

Arrest certainly brings excellent credentials to the table in the 10-furlong contest, having won twice during his juvenile season before rounding off his campaign with a narrow defeat in the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

Frankie Dettori will be in the saddle on Friday, with the popular Italian still on the lookout for a ride in what will be his final Derby before retirement.

And with the forecast testing conditions not a major concern, Mahon is hopeful Arrest can advertise his Classic credentials.

He added: “He handled the heavy ground in France last year and I think it was pretty soft when he won at Ffos Las the time before. I think he’s pretty uncomplicated when it comes to ground conditions.

“The trials are all so tight and all so close to the big day, so I think if he was to go to a Derby, we’d probably do what we did last year with Westover and go straight there from Sandown.

“There’s a few nice types in the race, but our lad is ready to start and while I’m sure he’ll improve for the run, hopefully he’s fit enough to run well.”

Westover’s trainer Ralph Beckett bids for back-to-back wins with the promising Salt Bay.

Ralph Beckett has high hopes for Salt Bay
Ralph Beckett has high hopes for Salt Bay (Mike Egerton/PA)

An impressive winner on his Haydock debut in September, the Farhh colt subsequently finished third in the Criterium International and Beckett is excited ahead of his return.

“Salt Bay has trained well this spring and Sandown will suit. I’m looking forward to running him,” said the Andover-based trainer.

“I don’t think the trip will be an issue as he will probably get a mile and a half. It is a race we have thought about for a while for him.

“He is a generous worker and a very straightforward customer. I think he is a horse that will probably improve physically as he gets older as he is that type, but let’s hope he has improved enough over the winter to get competitive on Friday.

“Westover was much more experienced at this stage last year as he had already had three starts, whereas this fellow wouldn’t know quite as much, so the comparisons are unfair at this stage.”

Flying Honours won three of his five starts as a two-year-old for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby, including the Group Three Zetland Stakes at Newmarket on his most recent appearance.

Appleby said on www.godolphin.com: “Flying Honours has enjoyed a good prep and this has been his aim for a while.

“He hasn’t raced on ground like this before although his pedigree suggests that he should be OK and, if it places an emphasis on stamina, it will be another plus for him.”

Salisbury novice victor Circle Of Life represents the King and the Queen Consort for the trainer-jockey combination of Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore, while Andrew Balding raises Relentless Voyager’s sights following a runaway success in an all-weather maiden at Kempton last month.

Slipofthepen still in Guineas frame following Newmarket workout

/in /by

Slipofthepen could yet give King Charles III a Classic runner on his Coronation Day after warming up for a possible Qipco 2000 Guineas bid with a racecourse gallop at Newmarket.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained colt is a son of Night Of Thunder, who won the 2000 Guineas in 2014 for Richard Hannon, and has been visually impressive in winning each of his two starts to date.

The three-year-old enjoyed a leg stretch on the Rowley Mile on Thursday and retains the option of returning to the track on Saturday week, where he would carry the royal colours of the King and the Queen Consort just hours after His Majesty is officially crowned at Westminster Abbey.

Speaking after Slipofthepen’s morning gallop, John Gosden said: “He worked well and we’ll obviously make our decision over the next few days.”

Slipofthepen and James Doyle at Newmarket
Slipofthepen and James Doyle at Newmarket (Jockey Club/John Hoy/Megan Ridgwell/PA)

Slipofthepen is a best priced 20-1 to strike gold in the 2000 Guineas, a race the late Queen Elizabeth II won in 1958 with Pall Mall.

James Doyle has partnered Slipofthepen to his two Kempton triumphs and was also on board for his Thursday morning spin – and with stable jockey Frankie Dettori seemingly set to partner Chaldean in the Guineas, Godolphin-retained rider Doyle could again come in for the mount, subject to his availability.

“It depends. Frankie at the moment obviously has Chaldean, the Dewhurst winner, so we’ll just have to see,” Gosden added.

“Depending on what else runs, James may well be available. There are decisions to be made.”

Slipofthepen team in no rush to make Classic call

/in /by

Whether Slipofthepen bids for Classic glory in the colours of the King and Queen Consort on Coronation day has still to be decided.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained colt is as low as 12-1 in places for the Qipco 2000 Guineas, which takes place on May 6, the same day as King Charles’ Coronation to the throne.

Slipofthepen was bred by the Queen, who died in September, and is from the eighth generation of a family bred by the royal stud.

A debut winner by over five lengths at Kempton in November, he returned to the Sunbury venue to defy a penalty earlier this month.

In the aftermath of his recent victory, John Gosden mooted the St James’s Palace Stakes as a potential target.

“There are no exact plans at the moment,” said Gosden snr.

“There are two or three routes we could go but we are just going to sit on it until next week and then make decisions.”

Dettori back with a bang as he embarks on final British campaign

/in /by

Frankie Dettori insists he will not start crying just yet, as he began his final season riding in the UK in the best possible fashion when partnering Covey to an easy victory at Newmarket on Tuesday.

Dettori announced in December that 2023 would be his last year in the saddle and the 52-year-old has just returned from a fruitful spell in America.

While there is no denying Dettori’s Italian roots, Newmarket has been his home since 1985 when he arrived in the UK as a teenager and it was fitting that his swansong season began on his doorstep.

The afternoon began in less than auspicious circumstances for him when the fancied Unforgotten trailed home in last in the Close Brothers Handicap.

Then he teamed up with an old pal in Reach For The Moon, who this time last year was intended to be Dettori’s Derby mount before he failed to recover from an injury in time for a Classic bid.

The 2021 Solario Stakes winner now appears to be going in the wrong direction as having made the running early in first-time blinkers, the King’s runner tamely dropped away to also be last.

It was not going well for Dettori – two rides, both last. But then Covey stepped up to the plate in the Alex Scott Maiden Stakes.

Sent off the 5-6 favourite having chased home the potentially smart Zoology at Southwell on debut two weeks ago, Dettori decided to take matters into his own hands.

Dettori has won many a big race from the front and those tactics suited this Juddmonte-owned son of Frankel down to the ground, with the race all but over with two furlongs to run. He ended up an easy four-length winner.

He may be in his 50s and he may have been deprived of sleep, but Dettori is still the biggest draw in racing and the three-times champion jockey received a generous reception on his return to unsaddle.

“I arrived this morning, I slept two hours on the plane and two hours in my bed this morning!” he said.

“I had to start somewhere and I thought this was a good favourite. Reach For The Moon was a bit disappointing, but that’s the game and it’s good to get a win on the board.

“I was counting it this morning, I’ve got exactly six months left. It is six months until October 21 on Champions Day, but I’ve still got plenty to do and I’m not going to start crying yet, I’m going to enjoy it.

“He seemed a nice horse, he did it all on his own and he’s learning still but he felt nice.”

Covey ran out an easy winner
Covey ran out an easy winner (Tim Goode/PA)

Covey is trained by John and Thady Gosden and after their rather public fallout last season, brief as it was, Gosden senior and his jockey appear back on the best of terms.

John Gosden said: “He only landed at 6am so it’s good to put him on a winner.”

Of Covey, he added: “He ran a great race first time, he’s come here, grabbed the rail and did everything nicely, he’ll probably step up to a mile.

“There are no plans, he was a bit sicky last year so he missed last year, but he made rapid progress this year which is the main thing.

“It was only two weeks since his debut and the horse who beat him is entered in the Greenham.”

Coronation Cup comeback an option for Emily Upjohn

/in /by

Epsom’s Coronation Cup has been highlighted as a potential starting point for Emily Upjohn.

Narrowly denied when sent off the 6-4 favourite for the Oaks at the Surrey venue last year, the daughter of Sea The Stars then blotted her copy book in the King George at Ascot before returning to Berkshire following an 84-day break to put the record straight on British Champions Day in the Fillies & Mares Stakes.

With the decision to stay in training at four made after that taking three-length success, Emily Upjohn was pointed towards a trip to Meydan for the Dubai Sheema Classic in the early part of 2023.

Emily Upjohn, here ridden by jockey Frankie Dettori when narrowly denied in the 2022 Cazoo Oaks
Emily Upjohn, here ridden by jockey Frankie Dettori (red silks) when narrowly denied in the 2022 Cazoo Oaks (John Walton/PA)

However, having not come to hand as quickly as liked, she missed the opportunity to test her mettle against Japanese superstar Equinox and could now return to Epsom on Oaks Day looking to right last year’s wrong.

“She ran a huge race in the Oaks when just beaten there and had a nice swansong (at Ascot) at the end of last year,” said Thady Gosden – who trains in partnership with his father John – on Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday.

“She was heading towards Dubai but with the cold weather in the spring, it didn’t quite work out. Obviously she would have been taking on Equinox which would have been an interesting one.

“The Coronation Cup would be a nice early one to start with if she’s ready in time, but we’ll see how she is and she’ll tell us.”

Another star filly from the Gosden string staying in training at four is Inspiral, who could head to Newbury on May 20 for the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes, with all the top mile races on her radar this term.

Inspiral ridden by Frankie Dettori on their way to winning the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot
Inspiral ridden by Frankie Dettori on their way to winning the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot (David Davies/PA)

“She’s wintered well and is in good order, enjoying her training and looks great,” continued Gosden.

“She is obviously a top-class miler and all these mile races will be the ones for her.

“She is certainly an independently-minded filly. She has plenty of character but is exceptionally talented.”

A return to Royal Ascot could be on the cards for recent World Cup night winner Lord North.

The seven-year-old won the Dubai Turf for the third year in a row last month and could now bid to repeat his Prince of Wales’s Stakes success of 2020 when running on home soil this summer.

Gosden continued: “He had a slightly curtailed one last year and it was fantastic to get him back for the Dubai Turf – it was a good team effort there.

“He won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes two years ago and he is a horse you could look towards that with.”

The young handler also identified Arrest as the horse most likely to provide the Clarehaven operation with Classic success in 2023.

He added: “He was proven at Group One level last year when just beaten at Saint-Cloud. He is a talented horse and always looked like a three-year-old. He has plenty of size, scope and class about him.

“He will start off in a trial and we will go from there. Possibly Sandown, but we will see how he is.”

Classic hope Commissioning suffers career-ending injury

/in /by

Fillies’ Mile heroine and leading 1000 Guineas contender Commissioning has been retired after suffering a career-ending fetlock injury.

The daughter of Kingman made a big impression on her racecourse debut for John and Thady Gosden at Newmarket’s July Course last summer. She doubled her tally in the Rockfel Stakes before providing jockey Robert Havlin with a first Group One success in the Fillies’ Mile in October.

With Frankie Dettori set to get back on board in his final season before retirement, hopes were high Commissioning could provide him with a fifth 1000 Guineas success over the Rowley Mile in early May, but a setback has forced connections to call time on her racing career prematurely.

Jake Warren, racing and bloodstock advisor to Commissioning’s owners Isa Salman and Abdulla Al Khalifa, said: “Commissioning sustained an injury to her left hind fetlock which has unfortunately proven to be significant and thus she won’t be able to continue to be trained.

“It’s very frustrating news, but she has given the owners and breeders an amazing thrill by becoming the first Bahraini homebred Group One winner.

“Of course a filly of this calibre, with her CV, will be an incredible asset to breed from in the future.”

Lord North proves a class apart in Winter Derby

/in /by

Lord North set himself up for a Dubai Turf hat-trick bid after outclassing his rivals in the BetUK Winter Derby at Lingfield.

Winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot three years ago, John and Thady Gosden’s charge has since claimed back-to-back Group One victories on World Cup night at Meydan.

The seven-year-old found Alenquer too strong in last year’s Winter Derby, but went on to dead-heat with Japan’s Panthalassa when defending his crown in Dubai and was back at Lingfield for his first appearance since being beaten just a length into fourth place in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown in July.

Despite the lengthy absence, Lord North was the 8-11 favourite to make a successful comeback and could be called the winner a long way from home.

As his front-running stablemate Harrovian weakened, it was left for Lord North to reel in Tyrrhenian Sea in the straight and he did so with ease before pulling three and a quarter lengths clear in the hands of Robert Havlin.

“His work’s been a lot brighter and I think that was a better performance, even if the race didn’t have the depth of last year,” the winning rider told Sky Sports Racing.

“He was a bit laboured through the last furlong and a half last year, but today I was always comfortable he was going to pick up.

“The track doesn’t really suit him or play to his strengths. He’s better on galloping tracks coming off a strong pace, but his class shone through and he was showing us that (at home) – it’s like he’s back to being a four or five-year-old.

“Hopefully we can get back on song and win it (Dubai Turf) outright this year.”

Thady Gosden was delighted with Lord North's performance
Thady Gosden was delighted with Lord North’s performance (Mike Egerton/PA)

Joint-trainer Thady Gosden was in Riyadh to see Mostahdaf register an impressive victory on the Saudi Cup undercard and was thrilled to see Lord North also strike gold.

He said: “It’s a nice double! As you saw, he was midway in the field and he came round the bend and picked up really well.

“He has had a long time off the track, so was obviously a bit rusty, but he was given a great ride by Rab under hands and heels. He never panicked and showed that good turn of foot that we know he has.

“He has won the Dubai Turf twice and hopefully he can use this as a springboard to that, even though there is a month to go. As long as he comes out of the race well, we have a smooth run into that.”

Kimngrace (12-1) benefited from a cool ride from George Rooke to secure Listed honours in the BetUK Hever Sprint Stakes.

Making her first appearance since finishing sixth on the turf at Doncaster in the autumn, the Richard Hughes-trained filly was well back in the field rounding the final bend but flew home on the outside of runners to deny 100-30 favourite Tone The Barone by half a length.

Hughes said: “I have a race in mind for her at Deauville in April over five and a half furlongs and I needed to get a run into her if we’re going over there on soft ground.

“I could have run her in a handicap or a Listed race and I said we might as well have two bites of the cherry to try and get black type. To go and win it was brilliant.

“I said to George to hang on to the their tails as she’s not quite quick enough for five furlongs round here. He did exactly as I told him and he was a very brave, which is brilliant as he works hard.”

Cheveley Park would love to give Dettori another Group One in final year

/in /by

Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson will be thrilled if star filly Inspiral can give Frankie Dettori another top-level success in his final season before retirement.

The legendary Italian rider recently announced he will bring his illustrious riding career to an end in 2023, with the Breeders’ Cup in November set to be the stage for his swansong.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Inspiral provided Dettori with two Group One wins this year, with her spectacular victory in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot followed by a more hard-fought success against colts in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville.

The partnership is set to be renewed in the spring, with Thompson eyeing Newbury’s Lockinge Stakes in May as a likely target.

He said: “Frankie has won a few Group Ones for us, most recently with Inspiral obviously. She’s won three Group Ones and Frankie has been on board every time.

“He also gave Queen’s Trust a marvellous ride to win the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Turf, so that was a wonderful day.

“It’s been a marvellous association with Frankie and the Cheveley Park team have really enjoyed the relationship with him.

“What a fantastic career, what a wonderful talent and we look forward to him riding Inspiral next year and hopefully more winners for us as well.

“We’d love to give him his last Group One winner or certainly one in his last season.

“All is good with Inspiral and we look forward to hopefully aiming for the Lockinge.”