Tag Archive for: Lord North

Coronation Cup comeback an option for Emily Upjohn

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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.”

Lord North leading Gosden team on glittering World Cup night card

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Thady Gosden is under no illusions about the task facing Lord North in his bid for a Dubai Turf hat-trick at Meydan on Saturday.

The seven-year-old was a clear-cut winner of the nine-furlong Group One in 2021 and last year dead-heated with subsequent Saudi Cup winner Panthalassa after a thrilling duel.

The Dubai World Cup-bound Panthalassa will not be in opposition this weekend, but Lord North will nevertheless face a strong Japanese challenge, with Do Deuce and Serifos both formidable rivals.

Gosden, who trains in partnership with his father John, got the chance to cast his eye over Lord North on the Meydan training track on Tuesday morning and is looking forward to the weekend.

He said: “It was very tight last year. The form of that win was franked pretty nicely in the Middle East when Panthalassa won the Saudi Cup last month.

“The Japanese horses have been doing exceptionally well over here for the last few years and they bring their best horses over here. They’re going to be hard to take on, so we’ll see.”

Last year Lord North finished second in the Winter Derby en route to Meydan, whereas this year he ran out an impressive winner of the Lingfield Group Three.

“It’s the same route he took to Meydan as last year and he was a lot more impressive this year, winning well on the back of a long break,” Gosden added.

“It was nice to see him do that under hands and heels and do it well.”

Mostahdaf on the Meydan training track
Mostahdaf on the Meydan training track (Dubai Racing Club/Liesl King)

Lord North is one of three planned runners on World Cup night for the Gosden team, with Mostahdaf being readied for the Dubai Sheema Classic and Trawlerman poised for a tilt at the Dubai Gold Cup.

Mostahdaf was a runaway winner of the Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh last month, while Ebor victory Trawlerman finished eighth in the Red Sea Turf Handicap on the same card.

Gosden said: “This is their first day out of quarantine, so they’ve just had a nice stretch to ease them into things.

“Both Mostahdaf and Trawlerman ran in Saudi last month, but they have been back home since for a couple of weeks and then all three travelled over here on Saturday.

“For the rest of the week we’ll do a mixture between the training track and the main track and we’ll canter them on the grass to allow them to get a feel of things. Hopefully everything goes smoothly.

“All three of them have travelled before which is a plus and this is Lord North’s third season here, so he knows the place well. All three of them seem to be adapting well since arriving here.”

Lord North setting the standard in Winter Derby

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Lord North will be cramped odds as he attempts to go one better than last year’s second in the BetUK Winter Derby Stakes at Lingfield.

The seven-year-old has won eight times in an 18-race career, but had to settle for the runner-up berth behind Alenquer when sent off the 6-5 favourite 12 months ago.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained son of Dubawi used this Group Three contest to tune up for the Dubai Turf last season and his rider Robert Havlin has indicated that will be the plan once again – with the stable stalwart and former Royal Ascot winner reported to be showing plenty of zest in his work at home.

“We are happy with him at home,” said Havlin.

“It was a good stepping stone to start him off on the road to the Dubai Turf last year so we are taking the same route. Personally he feels a little bit brighter than he was this time last year, a little bit sharper in his mind, so we are hoping for a big run.

“I think I’ve ridden him seven times, won four on him and finished second twice so he’s a horse I know really well and I’ve ridden him his last few pieces of work and he’s in a good place.

Lord North ridden by James Doyle (right) wins the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2020
Lord North ridden by James Doyle (right) wins the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2020 (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

“He’ll improve a lot for the run, but I just feel he is in nice form and that little bit further forward than he was last year so I can’t wait to ride him.”

The Clarehaven team have won this three times in the last four years and their three-strong squad for this years race also includes 2021 winner Forest Of Dean.

The Godolphin-owned seven-year-old had reopposing stablemate Harrovian (third) and William Knight’s King Of The South (fifth) behind when winning a Newcastle All-Weather Championships Fast-Track Qualifier last time and is the mount of South African jockey Collen Storey, who will be attempting to complete his ambition of winning a Group race in the UK.

He said: “Forest Of Dean is very well in himself. I sat on him again on Thursday morning and he had a bit of freshness in him. I actually think he has come on a bit from Newcastle.

“Rab rode him quite handy when they won the Winter Derby a couple of years ago, whereas at Newcastle I dropped him in and he flew when I pulled him out. It was impressive the way he quickened up.

“I won a stakes race in Zimbabwe on a filly called Raven Girl and have placed in a few other Stakes races as well. It is hard to get rides in these big races and I am very excited for this opportunity. With a bit of luck, hopefully we can pull it off.

“After I won on Forest Of Dean at Newcastle, I said my aim is to ride a Group winner over here. If I could tick that off, I would like to see what the year ahead is able to give me.”

Tyrrhenian Sea won three times on the all-weather last season and returns to 10 furlongs for the first time since finishing second in the Easter Classic at Newcastle last April.

“He’s in good form,” said trainer Roger Varian.

“Obviously Lord North is very much superior – not just of us, but all of the horses in the field on ratings and he will be a very hard horse to beat. But I think we measure up with the rest of the field on ratings and he deserves his place in the line-up.

“He’s training really well, his all-weather form is very good and we’re hopeful of a good run.”

Andrew Balding’s Fox Tales has plenty of back-class but has fitness to prove on his first start since August, while the field is complete by George Baker’s recent Bahrain hero Lucander and John Ryan’s Pistoletto.