Many believed Field of Gold should have won the English 2000 Guineas on May 3 at Newmarket. Even more think he will win the Irish 2000 Guineas on Saturday at The Curragh.
English bookmakers as of Thursday offered Field of Gold at odds-on to win the one-mile Irish classic, where he faces eight runners under a new jockey, Colin Keane.
Field of Gold previously had been the regular mount of Kieren Shoemark, but shortly after the Guineas, and at least in part because of it, father and son co-trainers John and Thady Gosden announced that Shoemark no longer would ride first call for the stable. The Gosdens instead would seek the best available jockey for plum mounts – and Field of Gold certainly appears to be that.
A Juddmonte homebred, Field of Gold is by Kingman, who gave John Gosden his lone Irish 2000 Guineas victory in 2014, and Field of Gold earlier this month at Newmarket might well have provided Gosden with his first English 2000 Guineas. The strapping gray colt traveled sweetly from the start – perhaps giving his jockey too much confidence. Shoemark sat chilly near the back of the field on Field of Gold even as the other riders, including William Buick on victorious Ruling Court, urged their mounts forward after passing the quarter-mile marker. Shoemark finally called upon Field of Gold with a little more than a furlong of the straight mile remaining and Field of Gold powered through the race’s uphill finish, falling a half-length short of Ruling Court.
Field of Gold won two of four last year at age 2, checking in fourth of nine when the Gosdens gave him his first look at the Group 1 level in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Oct. 6 at Longchamp. Soft ground likely contributed to his defeat. Field of Gold goes best on firmer footing and should get the ground he needs Saturday.
Juddmonte has a second entrant with merit, the Harry Charlton-trained Cosmic Year, another homebred by Kingman, this colt taking a considerable step up in class after winning his first three races. Cosmic Year, showing useful positional pace, aced his lone start at 2, albeit over moderate competition at Sandown Park, and threw down a 21.62-second final 400 meters coming home a five-length winner of his 3-year-old bow facing overmatched competition on the Kempton Park all-weather surface. Back to turf in a listed race May 2 at Newmarket, Cosmic Year had to work harder to win by 1 1/2 lengths, and in addition to tackling far tougher foes at The Curragh, he makes his first start beyond seven furlongs.
Aidan O’Brien, somewhat surprisingly, has trained the Irish 2000 Guineas winner just twice the last nine years. Saturday, he runs two, Officer and Expanded, trying for his 13th win in the classic. Leading stable jockey Ryan Moore rides Officer, who beat 13 maidens at The Curragh last August in his lone start at 2, returned to action with a tepid third in the listed Gladness Stakes in March, and took a step forward May 5 notching a course and distance win in the listed Tetrarch Stakes.
Taken off cover with about a quarter-mile remaining, Officer rallied effectively if less than brilliantly while looking like an unfinished product with the potential for significant improvement. He’ll need it to cope with Field of Gold.
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