A fairly quiet week in the UK but a significant meeting at The Curragh, where the Irish 2000 & 1000 Guineas took place.
First up was for the boys and it perhaps was no great surprise to see Field of Gold completely outclass a good quality field to right the wrong of Newmarket.
Colin Keane took over for the somewhat hapless Kieran Shoemark and showed how it should be done, quickening impressively (in plenty of time) and coasting home by nearly four lengths. Field of Gold‘s Daddy (Kingman) was also narrowly beaten in the 2000 Guineas and went on to dominate the mile division for the rest of the season and the same thing looks likely to happen now.
The St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot should be next.
The Guineas for the distaff side on Sunday was a chance to prove that the star 2-y-o filly of last season, Lake Victoria, had trained on, after finishing 6th in our version. Said to be nowhere near ready for Newmarket and yet beaten only two lengths, LV picked up where she left off last year and ran out a very comfortable winner under minimum of assistance from Ryan Moore.
The Coronation Stakes at the Royal meeting must be next on the agenda and looks an absolute banker.
Slightly away from the racecourse, there was some spirited action at the Goffs Doncaster sales, with some rather eye-watering sums being lashed out for a couple of beasties that promise more than they have yet delivered.
The bidding for the 4-y-o Poetisa soon developed into a straight fight between W Mullins and NJ Henderson, with the final bid of £300,000 sending the filly to Ireland. Picked up a year ago for £42,000, Poetisa has run just the once, winning an ordinary Cheltenham Bumper, albeit in fine style, and this looks like very good business by the seller.
Whilst a filly can have future breeding potential, the same cannot be said for geldings(!), which makes the sale price of Kingston Pride even more remarkable. The winner of a Bumper and two small field Class 4 Novice hurdles, this 6-y-o grey (sans noisettes) fetched £285,000, with the unfortunate Nicky Henderson once again the underbidder, and he/it will now join Olly Murphy‘s yard.
It better be good.
The dry weather has seen smaller fields than usual, which have impacted on the prices of our winners over the past week, although 17-2 was a big help.
