John Gosden suggested that Sunday’s Arc winner Golden Horn may very well line up at the Breeders’ Cup this month, having taken his exertions remarkably well. “He’s in great form,” the trainer reported as he signed for a lot at Tattersalls yearling sales here on Wednesday.
“He only lost 6kg on the whole flight, going to France and back and running in the Arc. He’s got some constitution. He’s back at home and over the next 10 days we’ll watch him, see where we are and be making decisions about America. There’s no point rushing decisions now, just give the horse some time. This is his last chance to run in a race.
“Watching him this morning, I’d be leaning that way but it’s still too early to say. He was just having a nice walk and munching grass.”
Golden Horn’s two-length success at Longchamp, with New Bay and Treve among those behind him, makes his defeat by a 50-1 shot in August seem all the more anomalous. “It was a complete mess-up at York,” Gosden said.
“We got the tactics very, very wrong. The ground didn’t suit him but the filly [Arabian Queen] was there and took advantage and good luck to her. We ignored our pacemaker and paid a price. It was not wise. He [the pacemaker] went no great gallop and the fact that he was leading with two furlongs to run tells you everything. This time, we didn’t ignore the pacemaker.”
Gosden hopes to continue his fine year with Jack Hobbs in the Champion Stakes at Ascot a week on Saturday. He said the Irish Derby winner will work before racing at Newmarket on Friday.
The trainer will also have runners in the juvenile Group One contests at his local track this weekend, starting with Nathra in the Fillies Mile on Friday.
“She’s been supplemented. She’s won her races very well. It’s a jump in class but she’s a two-year-old in good form, end of the year, why not run? And it’s at home.”
In Saturday’s Dewhurst, Gosden fields Tashweeq against the more established talents of Air Force Blue and Emotionless. “He runs against what looks like two exceptional colts and we’re aware he’s up against it but, again, it’s the last race of the year. The ground is on the easy side of good, but I actually think it’ll be good ground on Saturday, so I think we’d better get on and race. Normally, this time of year, you’re getting soft ground.”
