It’s been a strong start to the Euro flat season for Juddmonte Farms horses and a Kingman colt they purchased as a weanling for 530,000 euros has claimed favouritism for the upcoming Group I Newmarket 2000 Guineas with a powerful win overnight in the Group III Craven Stakes (1m) at Newmarket.
A big eye-catching grey, Field of Gold won the Group III Solario Stakes last year and finished his season with a fourth in the Group I Longchamp Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden and ridden by Keiran Showmark, Field of Gold dominated his vales to win the Craven by three and a half lengths taking his overall record to three wins and a placing from five starts.
“This is a trial, it's not the Guineas. You're not fully wound up for this, the race now puts them where you want them - that's the idea of the trial,” said John Gosden.
“He went to his girth and had a good blow, but then he's entitled to.Field of Gold did it in splendid style and it's nice to race on some really good ground today and he just flew off it.”
John Gosden trained Field of Gold’s sire Kingman for Juddmonte and while he was the Champion Miler at three, he managed to get beaten in the 2000 Guineas.
“I suppose Kingman was slightly unfortunate as he went four lengths clear and thought he'd done enough and got caught late on by a very good horse in Night Of Thunder, who has become a top stallion,” Gosden added.
“It's lovely to have a horse going for the Guineas and it's great for Juddmonte, because they have both the winner of the Greenham (Jonquil, trained by Andrew Balding) and this, so they're double-handed if they want to. But the family will decide whether one goes there and one goes to France or what we do.”
Field of Gold was purchased for 530,000 euros from the Roundhill stud draft at the 2022 Goffs November Foal Sale where he was the second highest priced horse at the sale. He is a half-brother to stakes-winner Zanbaq being the best of three winners from well bred Shamardal mare Princess de Lune, a winning sibling to Group I winner Zabeel Prince, Group II winners Puissance de Lune (who raced and stands at stud in Australia) and Queen Power, as well as the dam of Group I winner Rizeena.
