Our experts highlight a few horses on the radar this Saturday for the Curragh, Haydock, Goodwood and Salisbury.
Field Of Gold in the Irish 2,000 Guineas: Banker or Blowout?
Matt Brocklebank: There is clearly some depth here and it could be argued that, as Group 1 winners from last year, Hotazhell and Scorthy Champ have been a little overlooked in the market. Officer and Cosmic Year bring that ‘could be anything’ element which always makes a Classic race exciting, but Field Of Gold really does set the bar high on the back of his Craven waltz and 2000 Guineas near-miss. He’s going to love this stiff track and looks banker material before having his sights raised to all the big 10-furlong assignments against older horses later in the summer.
Ben Linfoot: He just looks a tad short to me as I’ve a feeling he might be better over 10 furlongs and he’s in against some genuine milers here. The stiff track will help but at the prices I’d rather take him on with owner-mate Cosmic Year who has more than a touch of star quality about him.
Tony McFadden: Field of Gold probably should have won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and clearly has the best form on offer, but, at the prices, I'd rather take a chance on the unexposed Cosmic Year taking a big step forward. Few horses, if any, created as big an impression as Cosmic Year on debut last season and nothing he's done since has altered the view he's an exciting prospect. The form he showed when winning at listed level at Newmarket's Guineas Festival is clearly a long way behind what Field of Gold showed in Classic company, but he travels like a potential top-notcher so looks well worth a crack at a big prize.
Lake Victoria in the Irish 1,000 Guineas: Banker or Blowout?
Matt Brocklebank: Lake Victoria ran quite well in the Guineas, on reflection, and I can see her reversing that form with Flight and Simmering but there are a couple of other rivals who put me off having a bet on the favourite. The first is stablemate Bedtime Story, who might not be the most straightforward but shaped with encouragement on her seasonal debut at Longchamp, having shown several flashes of brilliance last summer. The second is Swelter as Dermot Weld’s unbeaten filly looked the real deal when beating Exactly with plenty to spare at Leopardstown. She’ll go on improving back up to a mile and might turn out to be the best long-term prospect in the whole race.
Ben Linfoot: Banker and, unlike Matt, I’d much rather shell out on Lake Victoria than Field Of Gold the previous day. I thought she ran very well in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket considering it was her first start of the year and she very much needed it. She was all class out at the Breeders’ Cup despite things not going her way through the race and experiences like that can only help as she goes through her three-year-old campaign which can finally catch fire with victory on Sunday.
Tony McFadden: Lake Victoria is a banker in my book. Winning Group 1s at six, seven and eight furlongs during her juvenile campaign was a remarkable effort and she sets a high standard on the pick of that form, heading Timeform's ratings by at least 7lb. She was some way below her best when only sixth in the 1000 Guineas on her return but that's easy enough to explain as she was reportedly given an extended winter break so had a shorter prep time. She shaped like a filly in need of the run, failing to sustain her challenge inside the final furlong, but is expected to build on that here.
Two big sprints in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh and Temple Stakes at Haydock – is there a Group 1 sprinter lurking amongst the entries?
Matt Brocklebank: I’m intrigued by Vespertilio dropping back in trip at the Curragh but you can’t really have a strong view on the Greenlands when you’ve got a horse like Storm Boy making his debut for Aidan O’Brien. Who knows what to expect there, but Mgheera is the one to be on in the Temple. She had some high-class form for previous connections and, following a €250,000 purchase and switch to Ed Walker, won easily in a Longchamp Group 3 earlier this month. She looks very fast but also stays that bit further (tried over 1m) and the forecast showers should help take any sting out of the ground by 3.30 on Saturday. Her Royal Ascot odds of 33/1 could be tumbling come Saturday afternoon.
Ben Linfoot: I’m really looking forward to seeing what the multi-million pound Storm Boy can do on his debut for Aidan O’Brien with a view to his Royal Ascot claims. The Australian sprinters have traditionally been a class apart from ours over the years and he comes into a division that is lacking in real class. That much is evident when you look through the Temple Stakes field, but Starlust is a good horse on his day as he showed out in Del Mar at the Breeders’ Cup. Whether everything will fall right for him here is another matter but he’s clearly very good on his day, including at the very top level.
Tony McFadden: Timeform's ratings suggest that My Mate Alfie has very little to find to make a serious impact in Group 1s this season so I'm siding with him in the Greenlands Stakes. Aidan O'Brien's Australian import Storm Boy is obviously feared having shown similarly smart form in his homeland, but My Mate Alfie is a solid option having excelled over the course and distance last season. Three of My Mate Alfie's four wins in 2024 came over six furlongs at the Curragh, while his other victory was achieved over the same trip at Naas on his final start of the campaign. He earned a Timeform rating of 119 for his listed win at Naas, which placed him only 3 lb below the highest-rated six-furlong sprinters Mill Stream and Kind of Blue, both Group 1 winners. He found only a progressive sort with a run under his belt too strong on his return in a five-furlong listed race at Naas last month and he should benefit from stepping back up in trip at the Curragh.
Who else are you looking forward to seeing at the Curragh or Haydock or Goodwood?
Matt Brocklebank: Can I be cheeky and extend that to include Salisbury? [Editor: Yes, go on then, there's always one, rolling eyes emoji...] Ralph Beckett has ensured the Conditions Stakes at 5.50 goes ahead by declaring a second string (Stark Warming) but this race is all about Stanhope Gardens who is almost strangely short in the betting for the Derby (25s at best) given this comeback run is over a mile and he’s presumably missed a few engagements for one reason or another having been entered for races like the Dante. The fact his yard still won that Classic trial at York suggests Beckett may have a really strong group of three-year-old colts and this son of Ghaiyyath is a fascinating prospect with Epsom in mind as his form with Ruling Court and Delacroix last year stacks up extremely well.
Ben Linfoot: William Haggas runs a very interesting horse for Wathnan in the Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood in Opportunity. He was left in the Betfred Derby on Tuesday and has the ability to throw his hat belatedly into the Epsom ring. His Haydock win was given a boost of sorts by Rahiebb at York and the fifth home Minhad won at Newmarket next time, too, while he’s beautifully bred by Frankel out of the smart dual-Group 1 winner Izzi Top. He looks a strong stayer at the trip.
Tony McFadden: I'll see your Opportunity and raise you an Amiloc in the Cocked Hat, Ben, as it will be interesting to see what he can produce stepping up markedly in trip at Goodwood. He is unbeaten in three starts at up to a mile but is bred to be suited by middle distances and has proved notably strong inside the final furlong on his last couple of outings. The form he showed when a three-and-a-quarter-length winner of a mile conditions race at this venue a few weeks ago already marks him out as the one to beat on Timeform's ratings and he's expected to improve on that over this much longer trip in excess of 11 furlongs.
Have you got a two-year-old or handicapper to follow this weekend?
Matt Brocklebank: I put up eventual fifth Diligent Resdev for the Victoria Cup earlier in the month and remain a firm believer in this horse, who I see is entered for the Wokingham back at Ascot next month. He probably won’t make the cut there but connections have got him in at Beverley this Saturday as well as two further options on Monday, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the plan was to try and rack up a sequence and bump his mark up as the real end game is surely the Ayr Gold Cup, seeing as he won the Bronze version last September. He could prove a class apart in this 0-85 handicap running off the ceiling rating, even though the extended seven-furlong trip might be a shade too far in an ideal world.
Ben Linfoot: Ger Lyons is three from 10 with his juveniles this season and he has a tremendous record with his two-year-olds at the Curragh in the month of May (nine wins from 31 at 29%). Learntodiscover is a Havana Grey colt related to two-year-old winners and with Lyons having won this race a couple of times you’d expect him to be well forward in his development. The Aidan O’Brien horses will likely dominate the betting and Ryan Moore rides the newcomer, but Learntodiscover could offer a bit of value against them.
Tony McFadden: French Master was a beaten favourite on his return at Newmarket a few weeks ago but it's easy to excuse that effort as he was held up in a steadily-run race and was unable to challenge a progressive rival who benefited from dictating the tempo. French Master was nicely clear of the remainder, however, and the way he kept on suggests he should benefit from the extra couple of furlongs on offer in the mile-and-three-quarter handicap at Goodwood (15:45). He's also entitled to be sharper with a run under his belt and it would be little surprise were this smartly bred colt capable of making a serious impact in a major staying handicap this season.
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