What next for promising bunch of Juddmonte three-year-olds?

Field Of Gold (John & Thady Gosden)

Timeform rating: 122p

Five years ago Siskin became Juddmonte’s second Irish 2,000 winner, that victory coming six years after Kingman’s famous triumph, and this weekend it’s over to Kingman colt Field Of Gold in the Curragh Classic.

He won’t need to improve on his current rating to go extremely close on Saturday, when Colin Keane takes the ride for the first time – just as he did when successful on the Juddmonte-owned Westover in the Irish Derby in 2022.

Win, lose or draw, the key question from that point will be whether to step Field Of Gold up to 10 furlongs for the first time in the stallion-making Coral-Eclipse at Sandown or turn him out again relatively quickly and take aim at the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Given the overall strength in depth to this three-year-old team, the Eclipse is surely more than tempting.

Jonquil (Andrew Balding)

Timeform rating: 116

With Field Of Gold and Cosmic Year set to clash at the Curragh, Jonquil could be the Juddmonte colt who drifts under the radar over the next couple of months.

He’s shown marked improvement in his performances on the track since ing Andrew Balding this year (previously with Sir Michael Stoute), winning the Greenham nicely from Rashabar before just missing out by a head in the French Guineas.

Drawn 12 at Longchamp, his effort should be marked up a touch and he appeared to see the mile out well enough on his first go in G1 company. The St James’s Palace would appear the next logical target although he is also in the Commonwealth Cup and the July Cup the following month.

It’s 22 years since Oasis Dream became Juddmonte’s one and only July Cup winner, but it should be pointed out that same operation have an even more obvious candidate for that particular summer highlight...

Babouche (Ger Lyons)

Timeform rating: 113

The Juddmonte silks have yet to be carried to victory in the Commonwealth Cup but that may all change if Ger Lyons is happy to let Babouche take her chance next month.

She pulled too hard for her own good in last year’s Cheveley Park, having won the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, but has turned things around with a tongue-tie fitted in two starts this season.

A close fourth first time out at Cork, when her trainer was at pains to stress she needed the run, the daughter of Kodiac produced a new career-best to slam Whistlejacket by almost three lengths in a Group 3 at Naas recently.

Lyons won a Group 2 with Babouche’s sister Zarinsk in her three-year-old campaign and hopes will be high this one can go right to the top as a sprinter.

Cosmic Year (Harry Charlton)

Timeform rating: 113p

The well-related Cosmic Year – and like Field Of Gold another son of Kingman – is expected to his more established owner-mate in this weekend’s Irish Guineas and it will be fascinating to see how Harry Charlton’s representative gets on.

There was a real sense of Cosmic Year not quite being able to show the full extent of his ability in a slightly messy King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket, but he still got the job done to keep his unblemished record (3-3) intact.

This horse appears to have a sharp turn of foot and, if Field Of Gold is to wind up being more of a 10-furlong performer as his career develops, there would be no surprise to see Cosmic Year ruffle a few feathers if getting the race run to suit at the Curragh.

Detain (John & Thady Gosden)

Timeform rating: 109p

Detain hasn’t quite come up to G1 standard yet, finishing sixth in both the Futurity Trophy last year and the French Guineas on his most recent start. However, there was no disgrace in ending up two and a half lengths behind Henri Matisse in , especially as he didn’t get a clear shot at things in the straight.

He’s well worth another chance at a slightly lower level perhaps, the St James’s Palace and Coral-Eclipse entries looking a bit of a stretch on what we know to this point.

His half-brother Arrest was second in the Leger so a step up in trip could certainly be in the offing at some point soon, although the G3 Hampton Court over 10 furlongs at the Royal meeting might makes sense as a realistic target.

Windlord (Andrew Balding)

Timeform rating: 109

Windlord’s sole success to date came in a York novice event over a mile last September but it’s worth underlining that he’s yet to run anything but a highly creditable race from five starts in total.

His seasonal reappearance second in the bet365 Classic Trial went down as a slight disappointment as he was just about the form horse in the race, but he appeared to hang left in the straight so there’s a chance he got tired and will come on plenty for the run.

The Sandown third, Damysus, has hardly let the form down either after his fine second to Pride Of Arras in the Dante last week and Windlord strikes as an excellent candidate for the King Edward VII Stakes over a mile and a half at Ascot.

Nightwalker (John & Thady Gosden)

Timeform rating: 108p

Frankel colt Nightwalker may be a 100/1 chance but he's still in the Betfred Derby after finishing fifth in the Dante.

A bit of a slow burner from day one really, strapping colt Nightwalker was seemingly doing his best work when the race was beyond recall at York, and he looks likely to enjoy a more severe test of stamina further down the line, something backed up by his pedigree as his dam Sleep Walk is a half-sister to the St Leger winner Logician.

Don’t be surprised to see him back at York in something like the Great Voltigeur later in the year when the Gosdens might finally have got somewhere close to the bottom of him. He remains a really smart staying prospect to my eyes.

Purview (Dermot Weld)

Timeform rating: 107p

Purview could be ing Nightwalker in the Epsom Classic and he has every right to have a crack at it considering the level of improvement he showed when second to Delacroix in the Derby Trial Stakes at Leopardstown.

The winner was better placed in the run as it happened, and simply had too many gears for Purview anyway, but Dermot Weld’s horse (another by Kingman) stuck at it irably in defeat and saw the trip out well.

His dam is by Sea The Stars so a mile and a half could be within range on that basis and, considering he’d only ever run in a small Dundalk maiden at the back-end of his juvenile year, there are surely some big days ahead with this inexperienced horse (also entered in the Irish Derby and the Arc).

Red Letter (Ger Lyons)

Timeform rating: 106p

“She’s still the one”, was the message from Lyons despite Red Letter’s defeat in last year’s Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh during the Irish Champions Festival last September.

Those who kept the faith were not immediately rewarded as Red Letter could do no better than seventh behind Desert Flower in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. She did race in a small group of three away from the main pack although in fairness so did the eventual runner-up, and it just looked a case of Red Letter being a bit rusty for her comeback.

A Coronation Stakes rematch with a couple of those who finished in front of her in the Guineas could be interesting, although entries in the Irish Oaks and Pretty Polly suggest a move up in distance is likely to be explored at some point. She might just be one we don’t truly see the best of until the autumn.

Swelter (Dermot Weld)

Timeform rating: 106p

By Kingman out of a half-sister to Midday, Swelter is the sort to feature heavily in the Juddmonte brochures for years to come but her racing career is only just blossoming after beating odds-on shot Exactly in the ‘Priory Belle’ at Leopardstown in March 30.

Next up, her date with destiny in the Irish 1,000 Guineas this Sunday, although trainer Dermot Weld has already hinted that she could be best at 10 furlongs in due course – hence the Pretty Polly Stakes entry next month.

Beyond that, they’ve every reason to be dreaming of Champions Day or a trip to the Breeders’ Cup but this is a very exciting filly, in short, and Lake Victoria might have her work cut out at the weekend, even if bouncing back to her best following a low-key reappearance at Newmarket.

Zanzoun (John & Thady Gosden)

Timeform rating: 104p

Zanzoun was very good in the Nell Gwyn although the form has worked out pretty poorly as runner-up Celestial Orbit beat only one home in the French Guineas and third Remaat was last of 10 at Newmarket.

Zanzoun had been aimed at the Longchamp Classic herself but was said to be “off behind” following exercise in the build-up to the race.

It remains to be seen whether she’ll be back to full health in time to take up her engagement in the Coronation Stakes but that could be deemed a bit too hot regardless and perhaps the Jersey Stakes over seven – a race Juddmonte landed with Expert Eye in 2018 and almost won with Kikkuli last June – will come into the equation.

At least one filly has contested the past seven editions of the Jersey although the last winner was Ishvana in 2012 – Aidan O’Brien’s daughter of Holy Roman Emperor beating, incidentally, another filly in the William Haggas-trained Sentaril.

Kassaya (Andrew Balding)

Timeform rating: 91p

Completing the ‘Juddmonte Dozen’, a bit of a dark horse in Kassaya, who hasn’t been sighted since last year’s Queen Mary, in which she was sent off favourite but could only finish mid-pack after repeatedly being denied a clear run).

That effort came on the back of a striking Nottingham maiden win and although things clearly haven’t been straightforward in of her spring preparation (was due to reappear at Chelmsford in early-May), she’s one to keep tabs on as Balding was reportedly working back from the Commonwealth Cup when speaking for his Stable Tour on these pages last month.

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